Employer: Dechert
Title and Practice Area: Partner, Antitrust/Competition

What was the most valuable lesson you learned in your first year practicing law?  Show initiative and that you care about your work. Clients and supervising attorneys will entrust you with more substantial responsibility if they know you are self-driven and go above and beyond in tackling assignments.

Describe your biggest win or accomplishment in practice. A senior Fortune 500 executive once told me: "You know an incredible amount about our business—you might as well work here." I was flattered he did not view me as "just another lawyer," but as a teammate who understood and was passionate about the company's business success.

Who is your greatest lawyer mentor, and what has he or she taught you?  Even when I was fresh out of law school, Dechert's Mike Cowie treated me like a law firm partner. In addition to teaching me substantive antitrust law, he taught me the importance of superior client service and how to succeed in the business of law.

Please share a brief key to your success. I always put myself into the shoes of my clients and think about what I can do to make their jobs easier. They are busy and face significant business pressures. Even the smallest steps to save them a few minutes a day go a long way toward building successful relationships.