How I Made Chief Operating Officer in a Law Firm: 'Keep Your Head in the Game and Don't Lose Sight of the Bigger Picture,' Says Jessica Pavlik of Berger Singerman
"Good things don't happen to those who wait, it happens to those who give life their best."
March 03, 2022 at 11:36 AM
7 minute read
How I Made It
Credit: Shutterstock.com
Jessica Pavlik, 48, Berger Singerman/Fort Lauderdale.
Job Title: Chief operating officer.
College/advanced education and year of graduation: Bachelor's degree from Florida Atlantic University in 1996.
Jessica Pavlik/courtesy photo How long have you been at the firm? I joined Berger Singerman in 1999 as the firm's controller. As I continued to learn the business, the firm grew rapidly and by 2002, we had already doubled in size. With the firm's 50% growth, came new roles and responsibilities to create a tighter grip over the business. That same year, I was tasked by the managing partner to create a job description for my new role as chief financial officer. Ten years later, the firm hired a third-party consultant to help us restructure our firm into a partnership and all of the partners recommended that I be promoted to the firm's chief operating officer.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
How I Made Partner: 'Your Coworkers Are One of the Most Valuable Assets You Have,' Says Laurel Roglen of Ballard Spahr
How I Made Office Managing Partner: 'Stay Focused on Building Strong Relationships,' Says Joseph Yaffe of Skadden
How I Made Practice Group Chair: 'Collaboration Actually Makes the Job Fun,' Says Zachary Lerner of Troutman Pepper Locke
How I Made Partner: 'Be Open With Partners About Your Strengths,' Says Ha Jin Lee of Sullivan & Cromwell
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Democracy in Focus: New York State Court of Appeals Year in Review
- 2In Vape Case, A Debate Over Forum Shopping
- 3SDNY Criminal Division Deputy Chief Returns to Debevoise
- 4Brownstein Adds Former Interior Secretary, Offering 'Strategic Counsel' During New Trump Term
- 5Tragedy on I-95: Florida Lawsuit Against Horizon Freight System Could Set New Precedent in Crash Cases
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
