Q: What is the best lesson in leadership you have learned?
A: Being a good leader is a lot of work. It doesn’t just happen. You have to nurture your team and your relationships. You have to be willing to fight for your ideas and sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions. Being good at what you do does not automatically mean you’ll be a good leader.
Q: What is the one thing you wish lawyers understood about your role or your business that would lead them to better represent you?
A: Far too often, in-house attorneys start to feel adversarial with their own lawyers. I think there is a growing disconnect between the daily demands on in-house counsel and how law firms operate. Part of this is the ever growing hourly rates that seem to increase unchecked. For small and midsize companies, keeping legal fees low is vitally important. Many law firms seem to be insensitive to the effect they have on a company’s bottom line. I think that many law firm lawyers don’t realize that, in the corporate world, they are viewed as a vendor—and their fees as liabilities to a company. I really value the firms I use who get it and bill in a way that is appropriate for the size of the business.
Q: Would you say you ever had a mentor or sponsor who made a genuine difference in how your career turned out? If so, please tell us a little bit about that.
A: Marty Roberts was a VP in eBay’s legal department, who had come to the company through the acquisition of Shopping.com, where he had been the GC. At the time, I was well into my tenure at eBay and was running a portion of the company’s litigation. The head legal role opened up at another eBay subsidiary, StubHub!. The position was being advertised with the somewhat nondescript title of “Ticket Counsel” and I did not give it even a passing thought. Marty strongly encouraged me to apply for the role––realizing that it was the head legal role at StubHub! and would be a great stepping stone for future GC roles. After he and I talked, I had a “light bulb moment” where I realized he was right. I took the role and it did end up being a crucial step for me to move forward on the general counsel path. Without Marty, I would have never seen the opportunity.
Q: How do mentors or sponsors continue to play a role in advancing your career?
I still call Marty for advice! These days, though, I do my best to be the person in the mentor role––helping to bring younger attorneys along behind me.
Jennifer Pileggi, General Counsel of SGI
Q: What advice would you give to a junior woman lawyer interested in serving as in-house counsel, and in ultimately becoming general counsel?
A: I have been general counsel at public companies for eight years; I have reported to a business unit or executive officer since 1996. With that background, I offer the following advice.
Get really comfortable balancing risks, making decisions across a range of areas, and getting exposure to a range of legal areas rather than specializing so that you become comfortable managing a wide variety of legal issues. Much of what a general counsel does is help run the company and balance risks––not eliminate all risk, because often that is not possible.
Q: What is the best lesson in leadership you have learned?
A: As general counsel, you are not necessarily judged on the tactical things you do, but rather on inspiring your team and making your department function the best that it can. I know I am leading my in-house team effectively when I have good retention, and my team members are responsive, creative, and good business partners to the executives rather than lawyers who are viewed as an impediment to the company doing business.
Q: What is the one thing you wish lawyers understood about your role or your business that would lead them to better represent you?
A: Help us balance risks so that we can make sound recommendations to our corporate client. Think like an employee: What would you do if this were your company; don’t just tell me what the law is, help me solve the problem. It is also important to understand how your in-house clients want to be communicated to: Do they want a treatise? Is a short email with an executive summary enough?
Q: Would you say you ever had a mentor or sponsor who made a genuine difference in how your career turned out? If so, please tell us a little bit about that.
A: I did not have a mentor until late in my career when I became GC at Conway. My mentor asked me to look ahead and determine where I wanted to be in 5–10 years, which made me approach decision making and career opportunities differently.
At this point, I rely on my peer group of women GCs at other public companies, who are an incredible source of knowledge and support. These groups arose organically, and we meet quarterly to discuss issues and brainstorm, run issues by each other, and socialize.
Dr. Laura Nelson, Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Potash Ridge Corporation
Q: What advice would you give to a woman starting to climb the corporate ladder or intent on starting her own business?
A: First, decide what you want to do. Once you have a clear view of your career goal, I strongly recommend that you identify other women you admire as leaders and evaluate how they have managed success. This will provide you with invaluable insight for characterizing the skills and challenges on the path to your career goal. It can also help identify potential mentors.
Q: What is the best business lesson or lesson in leadership you have learned?
