Kim Koopersmith Quoted in Practical Law on Attorney Empowerment, Career Development and Workplace Communication

Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith was quoted in the Practical Law article “Managing a Multigenerational Law Firm” on a wide range of topics involving building a law firm to accommodate and empower attorneys across several generations, among them:

• Business development: “Our associates voiced a desire to cultivate relationships with their in-house peers and asked for a business development budget to help with these efforts. It was a great idea that we were able to implement in short order.” She also noted that the emphasis is less on finding big clients than on the value of creating connections and building on this foundation.
• Involvement: “There is a lot to be learned from listening as opposed to just talking. That has been a very good strategy for me in making sure that we are an employer of choice.”
• Flexible work arrangements: “I would not be where I am today if [flexible work arrangements] had not been an option. After having children, I knew that I needed flexibility if I was going to continue working in a high-performing culture.” She added that attorneys should be “flexible about being flexible,” in other words, ensure that the benefits they derive from FWA do not unduly burden their colleagues, accept that an FWA may cut them out of work in which they may want to be involved and understand that an FWA may require working intensively for a time and only then taking time away.
• Reducing stigma: Regarding how to create an environment in which attorneys feel comfortable taking advantage of leave polices and FWA, she said, “We are not passive on this issue, but it is challenging. It can be a particular struggle to get men to take parental leave.”
• Office culture: She stressed communication (“Attorneys at some firms have never heard the chair speak, and I find it somewhat startling that it is not a common practice.”) and discussed the pilot of an Akin Gump mental health program (“[Being a lawyer] is a stressful job and we all know attorneys who have struggled at different points in their career. We want to create an environment in which the prevailing philosophy is to make attorneys feel that they are not alone.”)
• Advice for incoming associates: “It is hard when you are first starting out at the firm to have the confidence to network and seek out opportunities, but do not be afraid to tell somebody that you are interested in learning more about their work or career path. I think you will find a receptive audience and become a better attorney for having done it.”