Season 1: Episode 5: Eve Perez Torres
Senior Attorney at FedEx
How did Sofia Vergara inspire her to embrace who she is as an international lawyer?
Eve Perez Torres moved to the U.S. from Colombia and started law school at the age of 34. She studied part time while raising a child. Today she is the Senior Attorney at FedEx working on legal and regulatory matters with counsels from around the world. How did she land your first law job in the U.S.? How did Sofia Vergara inspire her to embrace who she is as a lawyer? What is it like to work in the in-house legal department for a multinational corporation?
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Where did you grow up? How did you learn English?
I grew up in Cartagena, Colombia, and I lived there until 2012.
I've noticed at networking events that there are people from different countries, and their accents are amazing. They have a great command of the language and vocabulary. Some of these people come from a higher socio-economic background, where they were able to attend bilingual schools, making their English perfect.
On the other hand, people like me came from a different background. My father, who always wanted to be a lawyer but couldn’t be due to his financial situation. He had worked since he was 9 years old and didn't even finish elementary school. I learned English later in life at a language school. I hope my story would give people hope and inspiration, everything is possible if you set your mind to it.
Why did you choose to study law?
I went to school in Colombia from 1999 to 2004 and have always loved the idea of working hard and achieving great things. I’ve been fascinated by the law, the legal system, and how the government works. This passion was fueled by watching American movies and seeing attorneys make arguments in court. This has been my dream since I was eight years old, and thankfully I have been able to fulfill it twice by getting my first law degree in Colombia then later in the US.
Growing up in Colombia was challenging, as in Latin America, there are two types of schools - private and public. If you don't have the money for private school, you have to attend public school, which often has more than 5,000 students competing for limited spots. Thank God, I could pursue the legal career. I’m happy that I did it.
What work do you do as a Senior Attorney at FedEx?
At FedEx, we review and negotiate contracts for transactions. We also provide in-house counsel opinion. We have nearly 600,000 employees worldwide and cannot have a legal team in every country. Our legal department works with outside counsel and monitors new regulations that may impact the business and provides feedback and suggestions to the business. We work with a large pool of attorneys and collaborate with each other to ensure our work is multi-functional to serve the legal needs of a multinational corporation.
What is it like to work in FedEx’s legal department? Are there other multilingual lawyers like yourself?
We have a very diverse group of lawyers at FedEx, including counsels from the Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong, Colombia other than the US. Diversity is crucial for a company with an international footprint like FedEx, as they need multicultural attorneys in business cultures across the world. The approach to doing business in Asia or Latin America is very different than the US or the UK, so it's important to have a diverse set of perspectives to appreciate these differences.
How did you find your first job in the United States?
After law school, I was looking for jobs online. I had forgotten about the application until they called me for two rounds of interviews. The job posting was on LinkedIn and the website redirected me to the company's website, where I completed the application process. LinkedIn is a valuable tool for internationally trained lawyers, especially those in the Master's program who are likely to begin searching for a job from the beginning of their studies. Networking is so important, as organizations can share job openings tailored to specific groups, such as Hispanic attorneys in the Corporate Council division of the National Bar Association. To maximize your chances of finding a job, it's important to network and get your name out there, market your skillset, engage in conversation, and make connections. You wouldn’t randomly run into the chief legal officer of a big corporation on the street or in the subway. It’s through networking. For me, it's easy to talk. It was not a big deal, but some of my friends are shy to introduce or market themselves. It takes practice.
Why did you choose to study law in the United States?
I arrived in the US in 2012 and wasn't sure if I wanted to go through law school again. But after having my daughter, I realized that childcare in this country is very expensive, along with the cost of raising a child. So I decided to give it a try and pursue my passion for being a lawyer in the US. I enrolled in a part-time program, where they reviewed my credentials and awarded me up to 30 credit hours toward my JD, based on my grades and assignments from my previous studies. I took advantage of the program and was able to complete the JD program in two and a half years.
I had to balance my studies in law school while raising a child. It was different from my previous experience in law school in Colombia, where I didn't have to worry about anything except studying. Here, I had to adjust to the language barrier and the academic rigor of the program. Most classes were not recorded, unlikely now, so I had to take notes while trying to keep up with the professor. As a bilingual student, it was challenging because I would miss parts of the lecture while trying to take notes. It took me about six months to get up to speed, but once I did, I was able to keep up with my studies.
You wrote a LinkedIn post that went viral after the Columbia Law professor dropped the F bomb on a student, who asked him to slow down for the international students in class. International students in law school face linguistic discrimination like that. Is there any advice you have for the new coming next generation of international lawyers like yourself?
I wish I had more guidance when I started law school in the US. In most countries, the teaching style is different from here, relying on books and lectures from professors as a supplement to the material you read. However, in the US, the Socratic method can be overwhelming. Grades are important and that the top 10% of the class gets all the attention and the best job opportunities. It would be helpful for foreign students to know that professors might also have additional resources they can point you to.
In law school, you will encounter acronyms and terms that are specific to the US legal system, so it's important to ask for clarification if you don't understand something. I remember in one class, professor used “POTUS.” I have never heard of the term before. I asked the guy next to me what it means. He rolled his eyes and said: “the President of the United States.” How am I supposed to know? I’m new to this country. To whoever needs to hear this, some compassion and understanding to the international students in class.
How is your accent perceived in your work and practice?
It's funny, because I struggle more with daily language usage than with legal language. At social events, people often talk about food or other topics that I don't encounter in my daily life, and I can get confused. When they find out I'm a lawyer, I see the surprise on their faces, like "How can she draft a contract if she can't even say 'lobster' correctly?" It's not my job to correct everyone's misperceptions.
I used to try to sound very American when I was in law school, but then I realized that I can't. I saw Sofia Vergara on Modern Family and she owned it, and everybody adored her accent. They would adore mine. So I wouldn’t hold back just because I don't sound "that American". Now, it flows better and I'm more confident. I love my accent and embrace it because people tell me it sounds good. I want to continue helping people like me who come to the US and do what they want to achieve.
When I started law school, I was 34 years old. I was the oldest in my class, but I still feel young and I believe I made the right choice. There are many people in their 30s who don't want to go back to law school because they feel too old, but we need to change that mindset. I think this is a step towards raising my voice and helping other people like me to become licensed lawyers in the US. The experience you gain in your home country as a lawyer can be translated into the common law system in the US. This can give you a unique perspective and advantage in the industry.
