A star lawyer helps people on their team improve their skills
Growing up, my mom sang on Broadway and my dad ran restaurants. Their professional worlds were far from a courtroom. Yet this upbringing gave me strengths that have undoubtedly shaped my career as a lawyer and a leader, giving me the confidence to speak up for myself and others, and the composure to stay level under high pressure.
Looking back, I can trace my legal path to my middle school Model UN conference, when I had my first heart-pounding experience advocating in front of an audience and persuading peers to join my cause. High school policy debate followed, and by then I was hooked—on the problem-solving, the teamwork, and the thrill of learning to think on my feet. Law was a natural choice from there.
It wasn’t until my clerkships—the Southern District of New York followed by the Second Circuit—that I formed a conviction about the kind of lawyer I wanted to be. After observing the practice of law at both levels, I knew I wanted to become a do-it-all litigator who could see a case through every stage. I aspired to hunker down in war rooms and stand up in court, while also taking time to think deeply about hard issues. At Holwell Shuster & Goldberg, I found my Goldilocks firm—one big enough to handle cases of the highest stakes, but at a boutique scale where I could touch every phase of litigation and type of commercial dispute.
Over the past few years, I have achieved more than I could have imagined. I helped quarterback trial preparation for Visa and a six-party joint defense group in federal antitrust litigation brought by the country’s largest retailers. I have taken lead drafting roles on appeals, including recent wins in the Second and Ninth Circuits. And this past spring, in a high-stakes arbitration I had joined on day one, I conducted the cross-examination that capped off the final hearing.
I’m proud of these career milestones. But some of the most rewarding parts of my work have come from stepping into greater leadership roles on my teams. As a senior associate, I have tried to cultivate positive and collaborative team dynamics by helping people understand why their work matters and creating opportunities for growth, and by staying even-keeled in the face of external pressures so my teams can stay focused.
During a farewell conversation with a paralegal from my arbitration team who was making a career change, she thanked me not just for teaching her what to do, but for showing her how to be. It was a reminder that good leadership can be as much about the skills and guidance you impart as the personal strengths you foster when leading by example.
