Courtney York Speaks with Corporate Counsel Business Journal on Leadership and Professional Growth

Corporate Counsel Business Journal has featured Akin Gump corporate partner Courtney York in “A Personal Business Plan That Fits Within the Organization.” In the article, York discusses her approach to leadership and career development as well as her experience in the technology, media and telecom (TMT) space.

York’s practice is focused heavily on mergers and acquisitions and related transactional work for TMT clients. She said it is an exciting time “to be a part of such a dynamic industry and to work with clients as they grow their businesses and as their businesses evolve.” In particular, she enjoys being “a trusted problem solver” for her clients, which have ranged from some of the largest companies in the TMT industry to startups and emerging growth companies.

York said one of the biggest challenges to professional growth that she has seen in the past, “is that women didn’t work together and support each other often enough,” but she has now noticed a shift, with many women “looking around to see how they can help other women advance and grow professionally”—something she views as an important part of her job. She also sees client commitment to diversity as critical, noting that its expansion over the past few years is a positive sign that has the ability “to change the landscape for women and diverse lawyers.”

Of her leadership style, York described herself as a consensus builder who likes to have input “from as many different people as possible when making decisions.” She advises those looking to grow within their firm or law department to be proactive. It’s important, she said, for lawyers “to ensure that they have a personal business plan, that they understand how that plan fits in with the larger organization and that they’re taking steps to make sure they achieve their goals.”

York added that lawyers need to make sure “that others in their organization, particularly the decision makers, know what they are contributing to the work that’s being done for clients. That is very important to career advancement.” She also noted that more senior attorneys can be proactive by looking to see how they can support and help others grow professionally.

To read the full article, please click here.