Alé Dalton | Smoothing the Path From First-Generation Professional to BigLaw Partner

Alé Dalton is a partner at the national law firm Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. Working with their Healthcare Practice Group, which is consistently ranked as one of the best in the country, she provides practical advice to clients on a wide range of transactional, operational, and regulatory matters. She also participates in Bradley’s pro bono program and is actively involved in efforts to meet legal service gaps by staffing community legal clinics as part of her practice.

Alé grew up in Columbia in South America before immigrating to Tampa, Florida with her family, and the process served as her first exposure to the legal system. Because of her deep care for the future of the legal profession, she mentors junior lawyers and wants to build the kind of law firm where people can happily thrive. In addition, she serves as the chair of the American Health Law Association’s Early Career Professionals Council, vice chair of Bradley’s Lawyers of Color Resource Group, and liaison for Bradley’s Women’s Initiative.

Alé graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and received her undergraduate degree from Lipscomb University. While at Tennessee, she served as the executive editor of the Tennessee Law Review and senior editor of Transactions: The Tennessee Journal of Business Law. She also has many philanthropic and professional achievements to her name, such as being recognized as one of Nashville’s “Top 30 Under 30” and the Hispanic National Bar Association’s “Top Lawyers Under 40.”

Feeling like an imposter can be common for young professionals, especially for those who are the first in their families to enter the legal field. How can first-generation professionals more easily navigate their paths forward? In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman sits down with Alé Dalton, Partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, to explore her path to partnership and the unique challenges faced by first-generation professionals. Alé shares her personal experiences and insights, emphasizing the crucial role of mentorship and supportive environments. She also delves into the value of building relationships and maintaining curiosity for young professionals, and offers her perspective on the benefits of specialization in the legal field.

1:33 - Alé’s life-changing path to law school and partnership and how a movie inspired her desire to pursue a career in legal

5:46 - The challenges of being a first-generation professional and how firms, mentors, and other professionals can support them

18:03 - Qualities that Alé feels contributed to achieving her goal of becoming a partner at Bradley

22:31 - How Alé has benefited from the help of mentors and the key to why others advocated on her behalf

29:08 - What mentors get out of you asking for their help and guidance

32:52 - How focusing on the healthcare industry has benefited Alé and her perspective on specializing as an industry-focused versus general litigator

39:45 - Alé’s advice for young, first-generation professionals (and others in similar circumstances) looking to become a law firm partner

Alé Dalton | LinkedIn

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings

Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO)

Hispanic Bar Association’s Latina Leadership Programs

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