Kerry Berchem Interviewed as Law360 Female Powerbroker

Akin Gump corporate practice co-head Kerry Berchem 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:

• Breaking into an “old boys network”: “Breaking in isn’t really the hard part. Staying in and continuing to advance is the hard part.”
• Advice for aspiring female attorneys: “If you really like the law, then you have to stay on the road and keep driving. Keep your eyes and options open and expect that you will encounter bumps and potholes….Finally, never concede that you are at a dead end. Gas up and rest if you need it. Drive a different car. But never concede you are at a dead end.”
• How to increase the number of women partners: “Do it by creating training and mentoring opportunities for women, including business development training, which is invariably different for women than it is for men. Promote work/life balance options, including telecommuting…Firms and the people who run them need to ensure that there is action and not just talk and that the culture supports the promotion of women to the highest levels.”

To read the full article, please click here.