“Davis Polk has a longstanding and deep commitment to pro bono. Now there’s a new excitement about it. We’re trying to diversify the practice and provide people with even more opportunities to do the kind of pro bono work they want to do.”

Q. You spent ten years at the Department of Justice. Why did you come back to the firm?

It was a unique opportunity to come back to a place that I loved and to continue to do justice. At the U.S. Attorney's Office, that was my job: to do justice. Now I feel like I'm still involved in public interest work. I view this as an opportunity to do justice of a different sort in a place that I enjoy and with lawyers I admire.

Q. What are your responsibilities as head of the pro bono practice?

I work on pro bono cases. I supervise matters. I advise and support, and help our lawyers find the right pro bono work for them. We are making a concerted effort to bring in different kinds of projects. Right now we have as varied a program as we ever had in terms of the different kinds of work and opportunities. And we’re looking to continue to expand the possibilities.

The most important thing is to get as many people involved and excited as possible. A big part of that is bringing in different kinds of work—expanding our involvement in large and complex pro bono matters, but also finding smaller projects where associates can handle a matter on their own.

Q. Did you do pro bono work when you were an associate?

I did a lot. I did work for battered women, and a number of criminal appeals. In one of the criminal appeals, a murder case, we were successful in getting the conviction overturned. Then I, together with partner Carey Dunne and one other associate retried the murder case in State court, which was an amazing opportunity for an associate.

Q. What led you to leave the firm to join the U.S. Attorney’s Office?

I was always interested in criminal law in law school, and when I was clerking and watched trials, going to the U.S. Attorney's Office seemed like an exciting, fulfilling career path as well as a chance to serve the public. Then I was here working with former prosecutors such as Bob Fiske, Jack Cooney and Denis McInerney. It solidified my view that that's what I wanted to do if I had the opportunity.

Q. Did the firm support your decision to leave?

They were very supportive of it, absolutely.

Q. What brought you to the law in the first place?

My father is a lawyer and a real role model. I got from him that law is both an exciting and admirable profession. He always has done pro bono work throughout his career, whether it’s human rights or death penalty work. He instilled in me a sense of the importance of giving back.

Q. Why pro bono?

It’s rewarding on a personal level to know that you are assisting those in need, and it's our obligation as lawyers. It also allows associates the opportunity to have certain experiences they may not have otherwise. For example, the trial I did when I was an associate -- being able to do an opening statement, prepare for trial, put on witnesses, cross-examine witnesses -- that’s an opportunity a young associate probably wouldn’t have in a billable case. In the Saigon Grill case, which I supervised this summer, four very junior associates conducted the whole trial themselves, from opening summations to all of the witness examination. And they won a $4.6 million verdict! It was a great opportunity for them to develop their skills and their confidence. On the corporate side, pro bono projects such as our microfinance initiative give young lawyers great client contact and relationships as they build a varied practice.

Q. Do you find the development aspect of pro bono compelling?

I like teaching and helping young lawyers as they develop. At the U.S. Attorney's Office, I was the Chief of the General Crimes Unit and so I trained the new prosecutors to be prosecutors. I currently teach at Columbia Law School as an adjunct professor. I'd like to think that I play a similar role with the associates I work with at Davis Polk.

Q. When someone here, junior associate or midlevel or above, wants to do pro bono work, how do they bring that about?

A number of different ways. We send emails regularly to all the lawyers at the firm about different opportunities. We also meet all the new associates as they’re coming in, and talk to each of them individually. We have them fill out questionnaires about their interest. We also want them to know us -- me, Amy Rossabi, our Pro Bono coordinator, as well as the members of the Pro Bono Committee -- so that if they are ever interested in a particular kind of work, or if they're on a matter and need additional supervision, they know to come to us. Sometimes people will come to us and let us know what they want to do; other times, we help them find what's most interesting to them and what’s the best fit.

Q. How does the firm treat pro bono responsibilities?

Our policy provides that there’s an expectation that people do pro bono work throughout their careers at the firm. It’s very supportive of the work that we do and the different kinds of projects that we present.

Q. Why Davis Polk?

One of the things that attracted me to Davis Polk in the first place was the atmosphere. There’s an unwavering commitment to excellence, but also a real sense of collegiality and mutual respect. The atmosphere here is very conducive to mentoring relationships, where the people you work with help you make decisions about what you’re going to do with your career and your life.