Benton Lewis, partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Experience:

• Weil, Gotshal & Manges, 2008-present

Education:

• SMU Dedman School of Law, 2008
• University of Virginia, 2004

What drew you to a career in law?

Growing up, my impression of what lawyers did was shaped largely by summer afternoons spent watching the OJ Simpson trial on TV. But when I was in college, I read a book called Barbarians at the Gate, which was about the private equity takeover of RJR Nabisco in the late 1980s, and learned that the universe of legal careers was much broader than Judge Lance Ito's courtroom. I really liked the idea that a legal career could be tied very closely to the business world and I went to law school hoping to do something like what the lawyers in Barbarians at the Gate did.

Have you set a specific goal that you want to achieve in the next year?

I am not a goal-oriented person; instead, I try to always do the best job possible and see where it leads. It's more of a Forrest Gump approach to my career.

What has been your proudest career moment and your biggest hurdle?

My proudest career moment is making partner at Weil, which I never thought was possible given the odds and the number of incredibly talented people here. The biggest hurdle I have had to overcome in my career is learning how to balance the demands of this job with my desire to spend time with my family and be a big part of the lives of my children.

Where do you fit on a 1-10 work-life balance scale with 10 being nirvana? Please explain.

7. Because of technology, particularly an office telephone line that also rings in my office at home, I am able to go home in the early evening most nights and spend time with my wife and children while still being responsive to clients and my colleagues. I can be playing trucks on the floor in the evening and 30 seconds later, answer a client's phone call on my office line. While it would be nice to never have to work at night or on the weekend, the fact that I can do so at home and still be around my wife and children makes it much easier.

What is the top quality that you've used to succeed in the profession?

I think that being responsive and being prepared are two of the qualities that clients value most.

Who is your favorite mentor and why?

Courtney Marcus. She is an exceptional lawyer with great instincts and commercial judgment, but she has also done a wonderful job as co-managing partner of Weil's Dallas office. What I admire most about her is that even when she is dealing with fire drills on four different matters and three administrative issues, she evinces a level of calmness to which most people would aspire when they are on vacation. She's the rare amazing legal practitioner who could also be CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

What's the best advice anyone has ever given you?

“Somehow, everything will work out. It always does.”

What trends are you observing in the profession that you're excited about?

I think it is great that law firms are embracing technology to facilitate a better work-life balance for their attorneys. Weil has been a leader on this front by instituting a “work from home” policy that allows associates to work from home one day each week, which, to date, has been a tremendous success.

What is the greatest challenge you see for the legal profession?

The greatest challenge that I see for the legal profession is the need to embrace, instead of resist, technological changes that can allow us to deliver faster, higher quality and more efficient service for our clients.