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Williams Intersects Legal Work, Motherhood
Some days things go smoothly. Most days it’s a balancing act of juggling children and legal work. But one of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s newest partners in Columbia has learned a key lesson of legal life as it intersects with motherhood:
"A lot of lawyers like to plan and have schedules run smoothly, but I am having to learn to be flexible. I’m also learning to ask for help from my family and realizing I don’t have to have my hand in everything," says Alana Odom Williams.
Ms. Williams has become the first African American to climb the ranks uninterrupted in the Nelson Mullins hierarchy from summer associate through associate to partner. Uninterrupted, except for two maternity leaves, during the last of which she prepared her partnership consideration memo and learned of her new status after her return.
The former newspaper reporter said she has always wanted to be a lawyer, but wanted to work in child advocacy. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in English from Davidson College, she landed a job at The State newspaper in Human Resources and eventually made her way to the newsroom.
"I had the opportunity to write about the changing face of AIDS and its impact on African American women in South Carolina. The story took several months to develop. Once I had completed it, I just felt like I had fulfilled my function there, and now it was time to go to law school."
While attending school she served two summers as a summer associate with the William Hubbard and Keith Hutto teams. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina and was urged by Mr. Hubbard to apply at Nelson Mullins. "I told him I probably would not because I wanted to be a child advocate," she laughed.
But further urging from counselors convinced her to apply, and she has had the opportunity to assist with the Firm’s Student Advocacy Project. The bulk of her day, however, is filled with business litigation, complex consumer and financial services litigation, and insurance coverage and bad faith claims.
She finds the variety in her legal work is the most fulfilling part of her career. "While the issues might be similar, it’s not the same thing every day. It’s not put this widget in this hole. My mind gets challenged."
Then there’s the challenge of being lawyer and mom to 4-month-old Deana and 4-year-old Regan. She is married to Derrick Williams, who keeps his own hectic schedule as a commissioner for the S.C. Workers’ Compensation Commission. "I always take work home because you never know what’s going to go ‘bump in the night’ that will require attention," she said.
