Chris LaFollette Interviewed as Law360 Female Powerbroker

Akin Gump Houston partner in charge Christine “Chris” LaFollette was featured in Law360’s Female Powerbrokers Q&A series discussing her career, her experiences as a woman in the legal profession and her advice for new attorneys.  Among the topics she covered:

• Challenges for women at senior levels at a law firm: “I actually think the toughest challenges for a woman within a law firm are those that a junior lawyer has to face. Early in one’s career, finding the right mentor and support system to develop your professional career at the same time that you’re juggling the rest of your life can be difficult.”
• Advice for aspiring female attorneys: “Find a mentor, male or female. You need someone to ask questions, vent with and just give you perspective…Also, start developing relationships with your peers in a transaction. They will grow with you and not only someday may become a client but, more importantly, a friend.”
• Advice to law firms looking to increase the number of female partners: “Law firms need to be attuned to the flexibility that empowers women as they work their way up the long career path to partner…Programs that allow alternative work schedules and provide the technology to work from home help attorneys find their own work-family balance…It is helpful to have initiatives to support women in networking with clients and their colleagues.”

To read the full article, please click here.

Akin Gump corporate practice co-head Kerry Berchem was also featured as a Law360 Female Powerbroker.  To read more about her Q&A, please click here.