Christine LaFollette Profiled by Houston Business Journal

(Houston)  Christine LaFollette, partner in charge of Akin Gump’s Houston office, was profiled by Houston Business Journal as one of the women leading some of the city’s top law and accounting firms.

LaFollette discussed her experiences in the early years of her career, when male opposing counsel assumed that she, as a woman working in a law firm, was support staff.  She notes, “As we went into negotiations (they) would feel really bad, but I had to rise above those kinds of things to focus on what’s important—the opportunity to have a seat at the table.”

She described how beginning her career as a junior high school history teacher has helped her in her career path, noting “It was a great experience in learning how to deal with different perspectives, different views and getting people to focus,” and also attributed her success to help and advice from both male and female mentors and supporters, “You often hear that women don’t support other women.  I have not found that to be the case; if anything, it’s the exception, not the rule.”

The profile closed with a quote from LaFollette on the increased number of women in the workforce and its impact on the top levels of corporate management: “Stereotypes are fading away in that sense, for the benefit of everyone moving forward.”