Employer: Clare Locke Title and Practice Area: Partner, Defamation, First Amendment and Media Law

Describe your biggest win or accomplishment in practice.  Based on falsehoods in a securities filing, we scored a $26 million defamation award that was more than 10 times any defamation award in recent [U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit] history. In addition to examining witnesses and guiding trial strategy, I negotiated stipulated facts that foreclosed most of the defendant's options on appeal.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned in your first year practicing law?  Top-notch paralegals deliver extraordinary value and attorneys—especially junior attorneys—can learn a ton from them. Seriously, find excellent paralegals and never let them go!

Who is your greatest lawyer mentor and what has he or she taught you?  My law partner Tom Clare is a big "Godfather" fan and likes to say that it's important to be Michael, not Sonny. In other words, aggression alone doesn't win cases; you need to think steps ahead of your opponents and deploy your plan strategically.

Please share a brief key to your success.  Because I represent clients being targeted by the national media with defamatory attacks, being responsive to client needs has been essential, including by being available to address urgent media inquiries on short turn-arounds at odd hours.