When Staci Treolo moved into the legal operations department at a Fortune 500 company, she knew she had found the right fit: The combination of project management and intellectually stimulating topics made the most of her background and interests.
Before long, she was seeking out ways to advance in this relatively new specialization. For her, the Master of Science in Law (MSL) at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law stood out for what it offered and how it was structured.
“I had always thought about going to law school,” said Treolo, a 2023 MSL graduate. “But for me, the MSL was far more flexible than other programs. When I entered the program, my son was 2, and having flexibility was a priority.”
Today, Treolo is working what she describes as her dream job, as a Legal Operations Manager at the New York Times Company. She believes she was able to land this position in part because of the knowledge and networking opportunities from the MSL program at Northwestern Pritzker of Law.
The MSL program focuses on the intersection of law, business, and technology, which is a crucial intersection for those who work in legal operations. For instance, legal operations professionals often focus on processes, projects, and people, and so technology is always a component of the job, she said.
“While one does not have to have a law degree to work in legal operations, I do think having a foundational understanding of business and law – and then how to apply technology where it makes sense – will set you apart,” Treolo said.
Treolo began her career working in healthcare and then continued in the non-profit sector, where she took on a wide variety of roles including communications, event planning, development, and operations. She then moved to Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee, WI where she worked in human resources before transferring to Rockwell’s corporate legal department. There, she worked a range of projects, including mergers and acquisitions – this work changed her focus for the next phase of her career.
In fact, she was nearing the end of a master’s degree program in human resources when she transferred to Northwestern’s MSL degree program.
“At the time, I loved working in corporate legal, and I wanted to dig my heels into that,” Treolo said.
In many ways, the schedule of Northwestern’s program made her decision easy. She completed the online degree format, which includes online classes in the evenings and the opportunity to participate in weekend and week-long sessions on campus in Chicago. Importantly, the online classes did not start until after 7 p.m., which was ideal for a working parent with a young child.
“That’s not to say that it was easy – it was not,” she said.
Treolo appreciated the STEM backgrounds of her classmates and enjoyed classroom discussions focused on real-life applications of technology and business operations. In addition, she felt that the diverse perspectives of her classmates deepened every discussion; some of her classmates dialed in from abroad, including but not limited to Turkey, China, and Hawaii.
“The program helped me to have a broad understanding of the law, especially contract law, business structure, and the regulatory landscape,” she said. “The MSL degree program has set me up to understand, what are the key things my department needs?”
For instance, one of the most important functions of a corporate legal department is document management – there are a wide variety of contracts, compliance results, invoices, regulations, and other documents that must be tracked. Earlier this year, Treolo led the integration of a new document management system for her department.
She said that two MSL classes were particularly vital in supporting her work: Contract Law and Intellectual Property Fundamentals.
“I am one of the system administrators and technical leads for our contract management, so it is incredibly helpful for me to understand contracts and negotiations,” Treolo said.
“As for intellectual property (IP), I did not have a lot of working experience in the intellectual property IP space when I entered the program. The IP Fundamentals course not only provided a foundational understanding of the various types of intellectual property protection but also focused on the difference between seeking IP protection and IP enforcement. Simply put, once you have IP protection, what recourse is available to you if there is IP theft?”
Treolo said that having a deep understanding of the foundations of law makes it easier for her to consider her end-users, who are often lawyers and paralegals. So, while lawyers are focused on providing legal advice, she is focused on the systems and processes to support their work.
Corporate compliance is another key area of legal operations. Treolo said courses like Corporate Criminal Law, many regulatory law classes, and the mandatory ethics class helped her to understand what an effective corporate compliance program looks like.
In addition to her MSL degree, Treolo previously earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Even though she never pursued a career in writing, her job at the New York Times Company is a dream come true, allowing her to combine her interests and support the company’s mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world – a role she said brings her full-circle in her career.
“It’s been such an interesting place to work; I am so grateful for the opportunity,” she said.
Treolo stays in contact with her Northwestern colleagues, including friends and MSL staff, and she takes advantage of alumni learning opportunities, such as a live-streamed Zoom session with Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.
“Northwestern Pritzker School of Law does an amazing job in fostering community,” she said. “It has been great to stay connected with the Law School after graduation.”
