Meet Jill Stolarik
Current position: I work as a Business Development Manager at Morrison & Foerster for the Securities Litigation, Enforcement and White-Collar Defense Practice Group.
Work history: I was fortunate to be able to work within technology marketing
at Gartner, Netscape and FindLaw. Then I was lucky to be able to move into professional services marketing at McDermott, Townsend and Morrison & Foerster.
Education: I graduated with a B.S. in Marketing from Santa Clara University and a J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law.
Where did you grow up? My family moved from Colorado Springs to Cupertino when I was 7.
What is the first paid job you ever had? Does babysitting count, or my high-school stint at House of Fabrics? Both developed my skills at being responsible, following up and coming up with creative ideas – not to mention that I can drape a mean swath of fabric!
How did you get into legal marketing? When working for a company in Mountain View, my employer announced plans to move the marketing team to the HQ site in Minnesota. Given that I’ve always preferred sunshine to snow, I looked at other ways to utilize my background in marketing and law. That’s when I moved into the legal marketing field.
What advice would you offer to someone new to the industry? Never fail to continually build your network. It is important to develop relationships with the attorneys in your practice groups as well as with staff members across the marketing, finance, IT and recruiting departments within your firm. It’s also never too soon to start networking within the local chapter and with marketing colleagues in other industries. Having a group of advisors who can provide information or best practices as you tackle various assignments, projects or department initiatives is invaluable.
What is the best advice you have ever received? It is always helpful to remind myself to keep things in perspective and look at the “big picture” when attempting to juggle personal and professional challenges. But my favorite to keep in mind is: “This too shall pass.” Because it always does!
What would people be most surprised to learn about you? I worked in the “Last Frontier” in Fairbanks, Alaska, as a summer legal intern for the District Attorney’s Office during law school. Now I know what it’s like to live with 20 hours of sunshine a day. Plus, it was great to explore the Arctic Circle and Denali National Park.
What is your favorite quotation? “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986.
What is your favorite movie? For pure escapism to charming England, it’s hard to beat Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in “Notting Hill.”
What is your favorite word? “Harmonization”
What was the last book you read that you really enjoyed? Home Front by Kristin Hannah