Rebecca Schultz (L’20) is Staff Attorney for the Virginia Division of Legislative Services.
Tell us about your current role. What do you enjoy the most?
I currently draft legislation requested by the Virginia’s General Assembly’s members on all things tax law. Then, during the session, I staff the House Finance Committee. I appreciate the flexibility my role with the Division of Legislative Services offers.
Before switching to the finance team, I worked in General Laws on issues ranging from housing, procurement, and anything impacting our many state agencies. I am motivated by the many opportunities to constantly work on new things. Every year, state priorities shift and evolve, and I like getting to be a part of the process of turning my clients’ policies into workable law.
Tell us about where you work.
I work in the General Assembly Building, next to the Virginia State Capitol. The General Assembly Building was rebuilt just two years ago and houses all of our legislative members’ offices. I love being able to take walks around the park at Capitol Square and the easy access it provides to many state-sponsored events, such as farmers markets and tours at the Library of Virginia!
What was your first job out of law school? How was that experience helpful in landing your current job?
I graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic and was fortunate to have been hired by the Department of Health Professions on a second contract working with the agency’s senior policy analyst. I learned so much about tracking legislation, drafting regulations, and the implementation of laws taking effect. My work with the Boards of Medicine and Dentistry were incredibly valuable because I got to see and be a part of the rulemaking process while also being assigned to a licensing project. When a position opened up with the Division of Legislative Services, I was confident I had learned skills that would help me transfer to a role in the legislative branch.
What courses were valuable in developing your practice interests and practical skills?
During law school, I took several classes that personally helped me in my current role. Number one would have to be Legislation and Regulation. Not only does the class cover important material regarding separation of powers of the branches of government, it also delves deeply into statutory interpretation principles that are fundamental to drafting, editing, and interpreting legislation. I also took Public Policy Research and Drafting, which gave students the opportunity to work with local nonprofit organizations to put together research and a policy paper for those groups. I learned so much about working with clients and finding creative solutions to implementing their policy goals. I also got to see how hard people in nonprofits work and the many ways in which they strive and adapt to get policy implemented. Regardless of a given idea’s efficacy, you still have to get people on board to put it into work.
What advice would you give students applying for a job in your office or in your field?
To apply for a position with my office or a similar role, I would suggest looking for experiences to work in government, particularly in the executive or judicial branches. It’s so helpful when drafting legislation that impacts those branches to have some idea about how they operate. Also, I highly suggest finding opportunities to practice customer service. In my role, I have over 140 clients to work with during any given session, including the Governor and Governor’s Secretariats. Sometimes you have to tell people things they don’t want to hear, and so having experience finding ways to communicate alternatives and leave your clients happy at the end of a meeting or work call will be invaluable to this kind of career.
Above all, I highly recommend any current student to seek out diverse opportunities rather than only jobs with similar roles, especially if you want to work in policy or with the legislature. If I can be of any help, please feel free to contact me for more information. Also, keep an eye on our website for job postings and internship availability: https://dls.virginia.gov/jobs.html.