I joined RDB as a second-year attorney. I was looking for what I call a “lawyer-friendly” and “people-friendly” law firm. By “lawyer-friendly,” I mean that the firm offers great opportunities for career development and a competitive salary, while at the same time setting reasonable expectations about billable hours. By “people-friendly,” I mean that the firm values and respects everyone who contributes to the firm’s success -- not just the attorneys, but also the paralegals, assistants, and the rest of the staff. I was also looking for a law firm with a proven commitment to pro bono practice.
Since I joined RDB, the firm has continued to prove its commitment to a lawyer-friendly and people-friendly environment. My practice is primarily general litigation. Initially, I worked on a variety of smaller matters, each with a single partner, which gave me the experience I missed while I was a first-year lawyer at a large DC law firm -- client contact, involvement in case strategy, and working with co-counsel and opposing counsel, in addition to the standard legal research and brief-writing work. In my first assignment, for example, I drafted all the papers for a successful motion to dismiss, including all the appellate briefing.
In the years since, I have taken on increased responsibility in all my cases. I have worked on both large and small litigation matters, as well as more direct client counseling in non-litigation or pre-litigation situations. I am now a partner at the firm, and I enjoy the even greater responsibility this new role affords.
When I began looking for a new firm to join, it was important for me to find a group of people whom I genuinely liked, because no matter how reasonable the hours, I still was going to spend the majority of my time at work. I found exactly what I was looking for at RDB: great people who are committed to a high level of practice -- and who are highly respected in the legal community.