Colleague Spotlight
Meet Shelby Kealy

What stood out about your hiring process?

I remember thinking that The Advocates really cared about wanting to get to know me in the interview process. Literally, who I am, not only as an employee but as a person as well. This was refreshing and drew me even more towards the opportunity. And here I remain over a decade later.

 

What your most memorable moment at work so far?

Most recently, opening our Philadelphia office, building the team here and getting to know the attorneys throughout the market has been both a pleasure and a challenge. Philly has a ton of history and is gritty - which I like.

 

Most fun on the job?

The opportunity to truly get to know the attorneys and firms that we work with on a professional and personal level. In knowing them, we can guide them on the right career path where we are confident that they will thrive on all levels and be happy. The most fun is hearing back from the firm and/or candidate and hearing how happy they are with the placement. Also, I work with such smart, caring colleagues that I always enjoy working together on placements as a team.

 

What is your best success story?

I connected with a successful corporate boutique of great attorneys and even better people that needed to join a firm within 4 weeks. It was super intense. We were able to find them a firm where their practices and clients would thrive and where they would enjoy the collegial environment that provided them the support and autonomy they craved. This story also stands out because the commissions from this placement ultimately helped my family comfortably finance fertility treatments that resulted in my two wonderful daughters. By the way, the group is still there and thriving 7 years later.

 

What part of our mission do you connect with most?

I love the people component on all sides. The way we approach recruiting allows us to really get to know the attorneys we work with, and our process and leadership allows us to be a consultant and make the right fit/placement for the individuals, instead of having the pressure to just place people anywhere no matter the result. Also, I really like how closely we work together internally because my colleagues are fun, smart and hardworking individuals. There’s not one person I wouldn’t want to hang out with and I’m lucky to be able to work with them.

 

Your biggest accomplishment?

Leading the Philadelphia office, managing such talented and smart colleagues and being an owner in the company are roles that I am proud to have been given. I think my biggest accomplishment is still to come.

 

How have you grown professionally while working here?

I have grown professionally in so many ways. Our fearless leader is always challenging us to be not just great but excellent in all that we do daily. There has always been a high bar here and lots of training and resources provided on a daily/weekly basis to help us reach that level. I’ve always enjoyed sports, and this is an environment where I can achieve daily, weekly and annual goals which really feeds my competitive nature, consistently pushes me to be better and continue to learn and grow.