Ms. Valerie A Fontaine

biography

Valerie A. Fontaine earned her JD from UC Hastings College of Law in 1979 and her BA, Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, from UCLA. She was on the Editorial Board of COMM/ENT, a Journal of Communications and Entertainment Law. Valerie practiced law with a prominent Los Angeles law firm and entered the legal search profession in 1981.

Valerie served on the Board of Governors and the Advisory Council of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA). She was UC Hastings' 2002 Alumnus of the Year, is past president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the UC Hastings Alumni Association, was honored as the 1998 L.A. Alumnus of the Year, was the first woman president of the UC Hastings Foundation and still sits on its Board of Trustees. UC Hastings' Clara Foltz Feminist Association honored Valerie with its Role Model Award.

Valerie is a frequent speaker on topics related to the legal marketplace and has published numerous articles in the national legal press, both in print and online. Her book, The Right Moves: Job Search and Career Development Strategies for Lawyers, published by NALP (National Association of Law Placement), now is in its second edition.

Additionally, Valerie volunteers her time regularly with the Los Angeles Public Library and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), and with non-profits throughout the Los Angeles area, including with TreePeople, helping to plant and care for the urban forest in Los Angeles.