A: The most important lesson I have learned is to always go into a situation prepared. Understanding the issues, knowing the participants, considering challenges, and identifying solutions in advance of any engagement is essential to influencing successful outcomes. When people recognize that you are engaged, that you take an interest in knowing who they are, and that you want to comprehend the issues around a situation, they are more likely to work on moving forward.
Q: What is the one thing you wish lawyers understood about your business that would lead them to better represent you?
A: I wish lawyers had a better understanding of the increasing role of women in senior management positions. In my area of expertise, I work predominantly with men. This is the clientele that the legal offices have been trained to represent in my business. I think a more informed view about women’s roles and challenges would help improve communication and collaboration on important legal issues.
Q: Would you say you ever had a mentor or sponsor who made a genuine difference in how your career turned out? If so, please tell us a little bit about that.
A: I have had several mentors––many women but men as well. What I have been drawn to are individuals who are both good managers and great leaders. What I have learned is that understanding how to work with and manage people in many different situations is requisite for fostering successful leadership. If someone has risen to success through bullying or outrageous behavior, I am not drawn to that person because it doesn’t set a precedent for having a positive legacy. I believe women can serve as positive examples of success by embracing an attitude of results based on relationships.
Q: How do mentors or sponsors continue to play a role in advancing your career?
A: When I stop learning, I stop growing. I have maintained relationships with all of my past mentors and found new ones today as my career has evolved. My mentors continue to teach me that great teachers are the ones who understand there is always more to learn. Understanding my own need for mentoring and the benefits I receive from those relationships helps to foster my ability to better engage with my team and achieve positive and measurable goals through building relationships with the people I lead.
Kate Gale, Entrepreneur, Writer, Cofounder and Managing Editor, Red Hen Press
Q: What advice would you give to a woman starting to climb the corporate ladder or intent on starting her own business?
A: Think like a woman. Use your intuition and your ability to see the connections between things. Don’t get frustrated when men don’t listen to you. Rather than get frustrated, wait until they take a breath and jump in. Summarize what they just said so they know you were listening, then say what you came to say––and say it clearly. Men in public may do most of the talking, but with thorough listening, we can be heard as well.
Q: What is the best business lesson or lesson in leadership you have learned?
A: Planning is a good thing. In the beginning, I was committed to following my feelings, making decisions with the heart. I now believe that collective strategic planning can involve the heart, but execution of those plans always involves the head. Planning allows us to work out our imaginative goals in concrete ways.
Q: What is the one thing you wish lawyers understood about your business that would lead them to better represent you?
A: We have been very fortunate with the lawyers we’ve worked with, but sometimes I want them to explain things to me in layman’s terms.
Q: Would you say you ever had a mentor or sponsor who made a genuine difference in how your career turned out? If so, please tell us a little bit about that.
A: I’ve had three mentors: poets Ben Saltman, Peggy Shumaker, and Eloise Klein Healy. From them, I’ve learned four lessons that I found to be important in my work. The first is to always try to see things from the other person’s point of view. The second is that when you have a choice, choose integrity. Third, be willing to admit that you made a mistake. Finally, live with grace.
Q: How do mentors or sponsors continue to play a role in advancing your career?
A: Mentors help me understand how to be my own best self, how to step forward and take risks. How to live in the world of the imagination, yet work effectively, and how to listen to the group and then to make a decision, a decision based on strength rather than fear. I still engage in an ongoing dialogue with my mentors, and this dialogue continues to change and guide my future.
Karen Silverman, Managing Partner, Latham & Watkins’ San Francisco office
Q: What has been the most unexpected part of managing a law firm? What has been your proudest accomplishment?
A: I manage the firm’s San Francisco office. The most unexpected aspect is the complexity of the operational side of the business––our administrative team gives an incredible degree of care and thought to this work––without which we could not get the legal work done nearly so efficiently. I’m still relatively new in the role, but I am proud of our efforts to bring our talent together at every level. We have enormous capability here in San Francisco, but all of that talent is also integrated into the rest of the firm, and vice versa, so we make a huge effort to ensure our clients and our lawyers are benefitting from the full, global platform. It is a delight to champion my colleagues’ successes and help them however I can to grow their practices.
Q: What is the best lesson in leadership you have learned?
A: Lead by example and don’t be afraid to make decisions, ask questions, and even to make a few mistakes (then fix, learn, laugh).
