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Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 2013
Why did you decide to enter the legal profession?
From a very young age, experiences I had as a child made me acutely aware of how pervasive the legal system is in all of our lives and how much that system can be used to effect positive or negative change. I always have wanted to use my work to help others, and through those early experiences, I formed a belief that developing the ability to work within the system would permit me the opportunity to help others better navigate the system and use it to bring about positive change.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
When I spent time as an undergraduate at Indiana University studying in Washington, D.C., we had the opportunity to meet with leaders in a number of agencies and organizations in the district. Nearly all of them explained that any plan they’d had for their life and career had not been designed to lead them to the position they were holding at the time. Each described finding their way into the role they were holding through some combination of hard work, resilience, luck, and a willingness and ability to seize opportunities as they arise. To a tee, their advice tracked those experiences: work hard, stay resilient and flexible and, of course, plan, but more importantly, put yourself in a position both to see doors as they open and to be able to walk through them, and then do it.
How do you spend your free time?
Right now, I have a full house with four kids and a fifth on the way, so I don’t have a lot of “free” time. But when I do have downtime, I enjoy practicing yoga, reading, see live music performances, cooking and baking, and spending time with close friends.
Do you have a secret talent?
I’m not sure it’s “secret,” but as I mentioned above, I love to cook and bake and have a modicum of skill in that department. I also used to be a gymnast, so on a good day I can do a back flip.
You’ve been named to your firm’s Pro Bono Honor Roll five times. Why is pro bono work important to you?
I believe in service to others and, to the extent I am able, helping to engender meaningful change and opportunities in others’ lives as people have for me. Using my legal skills and qualifications to perform pro bono work is one means I have to effect this work, and I feel a responsibility to pay all I’ve been given forward to others through pro bono and other service.
You’ve coached and judged mock trial competitions — what do you enjoy about that?
As with why I believe in the importance of pro bono work, coaching high school students in mock trial competitions is a meaningful way that I have been able to use my legal skills to give back to others in our community and empower the students to go on to make the world a better place. I enjoy watching students discover how capable they are, push themselves to develop new skills, and find they are brave enough to tackle new experiences in front of their peers and legal professionals. I also enjoy seeing students realize that they may be able to pursue and succeed in a legal career when they previously may have rejected that possibility for one reason or another.
If you hadn’t pursued a legal career, what would you be doing?
There was a period of time in college when I debated going to medical school rather than law school. So had I not pursued a legal career, I likely would have pursued a career in medicine.
What makes a good lawyer/judge?
Someone who is honest, curious, empathetic, reasonable, intelligent and kind.
What is something you wish people knew about lawyers?
That many of us have chosen this profession to try to make the world a little (or a lot) better.
Who is someone who has inspired you in your career?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg•
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