Gene Besen is the managing partner of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, and he is one of the finalists of Texas Lawyer's Managing Partner of the Year award. Read a Q&A with him below.

What was your route to the top?

There was no map! My route wasn't exactly traditional. I started my career at a six-lawyer firm. I learned a lot about the practice and business of law from my time there. I left a boutique for big law as a fourth-year associate.