Success = Determination + Opportunity

Alex G. Desrosiers, Associate, Orlando | Boston | Portland

This is a great firm for lateral associates who are looking to break into new practice areas.

I came here as a “general” employment practitioner, but I was looking to get more involved with traditional labor relations work, which can be tough for a young lawyer to do. But I knew Fisher Phillips had well-respected practices and attorneys in every aspect of labor relations, so I hoped to get some exposure to it.

Through persistence, good timing, and some people in my corner, I’ve evolved my practice over the past three plus years.

I would regularly email — if not pester — the Labor Relations Group’s co-chairs to say, “I’m available” and Jeff Mandel, my office Managing Partner, started getting me involved and consistently put my name forward for that work. When a need arose for a mid-level associate, they reached out to me. There’s more private-sector traditional labor work in the New England states, where I’m from, so I started to work with our Boston office and do some work in Providence, as well. Then I began flying out to work with Todd Lyon, one of the practice group’s co-chairs in Portland, Oregon and in California, where there’s no shortage of labor relations work. Now I’m in three of the four corners of this country practicing traditional labor law and working with some of the best and most well-respected labor lawyers in the country. The firm has these opportunities available and encourages its people to take advantage of them, and it doesn’t necessarily matter where you are located in comparison to where the work is. The opportunities are only limited by you.

The work I do is a product of my background.

I grew up in blue collar Southeastern New England. My dad ran a bakery and I remember as a kid seeing him pulling his hair out dealing with labor disputes. I’m certainly comfortable relating to and dealing with folks with that same background. With that said, sometimes friends at home — who consider themselves on the other side of the aisle — will engage with me on what I do for a living. There’s a lot “us vs. them” in the world of labor relations and a big part my practice is trying to bridge that gap. We have to be advocates for our clients when we need to, but I’m trying to strike a deal that helps employers run their business in a way that’s going to benefit everyone.

My firm mentor has been one of the most valuable parts of working at Fisher Phillips.

Many firms say they provide mentoring opportunities but do not necessarily follow through on the promise. I got linked up with Matthew Korn, a partner in our Columbia, SC office as a mentor and it’s one of my most meaningful relationships here. We meet every month and spend over an hour talking about firm life and “life life.” He’ll pull up my numbers and talk about projections. He’ll ask, “Is there something else you need to do? Is there another type of work you’d like to be doing? Can I introduce you to someone here who can help achieve your goals?” That’s been so important to me. We talk all the time.

I’m working on a full day labor seminar focusing on strike preparedness, which is a hot topic.

Associates add value and earn trust by being dependable, timely, and responsive. I think I’ve done that. Now I’m collaborating the Labor Group’s co-chair on an awesome, multi-city seminar for clients. I’m not only preparing materials for sevenish hours of content that has to be both valuable and engaging, but I also have developed the expertise that allows me to present much of it and help answer questions. I get to work with different clients and meet folks in other Fisher Phillips offices on top of that as I travel around rolling out the seminar. It’s really helping me grow my practice and engage with attorneys in the firm outside of my usual offices.

The people here are the best.

Several firms do what we do, so there has to be something to separate us, right? People here genuinely care about their colleagues. Perfect example — when I got married, the entire Orlando office attended and a partner traveled from San Francisco with his better half to attend. To me, that’s cool and that comradery really sets us apart. The people who run this firm are FP-lifers, they care about the firm and care about people wanting to be here and giving you exposure to others within it. Folks want to stay here and that speaks volumes. Everybody tries to sell the culture, not everybody can deliver on it. Fisher Phillips does. I’m proud to work at this law firm.