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Heerin Seo

ISM 1A

Mr. Brandon Walters

October 12, 2018

Name of person interviewed: ​Mr. Villalobo

Profession: ​Corporate Attorney

Location and business name: ​Vela Wood @​5307 E Mockingbird Ln #802, Dallas, TX 75206

Date of interview: ​September 20, 2018

Time:​ 9:30 am

Interview Assessment #1

This interview was the very first interview that I was able to partake in to start my

journey in finding a mentor for ISM. Mr. Villalobo was only at his firm for about 2 years or so,

but I was able to find out a lot about his firm and the modern mindset of his partners. Through

this interview, I was able to recognize that I wanted to find a mentor in this firm because the firm

was modified to fit the modern era with young attorneys and new technology. I found it

interesting that he was currently living in El Paso, New Mexico, yet he was employed by a firm

that was stationed in Dallas. This was only possible through the firm’s focus on video calling and

using technology as a means of communication, rather than physical offices.

During this interview, my main focus was to get a gist of the profession and an insight

into what a typical day of a lawyer would look like. As suspected, deadlines were the most

stressful aspect to the Corporate Law profession because every client and case had a deadline to
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be met. There is a great sense of responsibility for the attorneys because the lawyers are in

charge of creating contracts, interpreting different files, and giving advice to their clients who are

truly trusting in the lawyer to make the best decisions for them. Mr. Villalobo was really

interesting because he had graduated from SMU and he was explaining the importance of

interning and exploring different programs offered at a college. This allowed me to consider my

next steps as I begin looking for a college because I wanted to ensure my college would have

programs to guide me as I develop myself further in the study of Corporate Law. At the

beginning of his college career, he had a small startup company that revolved around movies and

videos. Although he was not able to continue this passion in his startup, he was able to channel

this passion into his law career by aiding small businesses succeed in startups. I hope that I will

be able to do this because I have a passion for helping those around me, which I can soon

channel into my law career.

I was able to learn a crucial difference between joining a small firm compared to a large

firm through Mr. Villalobo’s experience. He wanted to work with his clients directly because he

enjoyed having a direct connection with his clients and communicating with people face to face;

however, if he had joined a bigger firm, he would have to have everything approved by the

Partner and only communicate with his clients through his assistants or simply through

documents. There are a lot more restrictions as the firm gets larger, and this aspect was one that I

did not consider in depth until the interview.

Aside from his personal experiences, I was able to ask him about a large case that the

entire firm had taken on a few years ago. They were able to go against Puma in order to support
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a small shoe company that was located in Dallas. Although the Puma company had many

attorneys and was a very large business, they had lost against Vela Wood because the lawyers

here were able to utilize different experiences of accounting, management, and litigations to

analyze the case from a different perspective. This case had excited me because I hope to one

day win some big cases of my own.

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Heerin Seo

ISM 1S

Mr. Brandon Walters

October 19, 2018

Name of person interviewed: ​Kevin Vela

Profession: ​Partner

Location and business name: ​Vela Wood@5307 E Mockingbird Ln Ste 802, Dallas, TX 75206

Date of interview: ​October 8th, 2018

Time: ​9:15 AM

Interview Assessment #2

This interview was an incredible opportunity not only because the professional is an

alumni from the University of Texas at Austin, but also because he is the owner of the Vela

Wood Law Firm. Large corporations such as those in New York or Chicago make it extremely

difficult to speak with the Partner of a firm because they have a packed schedule filled with

managing the attorneys and envisioning the outlook of the firm; however, I was given the
opportunity to ask the Partner questions about his daily life, how he rose to success, and any

advice he would have for me as a student pursuing Corporate Law.

