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• About : Emma Larson is a partner at Freshwater Counsel, a legal recruiting agency for patent and commercial litigators built around tailored interview prep.
• Contact : Connect With Me Want to connect? LinkedIn Mail Or visit our company website here: Freshwater Counsel
• What I'm Up To Now : What Emma Larson is focused on lately: growing her legal recruiting practice, deepening her patent litigation work, and writing about interview prep.

Best Posts

A good place to start. These are the posts I'd point you to first, the ones that say the most about how I think about recruiting, careers, and the life around the work. If you're new here, read these.

• Why Patent Litigators Need a Structured Career Search : Patent litigators plan carefully for clients but stay reactive about their own careers. Emma Larson on running a structured, goal-first lateral search.
• The Patent Litigation Market Is Strong: Here's What's Driving Demand : The patent litigation market is strong. Emma Larson breaks down the steady demand driving it, from new patents and drug approvals to litigation funding.
• What My Son's 3rd Birthday Taught Me About Entrepreneurial Freedom : On her son's third birthday, Emma Larson reflects on how entrepreneurial freedom has grown from time with family to strategic choices about her practice.
• The Best Lawyer Interview Prep Strategy : Emma Larson shares how customized interview prep, built around each interviewer and a few strategic questions, helped one lawyer advance at every firm.
• The Window for Lateral Moves Closes Faster Than Most Lawyers Realize : For associates, the third to fifth year is peak mobility for lateral moves. Emma Larson on why that window matters and why firms hire for growth potential.

General

I'm a legal recruiter, and this is where I write about lawyer interviews, lateral moves, and the things most attorneys get wrong about their careers. Straight talk, no sugarcoating. "What Law Firm Interviews Are Actually Testing" starts with a truth: most lawyers prepare for interviews the wrong way. I explain what firms are really looking for.

• My New Orleans Recruiting Conference Takeaways : Emma Larson shares takeaways from a New Orleans recruiting conference: mentorship as a two-way street, the payoff of an online presence, and kindness.
• What Law Firm Interviews Are Actually Testing : Your resume got you the interview. Emma Larson explains what partners actually test: how you think, exercise judgment, and collaborate under pressure.
• The Window for Lateral Moves Closes Faster Than Most Lawyers Realize : For associates, the third to fifth year is peak mobility for lateral moves. Emma Larson on why that window matters and why firms hire for growth potential.

Personal

The personal side. Parenting, entrepreneurial freedom, and what my kids are teaching me about how I work and live. "What My Son's 3rd Birthday Taught Me About Entrepreneurial Freedom" starts simply: we celebrated my son's 3rd birthday yesterday. What happened that day made me rethink what freedom actually means. "Our Children Are Always Watching" came from a gym morning with my son. I brought him with me, and what I noticed changed how I think about the example I'm setting.

• We're Selling Our Milwaukee Duplex After 4 Years : We are selling our Milwaukee duplex. When we moved to Milwaukee four years ago to be closer to family, we found the Riverwest neighborhood and called it…
• How to Make Friends as an Adult: The Power of Making Yourself Familiar : After moving to four cities, Emma Larson learned that making friends as an adult comes from showing up consistently and making yourself familiar.
• What My Son's 3rd Birthday Taught Me About Entrepreneurial Freedom : On her son's third birthday, Emma Larson reflects on how entrepreneurial freedom has grown from time with family to strategic choices about her practice.
• Our Children Are Always Watching : Emma Larson brought her son to the gym and reflects on modeling healthy habits, and why making time for your health helps you show up in every role.

Professional

Interview prep, career strategy, and recruiting insights for lawyers. I work with attorneys every day, and I write about what I see working and what isn't. "Why Your Interview Narrative Matters More Than You Think" makes the case that narrative matters more than people realize in interviews. Your story is your differentiator.

• Why One Offer Isn't Enough for IP Litigators Making a Career Move : Receiving an offer to join a new firm can feel clarifying and validating. It may be a strong offer, and it may come from a firm the lawyer is seriously…
• How Law Firm Offers Respond to Milbank's Comp Raise : Emma Larson on how law firms structure offers after Milbank's lockstep comp raise, and the three offer levers that matter most for patent litigators.
• Why Patent Litigators Need a Structured Career Search : Patent litigators plan carefully for clients but stay reactive about their own careers. Emma Larson on running a structured, goal-first lateral search.
• Freshwater Counsel Got Its First Private Office! : Emma Larson shares how Freshwater Counsel chose workspaces by stage, from an attic to a coffee shop, and why its first private office fits this stage.
• The Most Common Mistake Lawyers Make When Considering a Lateral Move : Many lawyers explore one firm at a time. Emma Larson explains why a broad, parallel search reveals better options and clearer information about each fit.
• Curiosity Beats Credentials When Advancing Law Firm Interviews : Credentials open doors, but curiosity converts interviews into offers. Emma Larson on her Bloomberg Law piece for associates in the lateral market.
• The Patent Litigation Market Is Strong: Here's What's Driving Demand : The patent litigation market is strong. Emma Larson breaks down the steady demand driving it, from new patents and drug approvals to litigation funding.
• Path to Partnership: Here’s What You Need to Do to Stay on Track : Partnership is about ownership and momentum, not waiting to be chosen. Emma Larson on her Bloomberg Law piece covering mentorship and business development.
• Why Your Interview Narrative Matters More Than You Think : Emma Larson on building a clear 30-second interview narrative: where you are, what you do, your role, where you're headed, and why the firm fits.
• The Best Lawyer Interview Prep Strategy : Emma Larson shares how customized interview prep, built around each interviewer and a few strategic questions, helped one lawyer advance at every firm.