Rachelle Bin is assistant general counsel to Fox Rothschild and practices in the firm's Princeton office. Apart from fielding continuous inquiries from firm lawyers in a multitude of practices, Bin in 2018 led efforts to integrate into Fox Rothschild some 130 new attorneys joining via the firm's acquisition of Smith Moore Leatherwood of North Carolina. Bin's work is “all-but-invisible to the outside world, but … is critical to the firm's overall success,” according to one colleague. “For the past eight years, Rachelle's clients have been her own colleagues.” Bin, whose background in legal ethics and discipline suited her well to the law firm in-house counsel role, works closely with firm privacy professionals, while also handling numerous other policy and procedural matters.

Law practice is often a team endeavor. What has been your experience with teamwork in the law?

I am fortunate to be part of a team that interacts constantly, sharing information and ideas and collaborating in problem-solving. As Fox Rothschild has grown into a national firm, our Office of General Counsel is now tackling questions relating to the rules of ethics and professional responsibility in a larger number of states. These rules change constantly, so it is extremely valuable to me to have team members who are invested in keeping current with the law and willing [to] assist one another.

What types of work done at law firms and other organizations are commonly underappreciated?

The work that my colleagues and I do in Fox Rothschild's Office of General Counsel is invisible to those outside the firm, but it adds value to nearly every legal service the firm provides. Lawyers throughout our 27 offices contact me daily to noodle an idea or to parse out how to analyze an ethical issue. Often, I function as a sounding board for a lawyer who just wants to be sure that she's reached the right answer and has considered the essential facets of the issue. It is rewarding work and I feel very much appreciated by the lawyers who are working on the front lines and come to me for assistance.

What must firms do to ensure that lawyers remain engaged with pro bono work, their communities and their families?

Culture in a law firm is defined not only by what firm leaders say, but by how those messages are received and acted upon. I am proud that Fox Rothschild strongly encourages attorneys to give back to the communities where they live and work, and that the firm supports individual attorneys with the resources they need to take on pro bono work. I sit on the board of Corner House, which works with Princeton-area youth on substance abuse and other emotional health issues, and the firm has enthusiastically shown its support for this organization. As a child of Cuban immigrants who was taught that education is the key to success in this country, I serve as co-chair of the Fox Diversity Committee's Mentor-Mentee Subcommitee to continue the work of promoting the career advancement of diverse attorneys throughout the firm.