When I started at the Firm, we didn’t have a formal career development plan—that developed more recently, in response to associates saying it was something they’d like to see. But we always did the same things in an informal way, even before that. The people you worked with mentored you, both in terms of teaching you how law was practiced at S&C and in terms of helping shape your experiences—putting you on the types of cases that were important for your professional development. Now, of course, I mentor associates, both formally and informally. Mentors are everywhere at S&C—they’re the people on your teams.
I remember having an epiphany in my third year at the Firm—the first two years were such a steep learning curve, and I had a lot of advice and guidance along the way, but it was a lot to take in. And then one day I was sitting at my desk and I just … got it. I understood what it meant to be a litigator. All that knowledge, accumulated over 24 months, finally clicked and I could see the big picture, the whole process of litigation, all the pieces in their place.
