Professional Development

Gina Sauer's background is one-of-a-kind. She has had a 360-degree perspective on the world of attorney professional development, having seen it from every angle: as a lawyer, legal employer, law school career services professional, and career coach/trainer. She has developed training curricula for hundreds of legal professionals, recruited and on-boarded numerous associates and partners, and coached hundreds of attorneys and law students to achieve their career goals. 

In addition, Gina is a professional actor who has appeared in over 50 theatrical productions, holds an undergraduate degree in Public Communication, and is a seasoned public speaker who has presented to many law firms, law schools, bar associations, and organizations including the American Bar Association, Association of American Law Schools, and the National Association for Law Placement. 

She is also a first-generation law student, first-generation college student, and first-generation American, a viewpoint which she brings to her coaching and training.

Gina now combines this unique background to help lawyers and other professionals navigate their professional development, with a special emphasis on honing their workplace communication savvy and elevating their public speaking skills. 

Gina's prior experience includes:

• Director of Attorney Recruiting & Development at Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly (now Fox Rothschild)
• President of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP)
• Assistant Dean for Career Services at William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline)
• Career Coach & Marketing Director at The Esquire Group 
• Chair of NALP's Alternative Careers Committee
• President of Minnesota Legal Career Professionals (MnLCP)
• Co-chair of Minnesota State Bar Ass'n Diversity Committee
• Litigation Attorney with Gray Plant Mooty (now Lathrop GPM)
• Co-author of award-winning book on job search and career satisfaction, Lessons from a Headhunter...with Heart! 

Selected Past Presentations:

• Navigating the Unwritten Rules: Helping Law Students and New Lawyers Succeed, NALP Annual Education Conference, New Orleans (upcoming)
• Communication Savvy for Associates, various law firms nationwide
• Crash Course for New Associates, various law firms nationwide
• The Virtual Speaker: Leading Meetings + Adapting Presentation Skills in the Virtual World, various law firms nationwide
• Ready for the Real World, University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, FL 
• A Road Map for Job Searching, UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles 
• Conquering the Callback, University of Miami School of Law
• Mastering Remote + In-Person Interviews, Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles
• Negotiating Salaries with Legal Employers: When, What, Where, and How? University of Minnesota Law School and Southwestern Law School 
• Public Speaking for Legal Professionals: Tips + Techniques from the Theater, NALP Annual Education Conference (virtual); Minnesota Legal Career Professionals, Minneapolis; various law firms nationwide
• Advancing Women in the Legal Profession, NALP Annual Education Conference, Toronto
• Is Your Law Firm Bland? How to Stand Out in a Crowd, NALP “Ask the Expert” Teleconference
• The Art and Science of Networking, Minnesota Women Lawyers, Minneapolis
• How to Shine in Callback Interviews, University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis 
• You're Never Stuck!, St. Thomas University Masters Program, and Minnesota Career Development Association, Minneapolis  
• Smooth Transitions for New Associates, various law firms, Denver + Minneapolis
• Emotional Intelligence: Real World Tips for Legal Professionals, Legal Employees Education Association, St. Paul 
• The Support Staff Revolution, Association of Legal Administrators forum, New Orleans
• Finding from the Corporate Counsel Survey, Assoc. of Corporate Counsel, Minneapolis
• 11 Job Search Tips for the 11th Hour, Valparaiso University Law School, Valparaiso, IN
• Debunking the Myth of Life Balance, Minnesota Women Lawyers, Minneapolis
• 300 Things You Can Do With a Law Degree, World-wide Lawyer Mastery Tele-summit 
• Changing Directions: Finding Success and Satisfaction in your Legal Career, Minnesota Women Lawyers, Minneapolis 
• Career Opportunities for Second Career Lawyers, Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul 
• Workplace Issues and Job Search Strategies for Gay and Lesbian Lawyers and Law Students, National Lavender Law Conference, San Diego 
• Call-Back Interviews: Make Them Memorable, NALP, Orlando       
• Diversity and Equity in the Legal Profession, Minnesota CLE, Minneapolis 
• Alternative Career Options, NALP, Kansas City 
• Reaching Goals, Recognizing Opportunities (diversity CLE), MSBA, Minneapolis
• Diversity Update: State of the Legal Profession, LegalReview CLE, Minneapolis
• 10 Steps to Becoming Indispensable, various law firms, Denver and Minneapolis
• Emotional Intelligence: Real World Tips for Legal Professionals, NALS, Minnesota
• The Legal Employment Market: What’s Next?, Association of Patent Law Firms, Chicago
• Hiring and Keeping a Diverse Workforce, NALP Chicago City Group
• Best Practices in Recruitment and Retention Strategies, CLE, Minneapolis
• Associate Programs: Analyzing the Research Skills Training Component, American Association of Law Libraries, Philadelphia 
• Perspectives on Recruitment and Retention for Intellectual Property Firms, Association of Patent Law Firms, Chicago 
• The Nuts and Bolts of a Career Search, MSBA, Minneapolis 
• The Wide World of Alternative Careers, MSBA, Minneapolis       
• Bridges to Nontraditional Options, MSBA, Minneapolis 
• The Redirected Career: Alternatives to Law Practice, NALP, Palm Desert 

Theater Experience: 

• Gina has appeared in over 50 different stage productions. Notable roles include Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Baroness Elsa Schraeder in Sound of Music, Penelope Sycamore in You Can't Take It with You, Petronella van Daan in Diary of Anne Frank, and Cookie Cusack in Neil Simon's Rumors. To see a list of Gina's acting credits, visit her MN Playlist page.