Courtesy photo

Jeffrey Kohn, Partner, O'Melveny & Myers

Q: What are some of your proudest recent achievements?

A: While my colleagues and I are certainly proud of our practice achievements, recognitions, and distinctions, I am also very proud of how I have been able to use the platform of leadership to promote collaboration, affect positive change, and preserve a strong firm and office culture. Some of these initiatives are small, but they help to deepen the bond we share. I have devoted substantial time to organize and promote our office's Community Involvement Committee; bring in speakers to the office to present on topical issues of interest for all; chair the firm's Warren Christopher Values Awards Committee, which honors lawyers and staff who demonstrate O'Melveny's shared values; work on enhancing our diversity and inclusion efforts; and other initiatives that further our firm's culture.

I am also very proud of how we have complemented our law practice achievements with a deep commitment to our community. Our lawyers have an extraordinary platform to serve the greater community through our dedication to pro bono work and the efforts we make that have a lasting impact on our community. By way of example, our office, for the past 16 years, has provided college scholarships to 15 public high school students every year from five New York City public high schools, one in each borough. I am very proud of this program and how it reflects on our firm's values and culture.

Q: What does it mean to be a leader?

A: In a large law firm like ours, leadership requires promoting and preserving a shared set of values. One of our core values at O'Melveny is distinctive leadership. We encourage leadership at all levels of experience, from the newest attorneys and staff to the most experienced. To me, an important part of leadership is encouraging collaboration with colleagues and assuring that all of us recognize the contributions made by talented people across all levels of experience and skill.

Q: Name a lawyer or mentor whose leadership inspired you.

A: There are so many who have had an impact on my career and have been mentors and inspiring colleagues. Our former senior partner, Warren Christopher, was one such lawyer. In my early years at the firm, he shared with me advice that applies equally today as it did when I first started. He reminded me that I am now a professional and clients and my colleagues will depend on my skill, dedication, discretion and judgment. He told me to think of myself, from the first day at the firm, as a participant, not an employee, and to remember that we depend on each other and succeed or fail together as a firm. Another piece of advice he offered was to remember that each new assignment will be more interesting and that I will be more effective if I take spare moments to put the entire transaction or case into its economic and social context. Warren Christopher was a lawyer's lawyer and a truly great leader of our time who touched my life on many occasions through his leadership, words, and kindness.

Q: How are the business and profession of law changing, and how should lawyers adapt for the future?

A: Much has changed in our profession in the years since I started practicing. It is critical today to provide the most efficient delivery of legal services, even when handling a client's most complicated legal problem. Lawyers can be efficient if they take the time to understand their client's business. And while specialized skill has always been important and expected, lawyers cannot be too narrow in their approach to a client's legal problems. It is critical to truly understand the client's business perspective, even when handling the narrowest of legal issues.

Q: What is the best advice for someone considering a career in law, or someone already in the profession who is seeking to make a greater impact?

A: I tell students that a career in law requires a passion for the most challenging of legal issues and matters, as well as dedication and passion for the most mundane of tasks. Every task, every matter, should be viewed as an opportunity to learn and to excel. I encourage our newest lawyers to be generous with their time. They should use the platform they are given not only to service clients' most important legal issues but to impact the greater society. Finally, lawyers must never lose sight of their professional reputation in the legal community.