Employer: Clare Locke
Title and Practice Area: Partner, Defamation Litigation and Counseling

What was the most valuable lesson you learned in your first year practicing law? The first year of practicing law is like drinking from a fire hose! And I quickly learned that law school taught very little about representing clients. But the most important lesson I learned was that writing persuasively meant different things, depending on the audience.

Describe your biggest win or accomplishment in practice. Founding Clare Locke—and securing multiple multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements under the firm's banner—is by far my biggest accomplishment. In five short years since I started the firm, Clare Locke has grown from two lawyers to 10 lawyers and four staff. In that time, I have led our team in two public-figure defamation trials in federal court to jury verdict.

Who is your greatest lawyer mentor and what has he or she taught you? My greatest lawyer mentor has been—and still is—my law partner, Tom Clare. From the nuts and bolts of civil discovery to effective deposition techniques and persuasive presence in the courtroom, Tom has been my mentor through virtually every "first" (and "second" and "third") in my career.

Please share a brief key to your success. Having an unwavering love of the practice of law and a profound respect for our country's legal system are the keys to my success.