How to Mentor, Inspire, and
Retain Successful Attorneys:
My Playbook as a Woman Law Firm to Develop Diverse Legal Talent

By Lori G. Cohen

Editors’ Note

Lori Cohen is vice chair of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and co-chair of its Global Litigation Practice, leading a group of 600+ attorneys nationally and internationally. She also is co-chair of the Trial Practice Group, which she created at the firm, and built its Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Health Care Litigation Practice. Nationally ranked and recognized for her extraordinary trial record of 58 defense verdicts, she leads attorneys focused on complex litigation, including products liability and pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare litigation.

Firm Brief

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2,300 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT (gtlaw.com) has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the top 25 firms on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and is Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certified Plus.

Providing clients with spectacular service and meaningful victories requires a deep bench of attorney talent with valuable and diverse perspectives that come from varying backgrounds, genders, and experiences. As vice chair of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and co-chair of its Global Litigation Practice with oversight of 600+ litigators, I know that achieving this goal depends on attracting, training, inspiring, and retaining gifted junior attorneys – replacing obstacles to success with opportunities. My playbook for developing attorneys includes several strategies that have proven successful over time. They include principles that also apply to mentoring in virtually any industry:

• Provide junior attorneys with meaningful work and mentor their legal skills – There’s no substitute for learning by doing. Often, I can tell attorneys are ready to stretch their skills before they realize it. I provide them opportunities to grow – succeeding and failing in the process.
• Bring them to observe/participate in trials/transactions – It’s not enough to have them behind the scenes. Ensure they are visible: Put them out front handling matters; give them real client experience and exposure. This is essential to their becoming leaders.
• Teach them how to provide exemplary client service and provide them substantial opportunities to interact with clients – This occurs on a daily basis and extends to bringing them to trials and industry conferences, sometimes as a firm expense.
• Showcase their talent to clients so they create relationships and skills vital to business development – This involves my advocating for attorneys with clients, often paying for certain costs to generate collaboration.
• Promote their elevation to shareholder – People go where they can see themselves succeeding. There’s no better way to reward success and show attorneys their careers can flourish than promoting them as soon as they are ready.
• Advocate for their appointment to firm leadership roles – This maximizes the impact of attorneys who demonstrate leadership skills.
• Support attorneys’ opportunities to serve as in-house counsel with clients – Sometimes our attorneys work so well with clients they see their career advancing within their companies. When this happens, I feel particularly gratified, knowing I’ve helped both achieve crucial goals.
• Give them opportunities for community involvement and support their efforts – This is important to their personal and professional development.

These tactics take time and effort to show results, however they deliver exceptional return for individual attorneys, clients, and law firms.