Hollis Salzman

What's the best lesson you learned practicing law?

I have learned enumerable lessons but the top five are: 1. Always be (over) prepared; 2. do not argue with the court; 3. do not lose your cool; 4. always have a Plan B; and 5. return every call and email within 24 hours.

What's the biggest challenge women lawyers face and how have you surmounted that challenge?

Biases, conscious and unconscious, are the biggest challenge for women lawyers. Women lawyers are treated as underqualified or not suited for their job and not taken seriously, even with the right credentials and education. Now that I am the senior lawyer, I try to curtail any sexist comments, explicit or otherwise. After having frank conversations with other lawyers, I find it reassuring that they are generally receptive to the constructive feedback and willing to adjust their behavior.

How would your peers describe your impact on the profession?

I suspect that my peers would recognize my efforts to be a balancing force in the room. In antitrust litigation, which is inherently a high pressure environment, meetings can quickly heat up given the amount at stake in resolving issues and cases. I work hard to diffuse these heated situations with a healthy dose of reason. It is gratifying to be regularly invited into mediations and settlement conferences, which I only hope is a testament to my efforts to take the tensions down a notch so we can be as productive as possible in reaching resolutions.