LAMP Alum Joanna Storey - Lawyer, Mentor, Writer
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
In today’s alumni feature, we introduce you to Joanna Storey (1997; Telecommunications BA)! Originally from Chesterton, Indiana, Joanna came to IU as a criminal justice major, thinking that major would fit with her interest in becoming a lawyer. Realizing that you can have any major for law school, she switched to telecommunications because she found a passion for telling and developing stories on screen. Joanna says, "As it turns out, much of being a lawyer is developing and telling a story. The skills I learned in production provided a great foundation for my role as an attorney and educator." Like most of our students, Joanna was drawn to LAMP because she wanted to learn business skills that could complement her studies.
After graduating from Santa Clara University School of Law, Joanna worked with a number of law firms in the San Francisco Bay area. Today, Joanna is an attorney with Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, where she practices professional liability and data privacy law. Beyond practicing law, Hinshaw & Culbertson encourages her to do what she loves most: learn, teach, and write. In fact, Joanna recently helped launch a new publication called Hinshaw Privacy & Cyber Bytes. You can find her work on the firm website news page, by searching her name.
In her career as an attorney, Joanna loves the feeling of accomplishment she gets when she has successful results for a client that she worked hard for. Also, she says she loves forming bonds with her co-workers and reaching goals as a team, because “it really does take a village to be successful in law practice. Recognizing that each team member—no matter their title or position—had a role in your achievement is of paramount importance.”
Joanna expressed that LAMP had a lasting impact on her life and career. “Business integration was, by far, the most practical class that I took in college. Understanding each piece of the puzzle and how they fit was the bedrock of my learning experience. The LAMP statistics seminar was also fundamental. After our LAMP team met with a local company to identify their needs, we developed and proposed a solution and put ideas to paper in a business plan. I’ll never forget that real-world experience and how it gave me perspective. The LAMP advertising seminar had a similar influence. More than twenty years later I still remember the new product for which my partner and I developed an advertising campaign. I use each of those skills – integration, statistics and advertising on a nearly daily basis in my practice and also in my everyday life. LAMP offered me the opportunity to follow my passion of storytelling while learning fundamental business skills.”
Joanna’s advice to current LAMP students is, “Understanding perspective and context is essential to success. Small miscommunications can lead to big problems. So actively listen and observe. Pause and consider the big picture.”
Thank you, Joanna, for sharing with us! It’s great to hear from our alumni about their unique experiences since leaving IU. We invite LAMP alumni of all ages to fill out our Stay in Touch form on the LAMP website.
Feature compiled by LAMP Alumni Relations intern Makynsie Bancroft; edited by LAMP Staff Laresa Lund.
