By Jeana L. Goosmann, CEO & Practicing Attorney
At Goosmann Law Firm, we are investing in the future of the firm by investing in bright young talent today.
Under the leadership of our COO, Tricia Sharrar, JD, former Associate Dean at Creighton Law School, and our Intake Manager, Rachel Gibson, former Associate Director of the Creighton University Career Center, we have built a pipeline program designed to identify, train, and support the next generation of legal professionals.
The program begins with our client intake team. We hire some of the best undergraduate students who are pursuing pre-law tracks and give them meaningful, real-world experience serving clients from the very first call. These students help answer thousands of calls from potential new clients, screen new matters, support the intake process, and set attorney consultations. They are often the first voice a potential client hears when they reach out to Goosmann Law Firm.
From there, we support these students as they pursue law school, become law clerks, and ultimately have the opportunity to grow into attorneys at the firm.
From the Classroom to the Courtroom
This summer, we saw that pipeline in action. Former intake team members who completed their first year of law school returned to the firm as law clerks. Adrian Geelan, a University of South Dakota law student, joined us as a clerk in Sioux Falls after being on our intake team last year. Ali Becker, a Creighton Law student, joined us as a clerk in Omaha after serving on intake last year. We were also excited to welcome USD rising third-year law students Emma Swensen and Katie Tieman to our Sioux Falls office.
Learning Through Real-World Experience
Throughout the summer, our clerks rotate through the Business, Litigation, Trusts & Estates, and Family Law Practice Area Groups so they can gain exposure to different areas of law, different attorneys, and different types of client work. They are not just observing the legal profession from a distance. They are experiencing what it means to serve clients, solve problems, and work as part of a growing law firm team.
Their summer experience has included professional development, hands-on learning, and firm culture. Our clerks spent time attending the College World Series and a firm tailgate in Omaha, shadowing Family Law Leader and Partner Brad Marsicek in trial, and joining the team for bowling at the Warrior in Sioux City. These experiences help them build relationships across offices and understand the culture that makes Goosmann Law Firm unique.
Celebrating Success Stories
The program has already proven successful. Attorney Abbey Janecek, a member of our Business Practice Area Group, is a former Goosmann Law Firm clerk and Creighton Law graduate. She is now a shining star and second year attorney with the firm. Abbey is a strong example of what this pipeline can become.
We are also thrilled to celebrate the next group of future law students. This fall, former intake team members and recent Morningsdie graduates Ella Wragge and Hannah Dillehay, along with current Executive Assistant Miranda Tucker, will attend Creighton Law School on scholarships. Their hard work, talent, and commitment to the legal profession make us proud.
Other intake program successes include Katie Miller, who recently graduated from Morningside University and will become a full-time legal receptionist at the firm next month. We also have several other bright young professionals on our intake team today, including Sara Razzino, current Creighton University Honors Program student, and Allya Shah, a recent honors graduate of the University of Nebraska Omaha.
People Will Always Shape Our Future
At Goosmann Law Firm, our theme this year is “Automated Systems. Elevated by People.” We are focused on using automation, technology, and better systems to strengthen the client experience. We also know that the future of the firm will be shaped by people. Smart people. Driven people. People who care about clients, the law, and building something meaningful.
This pipeline program is one way we are doing exactly that.
We are proud to invest in these bright minds, excited to support their growth, and confident they will help shape the future of Goosmann Law Firm.