Employer: Ropes & Gray Title and Practice Area: Partner, Intellectual Property  Litigation

Describe your biggest win or accomplishment in practice.  Our recent win for Emerson Electric in the [International Trade Commission] stemmed from a true cooperation between a client willing to stand up for its position in court and a top-notch team of Ropes litigators. We collaborated from the beginning on a strategy crafted toward winning at trial, and it paid off.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned in your first year practicing law?  When I miscalculated a due date—which fortunately resulted only in some embarrassment before opposing counsel, and not a missed deadline—I learned how it's important to own up to your mistakes. Everyone makes them, but you build trust by taking responsibility, learning, and moving on.

Who is your greatest lawyer mentor and what has he or she taught you?  Steve Pepe in our New York office. Steve actually interviewed me on campus at [George Washington Law] in 2006, gave me incredible opportunities as a junior associate, and has been a constant sounding board. We both have lots of kids, and he's imparted some valuable work/life balance lessons, too.

Please share a brief key to your success. Constant curiosity—about the law, my clients, the business of the firm, and my colleagues both inside and outside my group. I have a hard time sitting still, both literally and figuratively. Intellectual property litigation is constantly changing, and I embrace and thrive in that dynamic.