Meet UC Law SF Board of Governors Member Natalie Alameddine ‘13
A partner at the firm Blank Rome in Los Angeles, Natalie Alameddine ‘13 traces her success as an attorney specializing in employment and labor law to her time as a law student at UC Law SF.
Alameddine said she wanted to give back to her alma mater. On top of being co-chair of the West Los Angeles Alumni Chapter, she also joined the UC Law SF Alumni Association Board of Governors this year.
“I owe Hastings the start of my career,” Alameddine said. “I figured this would be an additional way to stay involved and give back.”
The Board of Governors serves as a liaison between alumni and the college. The board provides valuable input on alumni volunteer activities, chapter and affinity group programming, and helps support department initiatives.
During her 1L year in law school, Alameddine took an employment discrimination elective that she said sparked her interest in employment and labor law. She later enrolled in the Employment Law Clinic, which she said strengthened her passion for the field. Alameddine served as senior notes editor of the Hastings Business Law Journal and volunteered as a mediator for the San Francisco Superior Court through the Mediation Clinic at UC Law SF.
While in law school, she served as a judicial extern for Judge Bobbi Tillmon of the Los Angeles County Superior Court and as a clinic counselor and legal advocate at Legal Aid At Work, formerly known as the Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center.
After graduation, she interned with an administrative law judge at the National Labor Relations Board, who she met through an event she had organized as 3L class president of ASUCH.
Alameddine credits these experiences as contributing to her success. She recently made partner at the firm Blank Rome, where she represents employers in a wide range of labor and employment matters, including single-plaintiff cases and class actions involving claims of wage and hour violations, discrimination and harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and employment status misclassification.
As co-chair of the West Los Angeles Alumni Chapter, Alameddine said she enjoys organizing networking events and giving her fellow UC Law SF graduates opportunities to meet each other and stay connected.
Her advice to current law students? “Don’t stress out too much – things will work out! 90% of you won’t be in the coveted top 10% of your class and there will still be great opportunities, jobs, externships, etc. that you will land in.”
She also recommends that law students take advantage of opportunities, such as the Alumni Mentor Program at UC Law SF. She said, “Make the most of the resources available to you, and don’t be afraid to reach out to alumni for informational interviews if you are still exploring what type of law you want to do.”