What excites you about working with lawyers and law firms?

I have a strong desire to give back to others, and I can provide significant value based on my experience as a former large firm partner supervising a large in-house team of lawyers and compliance professionals. I enjoy consulting with lawyers about their practices and priorities and maximizing their client acquisition, expansion, and retention efforts.

What advice would you give to an associate who’s about to make partner?

Top-end work product is table stakes for partners in all firms. The differentiator is business development. Begin that process with existing relationships and develop a disciplined approach where you dedicate time each week to the process. All lawyers must efficiently plan the week’s business development activities and immediately arrange those activities (email, call, invitation, research). Then, execute the weekly schedule.

Give an example of someone whose career path you changed.

I was hired to help an equity partner who was at wits’ end trying to keep up with her client workload. I assisted the partner in forming a team and in effective project management. Toward the end of the representation, we worked together on a new prospect. This effort added another significant client to the partner’s book and dramatically increased origination.