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Mary-Olga (Mo) Lovett, Greenberg Traurig

Mary-Olga (Mo) Lovett

A Firm with Grit

Editors’ Note

Mo Lovett concentrates her practice in intellectual property, commercial, and complex litigation. She has also represented U.S. and international clients in appellate litigation before state and federal courts of appeal and the Texas Supreme Court. She received her B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University and her J.D. from the South Texas College of Law.

Firm Brief

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (gtlaw.com) is a global law firm with approximately 1,900 attorneys and nearly $1.3 billion in revenues, serving clients from 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. BTI Consulting Group recently ranked Greenberg Traurig in its 2015 BTI Brand Elite report. The report highlights firms that “best distinguished their brand from the pack over the past year in the minds of discerning corporate counsel.” The BTI Brand Elite 2015 report lists 26 law firms, identified by general counsel as having the most elite and sought after brands with excellent track records of providing forward-thinking advice to clients and innovative solutions in an industry often perceived as rigid. The firm is third on the 2015 Law360 400 as measured by domestic attorney head count.

Would you highlight your role at Greenberg Traurig and your key areas of focus?

I am the co-regional operating shareholder for our Texas offices, which include Austin, Dallas, and Houston. I am a litigator with a commercial, intellectual property, and appellate practice.

What are the keys to being an effective litigator?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that the only antidote for fear is knowledge. You must know every facet and aspect of your case – and put a critical eye on every document and witness. It is also essential to “think like your opponent.” I like to step outside the case and view it through my adversary’s eyes, and my preparation comes in many forms. Of course, all of this assumes that I am taking a case all the way to trial. Many of our clients value early dispute resolution, but that strategy is not effective unless the other side knows that we are willing to go to trial. I am, and I do.

Greenberg Traurig has a diverse and inclusive workforce, with women in leadership positions throughout the firm. Would you discuss the opportunities that the firm provides for women to grow and lead, and how critical diversity is to Greenberg Traurig’s culture?

I just celebrated my tenth year at GT, and I am amazed at the diversity of talent and perspective. I am one of four women on the firm’s Executive Committee and I take that role very seriously. I have been mentored by an incredibly generous group of people across the firm, representing virtually every demographic. I consider it a sacred duty to do the same.

What has made Greenberg Traurig a leading law firm year after year and what is the secret to its success?

It’s no secret. First and foremost, it is the commitment to providing our clients with excellent service and creative, business-driven solutions. Second, it is our commitment to each other – a fierce loyalty that drives our firm’s key principles of collaboration, innovation, and leveraging our unique global platform. Our CEO, Richard Rosenbaum, is fond of saying that what separates us is “grit.” We never act as though we have “arrived.” We are constantly striving to reach higher, do more, be better. That is our edge.•