Q&A with Darcy Jalandoni
Darcy has experience in all aspects of civil litigation from initial case assessment through settlement, trial, and appeals. Darcy utilizes a comprehensive outlook and practical approach to obtaining client goals, with an eye toward business-minded solutions.
Describe a pivotal moment that influenced your career path.
It is hard to point to a particular pivotal moment that influenced my career path, other than the decision to go to law school itself. That decision, however, was a gradual one that was made over the course of a year or two, rather than in a moment. The summer before my senior year of college, I received a grant to spend three months researching my senior thesis in Chile. I traveled to South America alone and spent the summer between my junior and senior year traveling throughout Chile and Argentina, visiting archives and libraries and conducting interviews in various cities in search of primary source material. It was during that time that I realized just how much I enjoyed researching and writing. During my senior year and the year after, I considered careers that would combine these skills with a desire to advocate on behalf of others and realized that law school fit the bill perfectly.
What is the best advice you’ve received about how to be a successful attorney?
The best advice I have received about how to be a successful attorney is to think holistically about the needs and goals of the client. Particularly as a young attorney, it is easy to be focused on a particular case or even on a particular task within the broader scope of a case. Remembering to keep the bigger picture in mind allows you to think more creatively and allows you to better address the client’s objectives.
Name an attorney you admire and tell us why.
I have been very lucky to work with a number of attorneys at Porter Wright who I greatly admire and from whom I have learned a great deal. I particularly admire Joyce Edelman for her almost super-human ability to “do it all.” She is truly passionate about her cases and about serving the best interest of her clients, but she brings that same passion to all aspects of her life. Joyce is extremely involved in the community and serves on a number of non-profit boards that do great work in Columbus and beyond. Yet she somehow manages to balance all of her professional and civic commitments with her dedication to her family. I am constantly impressed by all that Joyce manages to take on and do successfully.
Tell us about your favorite thing to do outside of work.
My very favorite thing to do outside of work, hands down, is spend time with my family, particularly my husband and young daughter. But I consider travel and exploration to be great passions - I’ve backpacked or otherwise traveled on five continents. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to indulge those interests nearly as much as I’d like nowadays, so I try to satisfy the exploration yen with good books to the greatest extent possible.
Complete the sentence: “If I wasn’t an attorney, I would be a…”
If I wasn’t an attorney, I probably would have become a journalist or would have worked in policy in some capacity. To state a cliché, I have always wanted to try to “make the world a better place.” I think these two areas would probably have combined my interests in advocacy, research and writing, just in different ways than a career in law.
