Summer Associate of the Day: America's Next Top... Lawyer?

Supermodel Linda Evangelista famously quipped that she doesn’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day. Alas, not all models occupy such a privileged position. This summer, one model is getting out of bed for considerably less than $10,000 a day — to wit, about $3,000 a week.

Sara Albert, who made it to the final four on America’s Next Top Model – Cycle 6, has excelled in yet another reality competition. In a still challenging job market, Sara Albert — actually, now Sara Hallmark, since her 2008 wedding to John Hallmark — managed to snag a summer associate position in the Washington office of a major international law firm. A Biglaw biggie that just got bigger, as it turns out….

So, which fine firm will have its hallways graced by the 6’1” blond beauty?

Sara Hallmark’s home for the summer lies not in the French Riviera or the Hamptons, the usual haunts of models, but at 555 Thirteenth Street, NW — the D.C. office of Hogan Lovells, the firm recently created from the merger of D.C. powerhouse Hogan & Hartson and London-based Lovells. It’s not clear what type of work Hallmark will be handling at Hogan; a firm spokesperson did not respond to our inquiries about its sizzling summer.

It’s not surprising that Hallmark is in D.C. this summer. She attends law school at Georgetown, where she was also an undergraduate, and her husband works in Washington too. From Politico:

Who was that former contestant from “America’s Next Top Model” that had guests whispering Saturday night at the Bonjeans’ Christmas party [in December 2009]?

It was Sara Hallmark (maiden name Albert) from season six of the hit reality show hosted by Tyra Banks. Turns out the 6’1” stunner is married to John Hallmark, a member of the government affairs team at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). Prior to Hallmark’s job at SIFMA, he served as a legislative aide to Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.).

The couple is not new to the area. The two met as undergrads at Georgetown University and were married in Baltimore in August 2008.

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Sara Hallmark’s interest in law should also come as no surprise. In the fifth episode of ANTM, the contestants were called upon to dress up in the outfits of their “dream careers.” Hallmark’s choice? Prosecutor. (It’s not clear why she didn’t choose “Law firm partner,” which would have allowed her to dress up just like a prosecutor, but with more money.)

Is Hallmark cut out for the law firm world? Her credentials are impressive. From her contestant bio on Buddy TV:

Sara Albert was born in the year 1983 in Davis, California and was a full scholar at a Georgetown University, where she majored in Psychology, minored in Government and was a member of the Volleyball Varsity team. She graduated cum laude in 2005.

Before she was on America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 6, Sara was working as a Marketing Assistant for the Advisory Board Company in Washington, D.C. One of her favorite television shows is Law & Order, while one of her favorite movies is Pretty Woman. She likes to keep updated by reading People Magazine.

People magazine? Well, it might not be the Harvard Law Review, but it’s better than Us Weekly.

Sara made it to the Finals [of ANTM], and even though she didn’t have any modeling experience before the show, she was able to impress the judges with her natural talent. She worked her way up to the Top 4, and some of her best work include her runway shows and the CoverGirl commercial. There were times that her passion for modeling was questioned, which often frustrated Sara, who insisted that she was just as passionate as the other girls.

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Let’s hope that Hallmark shows more “passion” for due diligence and document review. Good luck at Hogan Lovells, Sara!

Do you have a noteworthy summer associate at your firm, a la Sara Hallmark or Kaavya Viswanathan? If so, please email us (subject line: “Summer Associate of the Day”).

UPDATE: Sara Hallmark isn’t the only model-turned-law-student out there. In a recent piece for the Washington Post, Dean Christopher Edley of Berkeley Law mentioned that his school boasts “a New Jersey physics major who models underwear.”

Sara Albert: America’s Next Top Model [Buddy TV]
Sightings and Moments from the Day [Politico]
America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 6 [Wikipedia]