Q: Has managing a law firm changed the way you relate to or counsel clients?
A: Certainly, I better appreciate how much goes into running a business! Practicing law is an applied science, and we pride ourselves on delivering practical, solutions-based legal advice. Serving in this role has underscored for me that it is critical to provide advice that directly and concisely addresses the business problem, whatever it is, and in a form the recipient can use.
Q: Who was the biggest influence on your career; what was the best career advice you received from them or others?
A: I have had so many great influences on my career, beginning with my parents (one lawyer, one doctor) and my grandparents. The best practical advice from my mother (on this subject anyway) was to get an advanced degree, in anything. I have had many good mentors since, the best of whom knew how to keep me challenged, growing, and stretched enough, but not so much as to feel unsupported or set up to fail. All of them encouraged me to trust and use my judgment about whether and how to proceed, and all of them gave me enough room to find my own style and my particular voice.
Early on, I got one piece of advice on work/life balance that made particular sense to me: Don’t focus on solving your work/life balance every day. Rather, approach it as you would approach any other long-term personal project, like training for an athletic competition or losing the last few pounds. Almost certainly, on any given day or week your life is going to be out of balance in one direction or the other.
Later, I learned to take opportunities to pitch in on certain non-work activities whenever I could and with whatever resources were at hand, knowing that there would be plenty of times when I could not do so. For example, if you suddenly find yourself with time to make (pick up?!) a dessert for the book club this month, or give a neighbor’s kid a ride to the soccer game, just do it. And if you have time the next month, do it then too. Inevitably, there will come a month when you are arriving at one of these events straight from the airport empty-handed, and that will be okay.
Q: If you were mentoring a young woman lawyer, what advice would you give her about career advancement and fulfillment, from a managing partner’s perspective? Would you recommend a young lawyer pursue a management position and if so, what would you recommend she do to prepare for it?
A: I like to remind myself that while this is a high-performance, demanding profession, it is not uniquely so. My friends who are professional athletes, chefs, or stage actors, for example, also have crazy schedules and high-pressure work demands. In contrast, we have technologies and other tools that allow us to contemplate making the job itself more flexible and to better fit varying demands on our time (and slowly we are getting better at using these tools to do so).
In the first few years as a lawyer, learn substance and get exposure to many different kinds of successful attorneys. Then, start to experiment to find your own style. Get comfortable in your skin.
Credibility is essential, particularly as a career progresses, and in my book, that has to start with a genuine sense of yourself before you even get to the legal question. Build teams. No one is perfect or precisely “ready” for exactly what comes up (that’s part of the fun), but if you are comfortable with your own approach, strengths and weaknesses—and you have good teams—it is a lot easier to tackle the unknown. When you do get to the legal question, make sure your advice relates to the business and human problems presented. Show up, listen, ask questions, and come ready with ideas about possible solutions.
Women are just as able to be authentic and solutions-oriented as anyone else, and indeed these are assets we should not overlook. On the management question, women absolutely should aim for these positions if they have the personal interest––even better, start by volunteering and letting your organization know you have the interest and will make the time. Finally, please laugh, a lot.
Hilarie Bass, Co-President and Member of the Management Team, Greenberg Traurig
Q. What has been the most unexpected part of managing a law firm? What has been your proudest accomplishment?
A: The most unexpected part of being involved in firm management is how much I enjoy helping lawyers to become more successful, whether it is by assisting them to think more strategically about client development, to work through conflict issues, or help them with alternative fee proposals. With more than 1,750 lawyers in our firm, it is wonderful to get to work with the attorneys in our various offices with whom I have never had the opportunity to work closely. I have also very much enjoyed working with our clients and helping them to identify the attorney within our firm with the unique expertise to help solve their problem.
Q. What is the best lesson in leadership you have learned?
A: To me, leadership is the ability to develop a vision of what you are trying to accomplish, to communicate that vision to the people with whom you work, to motivate them to embrace your vision, and then to give them the support and freedom to get the job done. To motivate your team members, you must make sure people understand that vision, and that you convey the confidence in your team members’ ability to accomplish it.
Leaders should focus on solving problems and putting people together. The best leaders are able to identify people’s unique skills and determine how to use them for the greatest benefit of the group/project.
