HEADQUARTERS: New York City WEBSITE: www.weil.com BUSINESS: International law firm EMPLOYEES: 1,200
EDUCATION: BA, Syracuse University; MA, Columbia University; JD, Fordham University Law School MY PHILOSOPHY: Never say never. I never planned to become a partner, but now thirty-six years later, here I am. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE WORDS: Committed to clients
SENIOR CORPORATE PARTNER AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE CHAIR
Different Paths to Success in Law The practice of law can be quite fulfilling, but there is no one way to do it. For some of us, it is all-day immediately; for others, we need to design a career path that will meet our personal and professional needs as they vary over time. As I found from personal experience, what works at one point in our careers may not be the answer at a different point. I began my career at Weil as a full-time associate and left after three years. I was welcomed back five years later (having spent most of my time away as the full-time mother of a young son) and was given an opportunity, unique at the time, to work first as a flextime associate and then as a flextime counsel, without restriction on my development as a lawyer. Fourteen years after coming back to the firm, I became a partner. For our profession to progress, we need to embrace the fact that there are different definitions of success and different paths to achieving that success. We must remain open to innovation and not be wed to doing things the old or traditional way. While taking a different path to success may be perceived as disproportionately affecting women, we recognize that it is an important issue for men as well, often reflected in the role that generational difference plays in career expectations. At Weil, we recently held two standing-room only workshops across multiple offices on “working with different generations,” helping millennials, gen-x, baby boomers, and traditionalists to better understand each other’s working styles and perspectives. The interactive workshops shared research on the defining experiences, values, and behaviors of each generation, and the strategies for working and communicating effectively with people from different generations While the specifics of my career trajectory may be unique (especially given how long ago it began), Weil continues to recognize that developing talent is key to our firm and encourages innovation. PDJ How did you become interested in law? While at Syracuse, I took a constitutional law course. The professor was absolutely mesmerizing, and started me thinking about a career in law.
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LAWYER SPOTLIGHT
Andrea A. Bernstein
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
What advice do you have for upcoming lawyers? Work hard, develop your own personal style, take responsibility for your career, and don’t forget to smile.
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WE MUST REMAIN OPEN TO INNOVATION AND NOT BE WED TO DOING THINGS THE OLD OR TRADITIONAL WAY. May/June 2013
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