Juanita Harris, assistant vice president and senior legal counsel of human resources, AT&T.

Name: Juanita Harris

Category: In-House: Technology, Media & Telecom

Firm/Company: AT&T Inc.

Title: Assistant Vice President and Senior Legal Counsel of Human Resources

Time in Position: Since 2017

What was your route to the top?

I currently serve as assistant vice president and senior legal counsel to human resources at AT&T Inc. at its global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, where my expert advice and counsel on myriad employment matters helps drive business growth and mitigate risk associated with managing a diverse workforce of more than 250,000 domestic and international management and unionized employees. Before my current role, I spent two years as a labor and employment attorney for AT&T, where I managed labor arbitrations and litigation, while also representing the company before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Since starting my career with AT&T in Washington, D.C., in 2001, I have provided advice and counsel to various business units, including federal regulatory (represented the company before the [Federal Communications Commission] advocating for regulatory relief), wholesale sales (negotiated several million-dollar communication services contracts), finance—revenue recovery/fraud litigation (I received favorable decisions in several state and federal jurisdictions resulting in the recovery of several million dollars in funds and assets), public sector sales (closed new business valued at more than $1 billion), and health care sales (successfully closed on several high-profile deals valued at more than $1 million). Before joining AT&T, I was a trial attorney in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice Honors Attorney Program. During my seven-year stint with the DOJ, I worked on several high-profile mergers, antitrust investigations and litigation matters in the communications industry.

What is the best leadership advice you've given or received, and why do you think it was effective?

The best leadership advice that I have received and passed along to others is that everyone in the organization is a leader, and we should each embrace our ability to lead from the front, the sides and the back, while contiguously learning new things and building/nurturing our professional networks while paying it forward.

Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you started out in the legal profession?

Looking back, I wish I had known "how" to develop and nurture professional networks that could lead to sponsorships, and the importance of one having a personal board of directors. Women, and particularly women of color, sometimes make the critical mistake of working harder on specific tasks and diminish the importance of relationship building. It took me a while to recognize the significance of building and nurturing my wolf pack.

What is the most valuable career advice anyone has ever given you?

The best career advice that I have been given is to continue evolving and trying new things until I find my passion, after which time I will never "work" another day in my life. Purpose met with passion leads to fulfillment. I have found that in my current role and it is so exhilarating.