Carter Nichols (L’16) is an associate at Troutman Pepper Locke in the firm’s Consumer Financial Services practice group in Virginia Beach. He serves on the firm’s recruiting committee for Virginia.
Tell us about your current practice. What do you enjoy about your career? What keeps you motivated?
I am an associate with Troutman Pepper Locke LLP. My practice is primarily in consumer financial services litigation, which involves representing banks, loan servicers, mortgage companies, and other financial institutions in lawsuits filed by consumers under state and federal law. I also regularly represent and advise clients on regulatory matters, such as investigations/enforcement actions by state and federal agencies.
I enjoy litigation because I get paid to argue. Growing up, I used to get in trouble for doing so. Funny how things work out sometimes! In all seriousness, litigation is rewarding because you’re handling lawsuits from start to finish (i.e., building your case), dealing with complex and novel factual/legal scenarios, and getting to test different lawyering skills every day.
Tell us about where you work. What do you like about your firm and location?
I work in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which I absolutely love. I have the unique benefit of working for an AmLaw 50 firm in a small market. This means I have all the resources of a large firm, but the actual office culture is more laid back than offices in large legal markets (e.g., New York, DC, etc.). Lower cost of living, easy commutes, and being at the beach are all huge bonuses as well!
Where did you intern for the summers during law school? Were those experiences helpful in exploring a practice area or landing your current job?
1L summer I interned with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office in the criminal division (i.e., appellate work) and the Virginia Supreme Court for Justice Cleo Powell. 2L summer I interned for the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Richmond – best job experience I had in law school and hands down some of the best lawyers I have ever worked with. Strongly recommend seeking out an intern/externship with the FPD!
What do you wish you were told as a law student about the job search process? What advice would you give to current law students?
Focus on yourself and do not worry about what everyone else is doing. It’s going to seem like some of your peers are getting a lot of offers and/or easily securing positions. It’s also easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’ve got to have certain types of internships if you’re going to succeed post law school. For example, I thought that not getting a summer associate position with a big firm meant that door was closed for me post law school. I was wrong.
Also, really commit to being yourself in the interview process. I got really wrapped up in trying to say things I thought firms/employers wanted to hear. In retrospect, it’s more important that you find a good fit because legal practice is a challenging profession and having to pretend you are someone you are not while doing it is unsustainable.
Did you know coming into law school what you wanted to do? If not, how did you decide?
I envisioned myself working in government/politics when I started law school, but also knew I wanted to be in Court. Those ambitions evolved during my time in law school for various reasons. I certainly did not see myself practicing in the area I do now, but litigation is litigation in my opinion.
What courses were valuable in developing your practice interests and practical skills? What courses would you recommend?
Any lawyering skills classes are a must particularly if you want to be a litigator. Most classes in law school don’t teach you what the actual practice of law entails, but lawyering skills classes (i.e., trial advocacy) does. Legal writing classes are huge if you want to clerk, litigate, and/or do appellate work. Seriously, seek out as many opportunities to improve your writing as you can. And, although I regrettably did not take advantage of this in law school, any and all research classes. Learning how to utilize Lexis, Westlaw, the U.S. Code, etc. is imperative for any lawyer’s practice. Cannot stress this enough!
What law school extracurriculars (journal, student organizations, competitions, pro bono) were useful in developing your skills and network?
I was on Law Review and did Moot Court. I utilize skills I honed in both of those every day in my practice. Highly recommend joining a journal because the research/editing skills are crucial in everyday practice. If you are going to litigate, doing Trial Advocacy/Moot Court are incredibly helpful.
What advice would you give students applying for a job in your firm or in your field?
Be confident in what you know and what you’re good at, and be candid about things you don’t know or are not sure about. Be willing to listen and learn. Being “coachable” is probably the most important skill that any partner is looking for because the intelligence/basic lawyering skills are considered table stakes (i.e., everyone is smart, knows how to write, research, etc.).
What advice would you give students on leveraging the Richmond Law network?
Sometimes you have to be shameless in your networking efforts. Cold call/e-mail people. Tell them you need their help and why you think they can help you. Be blunt. Most people are willing to help but lawyers are also busy people. If you do not get a response to an e-mail or a phone call, that does not necessarily mean that the person is not willing to help.
How did you navigate your job search out of town?
As a general rule I think it really helps to have a connection to the market you are seeking a job in. Obviously in certain situations (e.g., being top of your class) you have more latitude to drop into different markets, but for ~90% of people I think you generally need some sort of connection. You can find that connection in various ways, like seeking a clerkship with a Judge who went to Richmond or to your undergrad university. Just going to take a little more leg work to drop into a completely new legal market in most cases.
Click here to read more about Carter and his practice: Carter Nichols – Troutman Pepper Locke