Chelsea Fongemie
Chelsea Fongemie is a Case Manager at Veliss Law, APC, a boutique insurance defense firm in San Diego specializing in personal injury and construction defect law. Since joining the firm in October, she has played a key role in managing cases, scheduling meetings, setting up depositions, and serving as the liaison between clients, experts, judicial officers, and attorneys. Chelsea’s work ensures that legal matters progress efficiently and that all parties are well-informed throughout the litigation process. Her dedication to precision, organization, and client advocacy has made her an integral part of the firm’s operations.
Chelsea’s journey into the legal field has been driven by a deep desire to make a meaningful impact. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego, with the goal of helping people and exploring pathways into areas of law such as immigration, constitutional law, or civil rights advocacy. Prior to her current role, she served as a Client Intake Specialist at the International Rescue Committee, where she assisted immigrants entering the United States by connecting them with legal services for green cards and other essential resources. Chelsea also worked at the San Diego Rescue Mission, supporting underprivileged and homeless communities by organizing housing initiatives and providing direct assistance. These experiences were deeply personal, shaped by her own family’s challenges, and reinforced her commitment to helping vulnerable populations.
Earlier in her career, Chelsea gained extensive administrative and operational experience as an Executive Assistant at Jewel Systems, providing high-level support to executive leadership, coordinating communications, and managing complex scheduling. Across all her roles, she has consistently demonstrated strong organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, and a passion for advocacy. Chelsea views her current position at Veliss Law as a stepping stone toward her long-term goal of practicing law in areas that drive social change, such as immigration law, constitutional law, or criminal prosecution. Every day, she is inspired by the proximity of organizations like the ACLU and hopes to contribute to work that makes a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most.
• Certificate of Achievement, Paralegal
• University of California, San Diego - BA, Sociology
• Magna Cum Laude
• Paralegal Association
• Protesting at detention center in South Bay for ICE detainees
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to persistence and a commitment to continual growth. Whenever I encountered setbacks, I returned to training such as earning my paralegal certificate to strengthen my skills and expand my opportunities. I have consistently invested in networking and building meaningful professional relationships, and I make it a point to put myself out there, even in the face of challenges. This combination of resilience, ongoing education, and proactive engagement has been the foundation of my professional achievements.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Keep pushing, keep trying, and diversify your portfolio. Get involved with shelters, get involved with legal resources, join the paralegal association because that's huge and it's a huge network. They have big network events. It's not just what you know, it's who you know, too. So you gotta put yourself out there. Those mouths don't get fed. And even if you're sitting in bed watching Dateline or The Bachelorette, just keep on replying to jobs, because at some point, someone's gonna reach back out. I went on so many interviews, and sometimes it drags you down when you don't get a call back, but at some point, someone's gonna call back, so I think that's the important part. Never stop interviewing, because it diversifies all the questions they're gonna ask, it seasons you, you know exactly what to wear, what to say, how to say it. And be yourself, too, because personality and work and a resume can only take you so far, but if you walk the walk, a lot of times they're gonna leave you talking to the top, too.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge is just getting the experience, or having experience without experience. I've applied to so many jobs, and I've met a lot of people at the same point where they apply to job after job after job, and employers want 5 years experience, plus a doctorate, a PhD. They want all these things, and when we're young, we're told go to college, get 4 years done, and you'll be fine. That's the American dream. So I think it's reality pushing hard back against us, but the thing we have to do is push back and keep on pursuing. I worked at a restaurant when I was younger after I graduated, and at some point, you get to think, I need to go back and reintroduce myself. I had to go back and volunteer, I had to intern, and I had to go back to school to get my paralegal certificate. I think it was just going back to school and getting reacquainted with just pushing back.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Making an impact and a difference is what's most important to me. I would love to get into a field where I could make an impact and a difference. That's why I worked at the International Rescue Committee, because I wanted to make a difference and an impact. My entire family's immigrant, my brother got taken by ICE, so I wanted to see if I could help. I think a lot of people just forget how lucky they are, and they're like, oh, I don't care because it doesn't happen to me until it happens to them. But you need to see it's happening to the world around us, and it kind of bleeds into the fabric of society. It's always just trying to help people that are down on their luck, because my mom was homeless at one point, and my brother got taken by ICE. I wanted to help out and see if I could enter the legal field to maybe work at immigration law, or the ACLU, or work in more impactful law.