{"id":2531,"date":"2021-09-29T19:16:02","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T19:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/careerplanning.me.holycross.edu\/?p=2531"},"modified":"2021-09-29T19:16:02","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T19:16:02","slug":"meet-alumna-mary-kate-brennan-09-associate-finnegan-henderson-farabow-garrett-dunner-llp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/2021\/09\/29\/meet-alumna-mary-kate-brennan-09-associate-finnegan-henderson-farabow-garrett-dunner-llp\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Alumna Mary Kate Brennan ’09, Associate @ Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Name<\/strong>: Mary Kate Brennan<\/p>\n

Class year:<\/strong>\u00a0 2009<\/p>\n

Position<\/strong>:\u00a0 Associate<\/p>\n

Organization<\/strong>:\u00a0 Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP<\/p>\n

Law School<\/strong>:\u00a0 Fordham University School of Law, J.D. 2012, LL.M. in Fashion Law 2017<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

My practice focuses on trademark, false advertising, and copyright litigation for a wide variety of clients and industries, including fashion, consumer goods, and media.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn\/decide it was a good fit for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even before attending Holy Cross, I knew that I wanted to be an attorney.\u00a0 I did not, however, expect to become a fashion lawyer.\u00a0 While at Fordham Law School, I took Professor Susan Scafidi\u2019s Fashion Law survey class.\u00a0 Professor Scafidi is the first professor ever to offer a course in Fashion Law, and she is internationally recognized for her leadership in establishing the field.\u00a0 After graduating and while studying for the bar exam in 2012, Professor Scafidi invited me to work with her at the Fashion Law Institute, the world\u2019s first center dedicated to law and the business of fashion.\u00a0 From there, I continued to connect with industry members.\u00a0 Although my immediate next position did not involve fashion law – I joined the litigation department at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey – I continued to network and stay involved in fashion.\u00a0 For example, I co-founded the Holy Cross in Fashion Alumni Affinity Group.\u00a0 This group has afforded me unparalleled opportunities to connect with Crusader fashion luminaries, such as Carolyn Risoli.<\/p>\n

I love writing and thankfully, other people seem to think that I\u2019m pretty good at it.\u00a0 Going into law school, I thought that I wanted to be a transactional attorney working on deals and contracts.\u00a0 While between my first and second years of law school, I interned with Time Inc.\u2019s legal department.\u00a0 Notably, it is only because of Holy Cross\u2019s Summer Internship Program that I was able get this position (going into my senior year, I interned at Sports Illustrated as part of Time Inc.\u2019s editorial internship program).\u00a0 At Time Inc., I worked with the in-house litigation team and knew that the fast-paced nature of trial work was for me.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t looked back since.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Class of 2009 Convocation Scholar; Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Holy Cross Journal of Law and Public Policy; Co-Chair of the Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture Committee; News Editor and Columnist at The Crusader; Writing Tutor and Teacher’s Assistant; Co-Chair of the English Department Student Advisory Board; and Staff Member of the Campus Activity Board.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was an English major and minored in Art History.\u00a0 Both have had an enormous impact on my personal and professional life.\u00a0 As an English major, I dedicated my studies to close-readings and precise writing.\u00a0 While legal writing is quite different, the skills that I began to develop during undergrad have transferred nicely and set the groundwork for success.\u00a0 In terms of the substantive fashion law work, my art history background provided a wonderful foundation in fashion and fostered my overall interest in the arts and protecting them.\u00a0 On a personal note, I still love reading for fun and enjoy catching up with Professor Paige Reynolds about what new Irish novel I should pick up next (besides Sally Rooney).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I used to think it was cheesy, but the Jesuit motto of \u201cMen and Women for Others\u201d remains a touchstone.\u00a0 Little things matter.\u00a0 For example, I remember appreciating it when my Holy Cross classmates held doors open for me on campus or dropped off an iced coffee while I wrote a paper in Coolbeans.\u00a0 While I may be a formidable opponent in the courtroom, I strive to remain kind.\u00a0 In litigation, things can get heated quickly, and remembering the human element of work is critical.\u00a0 If you\u2019re sort of jerk in the first semester of law school and don\u2019t share your notes, people remember it years later.\u00a0 Having come from Holy Cross, I couldn\u2019t imagine not being a collaborative classmate or co-worker.\u00a0 I think this makes me a better attorney and person.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chart your own course.\u00a0 Do not become paralyzed trying to find a \u201cdream\u201d law school or job.\u00a0 Rather, think broadly and strategically when looking for the best opening that you can find now.\u00a0 Take that springboard and keep working hard, make meaningful connections and never lose sight of your long-terms goals.\u00a0 People can and will open doors for you, but you have to be the one to walk through them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name: Mary Kate Brennan Class year:\u00a0 2009 Position:\u00a0 Associate Organization:\u00a0 Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP Law School:\u00a0 Fordham University School of Law, J.D. 2012, LL.M. in Fashion Law 2017   1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?\u00a0 My practice focuses on trademark, false advertising, and copyright litigation for a wide variety … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Meet Alumna Mary Kate Brennan ’09, Associate @ Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":460,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9,41],"class_list":["post-2531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-alum-feature","tag-career-community-government"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/460"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2531\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}