Tom Melsheimer and Linda Coberly Featured in Am Law Litigation Daily’s Litigation Leaders Series

Winston & Strawn Litigation Department Co-Chairs Linda Coberly and Tom Melsheimer were featured in an Am Law Litigation Daily article highlighting law firm litigation leaders. The article is part of the “How I Made It” series, which features insights from leaders about what their positions mean to them and what skills they think are needed for success.

In the Q&A, Tom stated that listening is an important skill for the job, as is the ability to set aside personal preconceptions and avoid making snap judgments.

“Humility is the least appreciated but most important virtue in managing people, especially lawyers,” he said. He noted that once a decision is made, it’s best to develop a strategy to implement it quickly. “In most instances, kicking things down the road is not a sound management strategy,” he said. He added that a good sense of humor is important—“and that includes laughing at yourself at times.”

For Linda, the ability to lead inclusively is the most important skill for a manager. “We’re in a people business. As a law firm leader told me early in my career, we have to remember that our greatest assets as a law firm go down the elevator every evening and leave the building,” she said in the Q&A. “We need to inspire them to come back the next day, to do their best work, to collaborate for our clients’ benefit, to grow as professionals and to pursue excellence in everything they do.”

Read the full article.