Tafadzwa Pasipanodya, 41, Foley Hoag.

Office: Washington, D.C.

Practice area: International litigation and arbitration.

Law school and year of graduation: New York University School of Law, 2008.

How long have you been at the firm? Thirteen years. I first worked at Foley Hoag as a summer associate in 2007, then re-joined as an associate in 2008.

How long were you an associate at the firm? I was an associate for eight years – from 2008 until 2016.

Were you an associate at another firm before joining your present firm? Since the start of my legal career, I have been with Foley Hoag.

What year did you make partner at your current firm? I made partner in 2016.

What's the biggest surprise you experienced in becoming partner? The biggest surprise is that I needed even more help than when I was an associate! I fully expected and looked forward to being in a position of being able to help others more as a partner, but I hadn't realized how much help I would need. I needed help navigating the new role from fellow partners. I needed help understanding the facts and the law from associates because, as a partner, I couldn't go as deep into the research and document review as I would like to. I needed help from the business development department in supporting my networking and business growth efforts. I needed help from friends in connecting me with potential clients. And, I needed even more help from my husband with raising our children and taking care of the household because of my increased travel abroad for business development activities.

Tafadzwa Pasipanodya.

What do you think was the deciding point for the firm in making you partner? I don't think there was a "deciding point" as such. I think from the very first assignment you get in a law firm you are laying the groundwork for your future there. I was grateful for every assignment I received and tried to give each one my best under the particular circumstance. That sounds tiring, but it wasn't really. I think it helped to find value in every assignment as it was an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to a client; to make a difference to and add value to a team; to learn something new; to hone a skill or expertise; to get to know a colleague better. Before I knew it, years had flown by, and I was a senior associate and about a year from being considered for partnership. By that time, my work record over the years spoke for itself and the genuine relationships I had forged with my colleagues, of all levels, helped make promotion possible. When I asked a senior partner what I should do to make partnership a reality, he advised that I dedicate more time to building a network and name outside the firm. I took his advice, and I think that helped the partners see my potential to develop business in the future and gave them the confidence to promote me when I came up for partnership.

Describe how you feel now about your career now that you've made partner. I feel incredibly lucky to be a partner at Foley Hoag. I work on matters that I care about deeply. I have colleagues who inspire me every day with their brilliance, their perseverance, and their ingenuity. I am happy I can add my authentic voice, my perspective, and my experience to those of my fellow partners and can feel confident that it is valued and that it enriches our work and our firm.

What's the key to successful business development in your opinion? Authentic relationships seem to me to be the key. My colleagues who are most successful at business development seem to be those who take the time to form and nurture true relationships with a broad spectrum of people.

What's been the biggest change, day-to-day, in your routine since becoming partner? I have many more administrative duties—work on firm committees, work on building a practice, a new role as assignment coordinator for our department. But as time-consuming as they are, I love the opportunities these roles give me to get to know my colleagues better, to contribute to the development of my practice and firm, and to grow as an individual.

Who had the greatest influence in your career that helped propel you to partner? This is a tough question since people on practically every team I have been on since I began at Foley Hoag have influenced me and propelled me in my career in one way or another. If I have to name a few, I would note Paul Reichler, head of international litigation and arbitration at Foley Hoag. My naming him will seem obvious to some since he is a giant in our field and founded our unique practice of representing sovereign states in their international disputes. But aside from the obvious reasons why he would have influenced me in my career, I will always be grateful to him for his response when I made an insignificant but deeply embarrassing mistake as a junior associate. I was absolutely mortified and distraught. Paul, who had been included in the email in which I made the mistake took the time to write to me from across the world and told me "nothing has caused me to change my extremely high regard for you or my full confidence in your talents." That belief in me at a time when I stopped believing in myself was a critical lesson in my career.

I also have to note Ronald Goodman, a retired partner and co-chair of our department, because he trusted me with key responsibilities in his cases. He wasn't bound by perceptions of what junior associates are supposed to be assigned. If I developed a research memo he liked, he would allow me to turn the memo into a section of the pleading. If I wrote a section of the pleading well, he would allow me to present it before the tribunal. These assignments were all instrumental in my ability to gain critical skills for our practice and to serve our clients well.

Finally, former Foley Hoag partner Mélida Hodgson who is now at Jenner & Block has always been a mentor for me. At the time, she was the only other woman at Foley Hoag who looked like me. Seeing a woman of color in a leadership position helped me know that I, too, could be a leader at the firm. She was also someone I could consider a friend and enjoy being with, which is important in work lives as stressful as ours can be.

What's the best piece of advice you could give an associate who wants to make partner Try to work at a firm where you love what you do, where you always want to give your best, and where that contribution is valued and celebrated. When it gets tough or competitive, remember what drives you, who you are, and what matters to you and let that allow you to rise above the fray.

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