Raymond Cardozo has been practicing appellate law at Reed Smith for more than a decade. He has led the appellate group and served as San Francisco managing partner. Last summer he was named to the 1,500-lawyer firm’s senior management team as firmwide chair of litigation. We spoke with Cardozo about the step up to a global leadership role and about 21st century challenges facing big firms and their clients.

Q. What has the change been like day to day?