CAROLINE WATERS

Partner Recruiting & Integration Senior Coordinator
Latham & Watkins

This month WALRAA is proud to feature Caroline Waters. Caroline is originally from New Orleans and moved to Washington, D.C. in 2012. She has been a member of WALRAA for 8 years and believes the association and it's wonderful members have been instrumental in fast tracking her career growth here in D.C. Read about her experience with Hurricane Katrina, her favorite foods, and more in her own words below. 

1.      How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
I have been a member of WALRAA for 8 years---it's hard to believe how fast time flies when you're having fun! My favorite experience has been my time spent on the board. It's given me the opportunity to work with so many amazing people from other law firms and schools that I otherwise wouldn't have had the chance to meet and get to know. So many wonderful friendships have been formed through WALRAA that I cherish dearly.

2.      How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
WALRAA has played a crucial role throughout the path of my recruiting career. Not only has it amplified my professional development through the many programming opportunities, mentorships, and relationships I have formed, but it has provided me with opportunities to learn so much from my peers and engage in leadership roles outside of my employer that have been instrumental in my career growth.

3.      How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?
When I moved to DC from Birmingham, AL in 2012, I was in need of a job and a good friend of mine, who is a member of RADS (Recruiting Association of Dallas), introduced me to a colleague of hers who was in WALRAA. She quickly put me in touch with other WALRAA members, including the wonderful recruiting team at Hogan (thank you Lynn & Irena), where I had my first recruiting role as an assistant, and the rest is history...!

4.      What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
I don't know if I have just one favorite moment but I have always loved getting to watch the career growth of students and attorneys I've helped recruit throughout the years. In my current role of hiring lateral partners, I've enjoyed seeing the synergies of how the attorney and their practice fit into and help enhance our platform.

5.      What is it that challenges you most in your job?
Given that our team is relatively new to Latham, it's been a challenge paving a new way for lateral partner recruiting and integration. Luckily the firm as a whole and the many other departments that play integral roles throughout the recruiting and integration processes have been nothing but supportive to our team.

6.      How do you balance your career and personal life?
It's not always easy to do but I try to remind myself to take time to do things that I love to do outside of work and try to spend as much time as I can with friends and family.

7.      What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
Because I'm still fairly new to my role in partner recruiting and to Latham, my goals are to continue to learn about the firm and the many practices, as well as continue to build my professional network both internally and outside of the firm.

8.      What is the best professional advice you have received?
As we all know, our industry can sometimes feel like there's no room for error, but it's important to remember that it's okay to make mistakes from time to time. Learning from mistakes and how to deal with such situations can play a big role in developing judgement, decision making and professional growth.

9.      What do you like to do for fun?
I love to travel as much as I can. Although I love traveling to new places, you can typically find me in my hometown of New Orleans and visiting my six nieces and nephews in Chicago and Houston. I also love to cook, particularly creole/cajun dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya and red beans and rice. Lastly, I love watching football - Who Dat & Roll Tide!

10.  Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know?
Hurricane Katrina hit a week after starting out my senior year of high school. I was misplaced with my family in Alpharetta, GA where I spent 4 months at a new high school before returning back to New Orleans to finish out the school year. It was definitely an interesting experience relocating with only a weekends worth of clothes, living in a hotel and starting at a new school where I knew no one, but everyone was so nice and welcoming and I ended up making some really great friends who I still keep in touch with today!