Q. If you were mentoring a young woman lawyer, what advice would you give her about career advancement and fulfillment, from a managing partner’s perspective? Would you recommend a young lawyer pursue a management position and if so, what would you recommend she do to prepare for it?
A: Things do not just happen. People make them happen. You need to take control of your career. Envision where you want to be in five years and be very strategic in the steps you need to take to get there. The tendency is to think that all you need to do is good legal work and good things will happen to you; while having critical legal skills is a precondition to achieving career success, that alone is not likely to be sufficient to obtain the type of career you dream about. Do you want to do a certain type of work? Who does that work? Can you ask to work with them? Have a short-term plan to accomplish the next item on your career track, as well as a long-term plan that you hope all the interim steps will eventually allow you to accomplish.
If you are interested in firm management, look for every opportunity to serve in a leadership position, set a goal for the group, and accomplish it. This includes bar and board leadership. Within the firm: Look to lead groups, whether it be a recruiting committee, summer associate group, or even small practice groups––take responsibility for leading a group toward a particular goal and achieving it. Think strategically about creating those opportunities: Who might assist you in obtaining a leadership position?
Q: Would you say you ever had a mentor or sponsor who made a genuine difference in how your career turned out? If so, please tell us a little bit about that.
A: The value of a sponsor is someone who has been there and done that and believes in your ability to follow that path, someone you can observe and see how they accomplish their goals and get things done. I learned a tremendous amount from just observing the behavior of my mentor.
Susan Levy, Managing Partner, Jenner & Block
Q: What has been the most unexpected part of managing a law firm? What has been your proudest accomplishment?
A: One of the most unexpected and enjoyable parts of managing Jenner & Block is the large amount of client interaction I have. My view is that all of our firm clients are “my” clients and I try to meet regularly with our clients and look for opportunities to do so. I believe it is one of my responsibilities as managing partner to ensure that we exceed all of our clients’ expectations.
Q: What is the best lesson in leadership you have learned?
A: Ensuring that your firm or company understands its core values is a key to good leadership. Our firm has very strong values, including commitment to client service and exceptional work product, commitment to public service and pro bono work, and commitment to mentoring and collegiality. Our attorneys and staff understand these values, which we incorporate not only in our overall strategic plan but also in our client service and other activities.
Q: Has managing a law firm changed the way you relate to or counsel clients?
A: Absolutely. My role as managing partner is similar to that of a CEO or a general counsel of one of our clients in that I am running a business and managing a large group of lawyers. I am regularly called upon to bring business solutions to problems or issues that arise. In addition, as managing partner, I ensure that we as a firm are providing all of our clients the highest quality client service.
Q: If you were mentoring a young woman lawyer, what advice would you give her about career advancement and fulfillment, from a managing partner’s perspective? Would you say you ever had a mentor or sponsor who made a genuine difference in how your career turned out? If so, please tell us a little bit about that.
A: I was very well trained and mentored as a young attorney, which is a key reason I became a partner and ultimately managing partner of the firm. Early on, I was trained by some of the very best lawyers in the firm, both male and female, who taught me how to be an excellent lawyer. My mentors focused on skills training and also helped with general advice on navigating through a large law firm. So my advice to a young lawyer is first and foremost, make sure you get the best mentoring and training early on, which includes those “stretch” assignments whenever possible. I got those assignments by asking for them, working hard, and doing excellent work for the people who mentored me. I think it also helped that I always loved my job and had fun doing it––I still do (even as managing partner!).
With respect to pursuing a management position, I believe a young attorney should be more focused on becoming an excellent lawyer first and earning the trust and respect of her clients and colleagues. I wasn’t particularly interested in management until I was a partner. However, it is always very beneficial for young lawyers to get involved in firm activities, participate on firm committees, and generally network with other firm lawyers. Young lawyers should view the partners and more senior lawyers as “their clients”; getting to know them on a personal level is an excellent way to get the necessary work, training, and mentoring that they need to succeed and thrive in their firms.
Anne Rea, Member, Management Committee, Sidley & Austin
Q: What has been the most unexpected part of managing a law firm? What has been your proudest accomplishment?
