Meet The Rainmaker - Amy W. Schulman
Name: Amy W. Schulmann
Title: Partner
Firm Name: DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary
Practice Area: Large-scale Litigation
Nominated By: Elizabeth K. Bransdorfer
Biggest influence or mentor:
(1) My grandfather was a Federal judge and was passionate
about his work, so it was never drudgery for him. I feel the
same way. I still spend a lot of time thinking about the
kind of lawyer I want to be, using my grandfather's approach
as a model. This type of self-reflection is especially
important for women to do.
(2) I've had lots of mentors. Being successful requires you
to draw information, both positive and negative, from lots
of people you encounter.
Most important lesson learned:
Not to be afraid to pick yourself up when you do something
wrong and do it again, do it better, do it differently. When
you drive to be perfect and yet recognize that no one is,
it's important to be open to learning from your mistakes.
I've had to learn that consciously. Many women are paralyzed
because we are afraid to make a mistake.
Proudest accomplishment:
Building an interesting, rewarding practice with a cadre of
wonderful, talented lawyers whom I've hired and trained. I
have the practice I do because we function as a team.
Goal yet to be achieved:
(1) To implement, on a larger scale, my ideas about the
central role alternative resolution strategies can play in
litigation.
(2) To have the tremendous satisfaction of seeing lawyers I
work with be in my position in 10 years.
If you were starting out as a lawyer today, what would you
do differently:
I wouldn't do a single thing differently - I'm so happy
about where I am.
Best career advice for young women lawyers:
Take yourself seriously, don't be afraid, work hard, and
find your own voice.
Percentage of time devoted to marketing:
I never think of myself as "marketing."
Rainmaking tip:
I don't have a secret that I'm not sharing. My rainmaking
success comes from two things: my conviction that I can be
really helpful to clients and my ability to offer them a
valuable service. Rainmaking sounds like you're selling
something. What you have to want is not business, but what
the business represents: to help clients with something they
need done and can't do without you, or at least, not as
easily. Concentrate on becoming the best lawyer you can be
in your field.
Rainmaking advice for young women lawyers:
There's no right style of rainmaking - find your own voice.
List words that best describe you:
Intense, thoughtful, optimistic, curious, relentless, energetic.
You really love what you do. Why?
For me, it was never an option not to love what I do,
because work is so much of what gives life meaning. Being a
rainmaker is just shorthand for being good at what you do
and having a number of clients who recognize that. You don't
get there unless you are wholeheartedly, passionately
committed to what you do.
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Interview by Rachelle J. Canter, Ph.D.
LPM Women Rainmakers is a national forum enabling women to network
and develop business opportunities. By understanding how to develop
business, women can exert greater control over their careers and
integrate their personal lives successfully with the practice of law.
For more information on LPM Women Rainmakers, visit
www.womenrainmakers.org
.
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.
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