Recognitions
Winston Partners Named to Benchmark’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation” 2020
Recognitions
Winston Partners Named to Benchmark’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation” 2020
August 1, 2020
Seven Winston & Strawn partners have been selected for Benchmark’s Top 250 Women in Litigation 2020. These women have earned their place on this list by participating in some of the most impactful litigation matters in recent history as well as by earning the respect of their peers and clients. Though they hail from different practice areas, they all share the distinction of being recognized as top players in their respective fields.
Attorneys named in the publication were chosen through several phases of research: a review of their recent casework, consideration how attorneys at peer legal institutions might rank them, and client feedback on their performances.
The Winston partners named to Benchmark’s Top 250 Women in Litigation 2020 include:
- Natalie Arbaugh
- Suzanne Jaffe Bloom
- Linda Coberly
- Eva Cole
- Sandra Edwards
- Paula Hinton
- Heather Lamberg
We recently asked some of Winston’s Top 250 Women in Litigation to discuss this year’s notable wins and achievements, as well as the unique challenges faced in 2020.
Natalie Arbaugh
Please describe a significant achievement in your career that occurred over the past year. This could be a notable win or a memorable success in the courtroom.
A successful trial lawyer regularly has victories that can be touted. I love wins as much as any lawyer does and I especially love the gratification that comes with getting that victory for my client. But for me, I see success this past year as being different; more than ever I have been able to support, mentor, and sponsor other women attorneys by providing them with, among other things, intentional, candid, and authentic advice. In addition, I have been able to staff my cases with diversity in mind, by being intentional about the makeup of my team so that I not only present my clients with the diverse teams they are looking for, but also so that I can give meaningful and important experience to those team members. Being able to give back to younger attorneys, particularly diverse and female attorneys, has been very rewarding to me.
Between COVID-19 and the social unrest in the United States, many of our clients are currently facing a unique new set of challenges. Is there a specific tactic that you are using to help guide your clients in these unprecedented times? If not, what quality of yours would you say makes you an effective lawyer?
COVID-19 is really no different than any other problem or challenge that my clients face at any given time in the sense that it all comes down to one word: partnership. My clients want to know I am there for them and will provide creative solutions for their businesses beyond merely billing hours when a problem presents itself. So I look for ways to do that. That means listening and being responsive. It means reaching out even when there is no reason to, and not just because a case has been filed. And it means being open minded to ways I can help that might not be ordinary course given that the business is tackling new issues or looking entirely different than it did before. Simply put, I try to put myself in my client’s shoes so that I can be an integral member of his or her team, as opposed to merely being a service provider.
Suzanne Jaffe Bloom
Between COVID-19 and the social unrest in the United States, many of our clients are currently facing a unique new set of challenges. Is there a specific tactic that you are using to help guide your clients in these unprecedented times? If not, what quality of yours would you say makes you an effective lawyer?
During these troubling and uncertain times, clients are extraordinarily busy trying to navigate significant operational challenges on a daily basis. Many of these challenges, such as ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of employees and securing necessary funding for continued operations, require consistent attention and oftentimes immediate action. So, I make sure that I’m readily available and prepared to discuss these issues with my clients as they arise and provide guidance on a prompt “real-time” basis. I offer additional value to busy clients by monitoring as well as anticipating changes in the enforcement and regulatory landscape relevant to the industries in which they operate and identifying issues on the horizon. By arming clients with advice regarding evolving risks specific to their businesses, I can help them develop proactive and practical strategies for avoiding problems down the line. This puts clients in the best position to achieve their goals while mitigating the increasing risks they face as the world continues to grapple with these challenging times.
Linda Coberly
Please describe a significant achievement in your career that occurred over the past year. This could be a notable win or a memorable success in the courtroom.
Over the last year, I’ve had a string of five appellate victories in five different federal circuits. I’ve also led our firm’s pro bono work in advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment, as chair of the national ERA Coalition’s Legal Task Force.
Between COVID-19 and the social unrest in the United States, many of our clients are currently facing a unique new set of challenges. Is there a specific tactic that you are using to help guide your clients in these unprecedented times? If not, what quality of yours would you say makes you an effective lawyer?
Clear communication is the key to almost everything—from counseling clients to advocacy in the courtroom. And the shift to a remote format has made clarity all the more critical.
Eva Cole
Please describe a significant achievement in your career that occurred over the past year. This could be a notable win or a memorable success in the courtroom.
A case that has been going on for 13 years is finally nearing its conclusion. We have had a streak of wins on various motions over the past few months that are driving the litigation in the right direction for the client.
Between COVID-19 and the social unrest in the United States, many of our clients are currently facing a unique new set of challenges. Is there a specific tactic that you are using to help guide your clients in these unprecedented times? If not, what quality of yours would you say makes you an effective lawyer?
I think there are two critical components to guiding clients during these challenging times: (1) staying current on the quickly changing legal and political landscape and (2) staying current on client needs so you can advise on how the changing legal and political landscape may impact those needs.
Sandra Edwards
Please describe a significant achievement in your career that occurred over the past year. This could be a notable win or a memorable success in the courtroom.
Earlier this year, I was fortunate to spend four weeks in trial before Hon. Barry Goode, Contra Costa Superior Court, who came out of retirement for our case. Our team of lawyers, paralegals, and legal assistants prevailed on hard-fought and complicated motions involving regulatory decisions, the scope of expert testimony, and the admissibility of scientific evidence.
Between COVID-19 and the social unrest in the United States, many of our clients are currently facing a unique new set of challenges. Is there a specific tactic that you are using to help guide your clients in these unprecedented times? If not, what quality of yours would you say makes you an effective lawyer?
I am currently spending a lot of time working with clients to better understand their businesses to predict where their exposure to future litigation might lie. For those clients with active litigation, we are working together develop those cases to anticipate and adapt to changing juror views and attitudes.
See the full Benchmark Litigation list here.