A: I was elected to Sidley’s Management Committee in October 2008 in the midst of the financial crisis. I don’t think any of us expected the events that occurred, or that we would face the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. Although this was a challenging time, Sidley is fortunate to have a long history of prudent financial management that left us well positioned to not just weather the economic storm, but continue to progress both financially and otherwise. This, along with our collaborative culture and the focused attention of our management, partners, and administrative team, enabled us to work through the challenges presented by the economic crisis and position the firm for further growth.
Looking back on this time, I am proud of the role I played in leading the strategic planning process for the 2009 opening of our office in Palo Alto, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. While other law firms were downsizing in response to the economic downturn, Sidley’s decision to expand showed our long-term perspective and belief that the technology industry is, and will remain, an engine for growth in the world economy. We made another significant investment last year when we opened our Houston office, which focused on the energy industry. We believe that long-term investments will position our firm for the future and create a legacy for the partners who follow us.
Q: What is the best lesson in leadership you have learned?
A: I’ve learned so many important leadership lessons from watching the truly exceptional leaders here at Sidley. We have a consensus-based approach to making decisions, and I’ve really come to appreciate the value of reaching out and listening to different perspectives as we work through challenging issues. The primary assets of a law firm are its people, and it’s important that our lawyers feel that their views are heard and respected and that we will make decisions that are fair and in the best interests of the firm. Also, while we need to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances, it’s important to maintain our values and adhere to the fundamental principles that have guided our success. We’ve all seen from news reports the unfortunate consequences that can come when leaders set aside their principles and focus on short-term gains.
Q: Has managing a law firm changed the way you relate to or counsel clients?
A: Being in a management role here at Sidley has helped me appreciate even more deeply the business issues our clients confront every day. A lot of what we do as lawyers involves communication and managing client expectations and dealing with the financial and budgetary aspects of the matters we handle. Our clients have come to expect that we will deliver not only the highest quality legal work, but work that also is results-focused, cost-effective, well-managed, and yields predictable outcomes. Budgets and deadlines have to be met, and it’s extremely important to deliver on what you promise. My role on Sidley’s Management Committee has made me more attuned to the business pressures our clients face every day, and I believe this enhanced perspective has made me a better lawyer.
Q: Who was the biggest influence on your career; what was the best career advice you received from them or others?
A: I have been fortunate to have had a number of tremendous mentors at Sidley. In particular, Chuck Douglas, Chair of Sidley’s Management Committee, has given me enormously helpful advice. At several distinct and pivotal points in my career, his advice was instrumental in helping me progress in building my law practice and enhancing my management skills. I have watched and learned a great deal from his leadership style over the years.
Q: If you were mentoring a young woman lawyer, what advice would you give her about career advancement and fulfillment from a managing partner’s perspective? Would you recommend a young lawyer pursue a management position and if so, what would you recommend she do to prepare for it?
A: My advice to any young woman lawyer is to be thoughtful about your career, show initiative and take ownership of your work, and seek feedback on your performance and career development. Polish your communication and management skills—they’re just as essential to success as the analytical skills you learned in law school. As you become more senior, it’s important to focus on business development and creating relationships with clients. Hard work pays off, not only in shaping but sustaining your career. When you see a good opportunity, go for it! Finally, always believe in yourself.
Management positions are a wonderful way to develop and demonstrate leadership skills, and to learn how your law firm or organization works. However, they can consume a lot of time and may not be right for everyone. We all have to balance time spent on management duties, client work, business development, and many other professional, family, and personal demands. My advice to anyone considering a management position would be to take an inventory of your responsibilities and commitments, both inside and outside the office; know your goals and then decide if a management role is right for you. Some of the best lawyers I know—both men and women—have elected not to pursue management positions to focus on their law practice and family commitments. There is no right or wrong path––it’s a personal decision.
Q: Would you say you ever had a mentor or sponsor who made a genuine difference in how your career turned out? If so, please tell us a little bit about that.
A: In addition to Chuck Douglas whom I mentioned previously, many years ago I worked with a woman partner at Sidley who also had a strong influence on my career. She was a partner at a time when there were very few women in law firms. Watching her do all the things that male partners did helped instill in me the confidence that I could achieve my goals. My experience gave me a strong belief that it’s important to have women in leadership roles in law firms, to serve as role models for women working their way up in the firm. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have had wonderful role models during my time at Sidley.
Keywords: woman advocate, litigation, leadership, mentoring, clients, advice, general counsel