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Anita Girdhari, 38, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Office: New York.

Practice areas: Project finance and Latin America.

Law school: New York University School of Law, 2005.

How long have you been at the firm? Since May 2012.

How long were you an associate at the firm? 2012 to 2017.

Were you an associate at another firm before joining your present firm? White & Case, 2005 to 2012.

What year did you make partner at your current firm? 2017.

What's the biggest surprise you experienced in becoming partner? I was surprised by the amount of administrative, managerial and client development work that partners put into making the firm run smoothly. I always knew that work was going on behind the scenes, but I am much more appreciative of it now.

Anita Girdhari.

What do you think was the deciding point for the firm in making you partner? Gibson Dunn views making partners from a “total picture” perspective and so I don't think there was one particular factor. I believe that certain key factors in the firm's decision, in addition to my performance as an attorney and my relationships with clients, were my internal network with other partners; my contributions to the firm through diversity efforts; associate mentoring and other engagement at the office; and the business case for my practice and its growth potential.

Describe how you feel now about your career now that you've made partner. I feel much more in control of my career. In particular, I feel that I am better able to contribute to shaping the direction of my practice groups.

What's the key to successful business development in your opinion?  I think the key is having a business development style that fits your personality and that you are comfortable with (because anything else will feel forced and unnatural). For me, that is maintaining contact and connections with both former colleagues from White & Case and Gibson Dunn, as well as from clients, as people move to other companies or are promoted internally. I do business development activities that are tailored to my interests and those of my contacts, such as going to a workout class together and then dinner.

What's been the biggest change, day-to-day, in your routine since becoming partner? The various administrative and other items that I need to handle; depending on the time of year they take up a significant amount of time in addition to normal client work.

Who had the greatest influence in your career that helped propel you to partner? Tomer Pinkusiewicz, partner. Tomer has served as both a mentor and a sponsor throughout my career, starting from when I was a first-year associate at White & Case. I've learned a lot from him from a technical legal perspective, and I've learned other skills, such as how to develop clients, prepare pitches, come up with fee quotes and generally grow and maintain a practice.

What's the best piece of advice you could give an associate who wants to make partner? The first thing you need to do is focus on becoming really good at your practice area. Substantive knowledge is a baseline requirement. Beyond that, I think it is important to play an active, involved role at your firm to gain visibility, and also it is never too early to start thinking about business development. Some of my best contacts are people I was in the “trenches” with when I was a junior associate.

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