What was your route to the top? I moved to New York in 1993 to attend NYU law school, and began at Cleary as a summer associate in 1995. I had an interest in the Latin American region, and thought that could potentially be an area of focus in my career, but really wasn't sure where that would take me. I had a wonderful summer at Cleary—working on the opening of the Venezuelan oil sector and the largest pipeline financing in Colombia, among other things. I returned as an associate in 1996 when I graduated, and have had an exciting and diverse career at Cleary since then. I have been lucky enough to continue to work in Latin America, and broaden both the substantive and geographical natures of my practice along the way.

What keeps you up at night? (i.e. What are your biggest business-related concerns?) Well, I spend a lot of time worrying about my clients, and trying to protect them against possible risks. One of the most important roles of outside counsel is not only to provide legal advice, but to anticipate possible risks and structure to avoid them. I spend most of my time practicing in Latin America, so risk avoidance is a common theme. These days, political and corruption risk is at the forefront, so in addition to advising clients on transactional matters, I also spend a lot more time advising on corporate governance and risk mitigation. What is the best leadership advice you provided, or received, and why do you think it was effective? I was once told that the key to being a strong leader is to make your team as strong as possible, and rely on your team as well as lead them. This is invaluable advice. Being a leader is not about dictating process or mandating an approach. It's about knowing how to structure your team, manage a process and bring out each individual team member's strengths. I think that it was effective because we all make better decisions and achieve better results when we learn to listen to others and share responsibility.

Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you started out in the legal profession? There is always more to learn from a substance perspective, so when I think about what I wished I had known earlier, it's definitely more focused on a style or approach to lawyering than substantive law. I wish I had understood the importance of listening and picking the right moments to make a point, much earlier in my career. It's easy to jump into conversations early, and I also find that it's easy to get so excited about something that you take up too much airspace. One can be a much more effective negotiator and advocate by listening, thinking through issues carefully, and then making a clear and succinct point at the right moment. No one really teaches you that, but it's a very important skill and one that I wish I had learned even earlier in my career.