Kourtney James is the founder of The BigLaw Blueprint, a specialized legal career coaching and professional development business dedicated to helping aspiring attorneys break into elite law firms and junior associates thrive once they arrive. With over 20 years of legal industry experience, Kourtney brings a rare 360-degree perspective to legal talent development: she practiced for six years as an associate at Vinson & Elkins LLP, a top-tier international law firm; spent a decade in progressive leadership roles at the University of Houston Law Center's Career Development Office; and most recently managed firmwide diversity recruiting at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, a global AmLaw 50 firm.

This unique combination of experience — as a BigLaw associate, law school career services leader, and law firm recruiter — gives her unparalleled insight into what it truly takes to succeed in elite legal environments.

A graduate of Stanford Law School and Harvard University, Kourtney has guided hundreds of law students and attorneys through every stage of the BigLaw journey. At the University of Houston Law Center, she achieved a 93% placement rate and increased on-campus recruiting by 80% through innovative programming and strategic employer relations. At Morgan Lewis, she transformed the firm's 1L diversity fellowship program, increasing retention by 21% and maintaining above 60% diversity rates for summer associate classes. Now, through The BigLaw Blueprint, Kourtney offers 1:1 coaching, institutional training for law schools and firms, and comprehensive digital courses that demystify BigLaw careers and provide insider strategies for success. Her approach combines practical, actionable guidance with the credibility that comes from having lived every stage of the BigLaw experience herself.