Nina M. Gussack of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders. Courtesy photo

Nina M. Gussack, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders

Nina Gussack is a rainmaker in the truest sense of the word. Over her more than 40-year career, she has represented the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in business for Pepper Hamilton (now Troutman Pepper). Gussack's reputation in the industry is unparalleled, but within Troutman Pepper, her most significant legacy is as a mentor and coach.

In 2019, Gussack created the firm's Client Development and Executive Leadership Program (CDEL), an intensive, nine-month program that brings together a small group of partners for in-depth training on building and strengthening client relationships, growing a book of business, developing a team, and establishing a leadership profile.

Gussack is the guiding force for CDEL, and she has partnered with our Client Experience Department to develop a curriculum that focuses on meeting partners where they are. The program begins with skills-based modules that teach attorneys how to have more effective client conversations, better understand the relationship selling process, add value to client relationships, convert friends to clients, and utilize the firm's resources to serve clients. The program then moves into interactive modules, where attorneys put their skills to practice. Mock pitches are a key component of this section of CDEL.