Law Schools

Third-Year Law School Student Working As Assistant Press Secretary To Vice President Kamala Harris

Wow! This is awesome.

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Kamala Harris (Photo by NOAH BERGER/AFP/Getty Images)

As the old saying about law school goes, “1L, they scare you to death; 2L, they work you to death; 3L, they bore you to death.” One third-year law student is going to be anything but bored this year because she recently joined the White House staff as assistant press secretary to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Meet Rachel Palermo, a second semester 3L at Notre Dame Law. She’s been working in political communications since the 2016 election, when she joined the Democratic National Committee’s press team. As a 2L, she externed for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, and this fall, she became a member of the Biden-Harris Transition’s communications team. Now, she’s working just as hard to complete her law school studies as she is for the American people.

Here’s what she had to say just before the inauguration about how her legal skills will help her in her new job at the White House:

Notre Dame Law School has prepared me for my new role because there is an important intersection between law and communications. In both fields, I’ve learned how to write persuasively and communicate compelling messages. Law school has refined my research, writing, and advocacy skills, which will allow me to bring a unique perspective to the work of the vice president-elect.

It may seem like it would be difficult to manage a full-time law school schedule with a full-time work load as a staff member for the U.S. Vice President, but Professor Christine Venter, the director of Notre Dame Law’s Legal Writing Program, thinks her student will be able to handle all of it with ease.

Rachel embodies the best of Notre Dame Law. Her commitment to public service, her intelligence, her skills in both written and oral communication, her work ethic, and her warm collegiality will make her an asset to the Biden-Harris Administration. While completing the last semester of law school and working full time in a demanding position might seem daunting to some, I have the utmost confidence that Rachel will not only succeed but do so brilliantly.

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Congratulations to Rachel Palermo on landing such an amazing job before graduation. Best of luck! We’re sure she’ll do a fantastic job.

3L Rachel Palermo to work for Vice President Kamala Harris [Notre Dame Law]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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