Women, Influence & Power in Law 2019: Caryn Borg-Breen
Our 2019 special report honors women who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law.
December 02, 2019 at 01:00 AM
3 minute read
Name: Caryn Borg-Breen
Category: Law Firm: Managing Partner of the Year
Firm/Company: Green, Griffith & Borg-Breen
Title: Founding Partner
Time in Position: Since 2015
What was your route to the top?
Before becoming a lawyer, I [held a doctorate in chemistry]. I discovered patent law after accepting a position as a patent agent in an [intellectual property] boutique. I found patent law to be a good match for my skills and interest. I quickly decided to apply to law school so I could more fully participate in the practice as a lawyer and so my career could continue to evolve upward and outward. After graduating from law school, I immediately became involved in patent litigation and I've never looked back. The mixture of science and law was my perfect elixir. And I worked hard and took advantage of every opportunity I was presented so I could hone my skills. I had great mentors that took the time to teach me the practice of law and guide my career to the partnership level. Those same mentors invited me to join them in founding a new law firm and I'm forever grateful. Starting a new firm is a tremendous challenge, but also very rewarding.
What keeps you up at night?
Billing and invoices and client development! As a small firm, we feel every ripple in the ocean. It is important to make sure invoices are going out regularly and are getting paid timely. It is also critical to make sure we have a steady flow of business, which is difficult in a litigation-based practice where cases can settle at any moment.
What is the best leadership advice you've given, or received, and why do you think it was effective?
Leadership is about doing what is right even though it might be unpopular or risky. You have to trust that doubters will realize your strength and vision and will get behind you. Leadership is also about building new, strong leaders. A good leader realizes that up and coming leaders are a strength and not a threat.
Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you started out in the legal profession?
Networking is key in any services profession. And, while I knew networking was something I should be doing, I wish I had understood more about how to do networking and specifically how to network as a woman. I have come to realize that networking means different things for different people, and what works for one doesn't work for the other. You have to get out and try different things and find what feels authentic to you.
What is the most valuable career advice anyone has ever given you?
Take risks. Walk through open doors. Find out what you are good at and also enjoy. And trust yourself and do what you believe is best.
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
© 2024 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'The Unheard of Superpower': How Women's Soft Skills Can Drive Success in Negotiations
Tales From the Trenches: What Outside Counsel Do That GCs Find Inexcusable
Venus Williams Tells WIPL Crowd: 'Living Your Dreams Should Be Easy'
The 2024 WIPL Awards: Law Firm Mentor and Mentee Collaboration
Trending Stories
- 1Trump's Return to the White House: The Legal Industry Reacts
- 2Infant Formula Judge Sanctions Kirkland's Jim Hurst: 'Overtly Crossed the Lines'
- 3Climate Disputes, International Arbitration, and State Court Limitations for Global Issues
- 4Election 2024: Nationwide Judicial Races and Ballot Measures to Watch
- 5Judicial Face-Off: Navigating the Ethical and Efficient Use of AI in Legal Practice [CLE Pending]
- 6How Much Does the Frequency of Retirement Withdrawals Matter?
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
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