Paola Lozano, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

What are some of your proudest recent achievements? I was very proud to receive the 2019 Latin Lawyer International Lawyer of the Year Award for my various recent M&A deals in the region. To be selected among the many impressive attorneys from the United States, Canada and the UK doing business in Latin America was humbling. The overwhelmingly positive reaction of peers, clients and competitors alike was incredibly rewarding. I also particularly appreciated the platform it provided to encourage other female and minority attorneys to seek goals well beyond what others may tell them is possible.

What does it mean to be a leader? I believe a leader is someone who focuses on the collective success beyond ensuring their own. Someone who looks to share his/her knowledge and experience while recognizing that listening to others is critically important because we are never done learning and improving. A leader encourages and facilitates the growth of each person around them to reach their highest potential, individually and as part of a team.

Name a lawyer or mentor whose leadership inspired you. Eric Friedman, Skadden's managing partner, has always impressed me for his calm demeanor combined with an absolute clarity of the goal at hand, a path to attain it and the work ethic to back it up. His ability to adapt and evolve, raising others during the process, is remarkable.

How are the business and profession of law changing, and how should lawyers adapt for the future? With the increased use of technology in the practice of law it has become even more apparent that what distinguishes an outstanding attorney is their ability to apply their technical knowledge practically and specifically in difficult situations and exercising sound judgment at decision or breaking points. Many other tasks, including the accumulation and parsing of data can be done by machines, but our judicious and well-informed judgment calls and creative thinking cannot be replaced. We are required to show our value-add and reject the commoditization of our work more than ever before.

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? The most successful attorneys are those who have a true passion for what they do. Go into the area of work that genuinely excites you and find ways to make it new and interesting every day. It's a privilege to work with so many talented people and be constantly challenged by them. Seek out and appreciate those that are willing to mentor and support you.