But another interest would soon introduce itself to Dryden, and that was law. How she fell into law, however, initially was out of a necessity for money. Her husband, who was working three jobs, and Dryden, who was modeling at the time, couldn't afford the loan on their house. An increase in income was needed.
"Through friends I got a job with a small San Diego branch of a larger L.A. law firm. It was a small office, and I had the luxury of time to learn about the law and legal publications. I went from that firm to a larger one, and when my husband got a job with the Los Angeles Times, we moved to L.A., where I began working at Riordan & McKinzie."
In 2003 the law firm merged with Bingham McCutchen, LLP, which is made up of 1,000 lawyers throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Other firms that have joined Bingham include New Tokyo International (2007), Swidler Berlin (2006), and Richards & O'Neil (2001). From corporate practices, including mergers and acquisitions and private equity, to securities practices, including accountant defense and stock option task force, to telecommunications, media, and technology practices, Bingham "take[s] pride in the excellence of [its] work, the quality of [its] clients, and the caliber of [its] colleagues. The best clients and the best colleagues are the building blocks of the best firm," says its website.
"I confess I learned everything I know about the law and law librarianship on the job. It's been a great way to learn, especially since I had the good fortune to start with a small firm and proceed gradually to a large, high-profiled one," Dryden says. "I learned computer-assisted research when everyone else did. I am honored to be a part of such a learned and diverse group as law librarians and grateful that I am taken seriously as a colleague, given that I do not have among my degrees an M.L.S.
"I also learned a lot from other law librarians by serving on regional and national law library association committees and speaking at continuing education programs sponsored by PLI [Practising Law Institute], AALL [American Association of Law Libraries], and SCALL [Southern California Association of Law Libraries]."
Along with working at Riordan, Dryden has also worked as a library director for Fredman, Silverberg & Lewis as well as for Han, Cazier & Leff. She has also held the position of library consultant for the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles, California.
But despite her active participation in the legal field, Dryden hasn't abandoned her love of acting. In fact, she applies her acting techniques to her jobs in law.
She says, "Acting skills and techniques can definitely help people with presentations and handling themselves in front of an audience."
And regarding attorneys learning acting, "studying acting forces a person to see another person's point of view. In the case of trial attorneys, character study will allow them to understand their client, opposing counsel, the judge, and the jury."
The benefits, however, pay off, according to Dryden. Attorneys and law librarians who invest their time in acting may become more comfortable before an audience, learn how to engage an audience and understand its feedback, and improve their communication skills.
"Like many disciplines, acting teaches you to prepare your material and to work with others," Dryden says. "Finally, it gives you confidence so that when an opportunity presents itself, you are not afraid to go with it. The more you're aware of your own identity, the more powerful you'll be as a presenter and the less judgmental you'll be about your own performances. There is an actor within everyone. It's just a matter of 'unwrapping' the real self."
