Was there anyone along the way who mentored or influenced your work?
I learned a great deal about the kind of lawyer I wanted to be by watching, observing, and listening to other lawyers—both positive role models and others that exhibited behaviors and mannerisms that I did not wish to adopt as my own. While it is critical to develop excellent legal skills and expertise in your practice area, it is more important to have a reputation for honesty, professionalism, civility, and integrity.
What is one of your proudest moments, inside or outside of your career?
As to professional accomplishments, in 2013, I was honored to receive the Jerold S. Solovy Award from Jenner & Block. This award recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated exceptional service to the organized bar and to the community. The award, named for Jenner & Block’s esteemed late chairman emeritus, honors those attorneys who exemplify Mr. Solovy’s unwavering dedication to the organized bar, the public good, and the highest ideals of the legal profession. This award means a great deal to me because it came from my firm and honors Mr. Solovy’s lifelong love of the law and his untiring commitment to give back to those in need through his pro bono work and community involvement.
By what standards do you measure success?
I think how you view or define professional success is a very individual inquiry and no two lawyers probably view it the same way. For me, being successful as a lawyer means being an important part of and contributor to your firm or practice group, earning the role as a trusted business advisor to long-standing clients and knowing that your counsel and advice on critical legal issues matter to them, and having the good fortune to enjoy what you do and who you represent and work with on a regular basis. A very important part of success is finding a place you belong and having the opportunity to make a difference.
