Jessica Natkin

Background & Certifications

Jessica coaches lawyers. Simple. She understands that lawyers have needs, pressures, and motivations; each unique to themselves and shaped by the environment of the legal profession. She helps them define and reach their goals so that they can succeed in a way that is meaningful to them. While the attorney sets the agenda, challenges often center around:

• Developing effective mentoring relationships
• Improving networking skills
• Strengthening relationship building and conflict management skills
• Obtaining and delivering feedback
• Delegating effectively
• Navigating key transition points
• Considering career alternatives

With 20 years of experience in lawyer career development, Jessica has counseled and coached over 1,000 lawyers in BigLaw and beyond. Jessica focuses on engagement and long-term career satisfaction and has coached attorneys on leveling up their performance, making partner in their firm, exploring and obtaining new positions, working on interpersonal matters, and flexible work. She has taken her knowledge and experience working with individual lawyers to the organizational level in her work with firms to offer total talent management solutions. She consults with firms on performance evaluations, work allocation, mentoring, and flexible work all with an eye on designing programs that are best-inclass and fit with firm culture.

Jessica is highly motivated to help people find ways to work that fit their life and values while meeting the needs of the firm and its clients. She is known nationally for her expertise in lawyer career counseling and work/life integration through customized work schedules.

Jessica holds a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law as well as a graduate certificate in career development. Prior to founding Total Talent Design, Jessica was the Director, Attorney Career Development at Fenwick & West LLP. She previously worked as the Director of Programs for the Project for Attorney Retention, and she managed the career development programs at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP and Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, P.C. She is currently earning her certification as a Personal Branding Specialist.

Jessica is co-author, with Jessica Hernandez, of the upcoming book, Let’s Coach All the Lawyers: An Essential Primer for Developing Legal Talent (NALP 2021). She is also co-author, with Ida Abbott, of “Innovation in Supporting Excellence – From Mentoring to Sponsorship, Coaching and Beyond” in Innovating Talent Management in Law Firms (NALP 2016).