Stephanie Resnick of Fox Rothschild.

Stephanie Resnick, Fox Rothschild

For more than three decades, Resnick has been blazing a trail for women to take leadership roles in the practice of law, both within her firm, Fox Rothschild, and in the larger legal community. A nationally ranked litigator, she was among the first wave of women to reach the pinnacle of corporate litigation—lead attorney in bet-the-company matters for Fortune 500 clients. Corporate executives who hire her describe her as “thoughtful,” “strategic,” “driven,” “aggressive” and “careful.”

Resnick is now managing partner of the firm's Philadelphia office and a member of the executive committee and chair of the directors' and officers' liability and corporate governance group. She previously chaired the firm's nationwide litigation department for seven years.

At the firm, she worked to ensure that the presence of women in firm leadership has steadily grown. Years ago, Resnick was often the only woman at the table, but she started the firm's women's initiative, chaired the partnership advancement committee and the ranks have swelled. Now women at the firm serve as the managing partners of the Philadelphia; New York; Chicago; Atlanta; Los Angeles; Wilmington, Delaware; and Atlantic City and Morristown, New Jersey, offices and lead or co-lead practice groups.

The legal profession is constantly evolving and that evolution only seems to have accelerated in recent years. What's the biggest change you've seen in the profession during your career?

The diversity of the profession—both in terms of race and gender—has improved considerably during my career, but we still have a long, long way to go. On the positive side, the conversation about the importance of diversity is encouraging. But talking the right way about an issue doesn't change the statistics. The clear challenge going forward is finding ways to improve the retention of diverse lawyers and focusing on mentorship so that the leadership of our firms and organizations is reflective of the strides we have made in the racial and gender diversity of our law school graduating classes.

What is one thing about the profession that has remained unchanged over the years?

Professionalism and a commitment to ethics remain the core principles of our profession and I hope that never changes. The laws will always be in flux, but the intellectual challenge remains the same, and the responsibility to bring your moral compass to work with you every day should never go away.

Name one thing you've learned over the course of your career that you wish you knew as a young lawyer.

Don't wear your emotions on your sleeve. As a litigator, your opponent will often try to get under your skin and push your buttons. There are many skills one must hone as a trial lawyer— analysis, strategy, advocacy, zealousness and charm—but perhaps the trickiest of all is learning how to maintain a poker face and keep going. Ultimately, developing this quality provides a tremendous benefit for one's clients.