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I have always had the dream of becoming the CEO of a large company, or the Partner of

a Law firm if I were to go into the field of law. Interestingly, being the Partner of a Business Law

firm is a combination of both titles. Just as I had predicted, Mr. Vela’s daily life consists 60% of

the time being the owner of the firm, 30% practicing law, and 10% with management. Although

Partners are known to make a lot of money, their salaries depend on the yearly success of the

firm. If there is a sudden drop in clients, it is the Partner’s responsibility to draw in more

business and bring the trend of success back up again. It was also very interesting to get a

perspective of Law School because I found out there was only one test per semester that

basically determines a student’s grade.

I had found Mr. Vela to be quite incredible because he had created this firm during the

2008 recession because there were no companies that offered good pay or a position that he

wanted; therefore, he created his own opportunity which has been growing successfully for

years. He told me that I need to go into Law School and into the world with an open mind

because I never know what I might like unless I try it. There is a certain sense of danger and risk
that goes into thinking about the future, but being able to shape solutions based on the problems

presented throughout life is an important skill for any person.

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Mr. Vela had two mentors who were not only alumni of the University of Texas at

Austin, but they were also senior partners of other Business Law Firms throughout the Dallas

area. “I believe mentors are crucial in becoming a Lawyer because everything is about

connections and getting yourself into a position where you can get your voice heard.” He

suggested that if I were to intern or go into a firm as a first year, I should try to work under a

Partner or a Senior Associate because those lawyers have a better chance to get higher in the

“social standings within the firm.” Using this advice, I expressed how much I admired Mr. Vela

for his work at the firm, as well as how thankful I was for the opportunity to speak with him

amidst his busy schedule. Although I was only expressing my gratitude, Mr. Vela appreciated

my expression and offered me an internship over winter break down at the firm in Dallas. He

also wanted to introduce me to his brother who is a Stanford graduate, which is a prospective

school for me.

Overall, this interview gave me more opportunities that I had going into it and I cannot

wait to see what else I will learn over the next few months. I am excited for the both the
connections I will make through my time at the firm and the hands on experience I will receive

working with established professionals in the corporate office.

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Heerin Seo

ISM 1A

Mr. Brandon Walters

October 31, 2018

Name of person interviewed: ​Mrs. Jenny Young

Profession: ​Employment Lawyer

Location and business name: ​Vela Wood @​500 W 2nd St #1900, Austin, TX 78701

Date of interview: ​November 1. 2018

Time:​ 9:15 am

Interview Assessment

I am so excited to introduce my new mentor Mrs. Young! This interview with Mrs.

Young was especially valuable to me because I got a first hand perspective of what it feels like to

be a young, woman of color in Corporate Law. As I was interviewing Mrs. Young, she provided
me with such personable information about her hardships in the professional world and the

challenges during her college years. I always knew that it will be difficult for a young woman to

enter into the workforce, especially if she is of color because there is an established foundation in

respected fields that is very hard to change. Something she said really resonated with me,

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however, and it was when she stated that, “people will judge you and make you feel as though

you do not belong, but as long as you are in that high position and you hold authority, there is

nothing that they can say to bring you down. You have to establish respect for yourself.” This

mindset was so encouraging to me because it pertains to this world from so many different

angles. As a student, I feel as though we are placed in school with so many expectations, and as

the future generation we have the burden of changing the world ahead of us; however, as we are

living and trying to make a change, there are so many restrictions placed in front of us. But, I

believe it is up to us to overcome our own obstacles and build ourselves into a position where our

own respect cannot be denied.

Mrs. Young’s profession was a bit different than all of the other business lawyers I

encountered because although it had a focus on contracts, litigations, and potential clients, she

would have direct communication with CEO’s and COO’s who would need her advice when

hiring other workers. Employment lawyers deal with cases dealing with discrimination, workers
compensation, and individual rights in the workplace. Since there are not that many employment

lawyers in the firm, she explained her her role was quite significant to the start-up of many

companies.

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An overview of her profession made me consider the future outlook of the job I want to

pursue and how I can apply my passion for helping others to Law. Employment Law seems very

interesting with a nice balance of contract, litigation, product, and human rights law in the

professional world. I cannot wait to begin my journey with my new mentor.