John Mancebo, Partner, Tressler

What are some of your proudest recent achievements? A competitive nature and a desire to win, comes with the territory for most attorneys. Recent favorable decisions on dispositive motions and the resolution of several complex matters via settlement are satisfying. Those recent achievements on matters are matched by recent success in solidifying relationships with various new clients.

What does it mean to be a leader? I believe that being a leader means not only achieving the business goals of your firm, but also seeking to understand the personal goals of those you seek to lead and taking an active role in helping them achieve those goals.

Name a lawyer or mentor whose leadership inspired you. It seems like eons ago, but my first job in the legal profession was as a paralegal for a small law firm while I pursued an undergraduate degree in Buffalo, N.Y. Having no prior experience working in an office environment, I was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work at the law firm by Catherine Berlin and William Altreuter.

Mary Penn was one of my supervising attorneys at the law firm, and I was able to assist her with a broad range of legal matters. Through working with Mary on her cases I was able to understand how the work I was doing fit in with the overall litigation strategy. This initial legal experience and the effort expended by supervising attorneys like Mary Penn brought the practice of law within the realm of possibility for me.

When speaking about diversity I often mention my first job in the legal field, working with Mary, and the vast differences between our backgrounds. For example, Mary was born and raised in the Western New York area, was successfully handling a large caseload of litigated matters, while simultaneously raising a beautiful little girl with her husband Ernie. By contrast, I was born in Dominican Republic, moved to the New York area when I was nine years old, and did not speak the English language until several years later. Most importantly, I mention the positive impact and the dramatic shift in the trajectory of my life that those early interactions with attorneys had. Ultimately, the task of increasing diversity at all levels of our legal industry should not fall on the shoulders of a select few within our law firms, companies, or organizations. The change starts with the opportunities made available by those making the hiring decisions, like Bill and Kate. But also, by the positive interactions every attorney (regardless of your background) has with diverse students or employees at all levels.

I now have a family and daughter of my own, while simultaneously handling a litigation caseload. When I look back to those early days, I think that maybe Mary and I were not so different after all.

How are the business and profession of law changing, and how should lawyers adapt for the future? The practice of law once relatively guaranteed an individual a secure financial future. The image of financial stability is in part why many of us started down this path, particularly for attorneys of color.

An increasingly diverse client base, that seeks improved efficiency while maintaining a high-quality level of work, has and will continue to change the profession. To become or remain competitive, attorneys and their employers must successfully adapt to this new reality.

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? If your initial goal in becoming an attorney was to make a great impact in a specific area, you should always remind yourself why you started down this path. Through pro bono or volunteer work, you can find ways to make that original positive impact even if you find yourself in an unrelated field. The work I am doing with the Water Street Club, a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on making a positive impact on diversity, provides me the opportunity to make the positive impact that was part of my initial decision to pursue a career in law.