Valerie Jules McCarthy Featured in Law.com for New Jersey Law Journal’s Unsung Heroes Winner

After being selected for inclusion in the list of “Unsung Heroes” Award winners by the New Jersey Law Journal as part of its 2025 New Jersey Legal Awards, Valerie Jules McCarthy, counsel in the firm’s Family Law practice, was featured in a Q&A with the New Jersey Law Journal.

In response to a question about how law firms and other organizations do to provide more opportunities for advancement, McCarthy noted:

Law firms can foster advancement by being intentional about access, mentorship, and transparency. Talent alone does not ensure opportunity; systems must support it. Firms should distribute opportunities for high-visibility work, client contact, and leadership equitably. Too often, advancement depends on informal networks or proximity to decision-makers. Creating intentional systems that include women, attorneys from underrepresented groups, and working parents transforms advancement from chance to design.

Mentorship and sponsorship must be embedded in firm culture. Mentorship provides guidance, but sponsorship, when a senior colleague actively advocates for another’s advancement, opens doors. Structured programs ensure that every attorney has someone invested in their success. Finally, transparency around promotion criteria and firm economics empowers attorneys to chart a clear path forward. When people understand how decisions are made, they are better positioned to achieve them.

To read the full Q&A, click here.

The New Jersey Legal Awards are published by the New Jersey Law Journal. A description of the selection methodology can be found at Methodology: New Jersey Legal Awards (NJLA) 2025.

No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.