Celeste Koeleveld: Federal Prosecution and Government Enforcement

Celeste Koeleveld is a Partner at Clifford Chance following 25 years of experience and a raft of impressive federal, state and local government titles: Chief of the Criminal Division, Chief Appellate Attorney, and Chief of General Crimes at SDNY; Deputy Superintendent and Special Counsel in the New York State Department of Financial Services; Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel for New York City. Celeste shared a wealth of professional insight about growing into managerial roles, from giving and receiving difficult feedback to recovering from mistakes and delivering on a tight budget. She also got personal with This Lawyer’s Life about her journey, how the lawyer she became does not resemble the lawyers she grew up watching on TV, and her time as an Adjunct at Columbia Law School. Celeste also delves into a variety of topical issues such as the impact of AI on the legal profession, livestreaming of court proceedings, and the role of the legal profession in upholding the rule of law. Tune in to hear more about: • How Celeste climbed the ladder at SDNY from line prosecutor to Chief of the Criminal Division • How to gain managerial skills along the path from managing just yourself to managing a small team to managing hundreds of attorneys • How to give difficult feedback and communicate to those around you that you are open to feedback • How is AI going to impact the legal profession? And what responsibilities do lawyers have in upholding the rule of law today? Access a transcript of this episode here: https://bit.ly/3TeuZe7