What is Shook’s greatest asset? What is the key to stellar client service? American Lawyer Media features Shook Partner Katie Gates Calderon who explores these questions in an article highlighting her recent promotion as co-chair of product liability litigation. Gates Calderon acknowledges past and current mentors who helped guide her career and explains what keeps her at the firm for more than 15 years.
What do you think was the deciding point for the firm to promote you to your current role?
“It was likely a combination of factors. I am the relationship partner for a core firm client, and the co-chair of our Food, Beverage, and Agribusiness Practice Group. These roles entail both substantive work and managing a large team of lawyers and professional staff, and each role provides critical insight into firm processes and personnel. That insight increased exponentially when I was elected to the firm’s Executive Committee in 2018. In these and other firm leadership roles, I’ve been deeply fortunate to develop relationships with mentors, mentees, friends and collaborators at all levels across the firm. I view those relationships as the most important factor in my ability to lead the Product Liability Litigation Practice Group with my law partners Bill Geraghty and Hildy Sastre.”
What’s the key to successful business development in your opinion?
“The key to impactful business development is leveraging personal and professional relationships to foster opportunities and, more importantly, identifying the right people and teams to put in front of a client or send to a pitch. After our talented lawyers and professional staff, Shook’s greatest asset is the collaborative approach we take to servicing clients. When a client makes a request or we’re invited to pitch for business, we excel at setting aside egos and identifying the folks whose talents and experiences will best serve the client’s needs. The key to keeping clients and expanding Shook’s role is simple: Truly care. In practice that looks like responding ASAP when a client reaches out and making your clients’ problems your own. In-house counsel can sense when they’re dealing with an attorney or firm who operates this way, and we pride ourselves on maintaining that level of service.”
Original source can be found here.