Maura Gierl (JD '12) Makes Waves at Chick-fil-A

Upon graduating from Pepperdine Caruso Law in 2012, Maura Gierl had already secured a fantastic job: working as a Litigation Associate for national law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips in Los Angeles. At Manatt, Maura focused on intellectual property, entertainment, and complex commercial litigation matters, which was interesting and challenging work. In January 2021, she was elevated to Litigation Counsel, and in April 2021, Maura helped her client, music producer Marshmello, make history in a landmark copyright infringement case (see Manatt Landmark Case).

However, like many other lawyers and Angelenos during the pandemic, Maura and her family started thinking of relocating in early 2021. Maura's second child was born in March 2020, just as the pandemic hit the country. Although she had no previous connection to Chick-fil-A, Inc. or Atlanta, Atlanta was much closer to family members, and an open position in the legal department at Chick-fil-A matched her expertise. Maura applied to Chick-fil-A in January 2021, and describes interviewing with the team as enjoyable, and made "it was obvious that the company was interested in hiring the whole person – not just the resume."

After visiting the Chick-fil-A Support Center (the company's headquarters) in Atlanta, Maura "felt called to the position, and that joining the company was the right next step for both my career and my family." Maura started working remotely as Senior Counsel in the Corporate Legal Intellectual Property Group in June 2021 before moving to Atlanta in August 2021. In her role, Maura oversees all aspects of Chick-fil-A's intellectual property legal issues, including marketing and advertising, and works closely with internal business partners and outside counsel. Maura loves working for the company and says, "The people at Chick-fil-A are truly incredible to work with, and the work is also innovative and fun."