Name: Deborah Marshall
Firm Name: Sidley, LLP (effective Dec. 1, 2009)
Address: 555 California, San Francisco, CA
Nominated and Interviewed by: Natasha Innocenti, Partner and Office Practice Leader - Partner Practice Group, Northern California, Major, Lindsey & Africa
Practice area: Emerging Growth Companies

Most successful/favorite rainmaking tip:

Make introductions to your network. One of the best things you can do for clients and potential clients is to introduce them to others who they should know or who can help them.

Biggest influence on career/best career advice:

The biggest influence on my career has been the environment in which I practice. Understanding what is happening in the business and legal community is essential . Understand the internal environment but always remain outwardly focused and don’t be afraid to make changes .

Percentage of time devoted to marketing:

25 to 30 percent

Proudest accomplishment:

Inspiring others to reach their potential.

Knowing what you know now, if you were starting out as a lawyer today, what would you do differently?

A lot. I would have focused on industries earlier, as well as trends in the world economy. I also would have gotten smarter sooner about how law firms work.

Tell me about one rainmaking strategy or tactic that you initially thought would work, but it failed. Why did it fail?

I have to say sponsorships. Unless you pick the right organizations and then work hard at it, both sides can be disappointed.

Tell me about one rainmaking strategy or tactic that you initially thought would fail, but it was a great success. Why was it successful?

I accepted an invitation to lead a program in an area that I was very interested in developing but I alone didn’t have the level of expertise that I thought the audience deserved. So I reshaped the program and invited co-presenters to join me and the program was a big success. Subsequently, one of my co-presenters joined one of my clients as a senior executive. Our prior contact was a big plus in my keeping that business, and my participation in the program enhanced my profile in the industry.

What has been your greatest frustration about trying to get new business or new clients?

Investors who encourage the client to use another lawyer who is loyal to them. The conflict is obvious.

If you were mentoring a young woman lawyer, what advice would you give her regarding rainmaking?

Understanding the client’s business is key—and then delivering a team that can get a project done. Even a junior lawyer can make an important contribution to that effort, by noting important industry developments and doing little things that make it easy for the client to understand where things stand on a project.

Would you say you ever had a mentor that made a genuine difference in how your career turned out? If yes, please describe the experience.

I have been fortunate to have a number of terrific mentors. The thing that stands out to me about each of them was that they understood where my skills were and how I could best contribute. They were very generous in terms of sharing opportunities both with clients and as a firm leader. They gave me a lot of responsibility, built me up in the eyes of the clients and supported the decisions I made. They trusted that I would check in with them on key issues and always make the client aware that they were still very interested and involved—in other words, there was zero competition. I also knew that I could go to them if I made a mistake and they would help me figure out how to make it right.

Think about when you started out as a lawyer. Now think about the new female lawyers just starting out. What is different now compared to when you started?

I started my career in the early days of Silicon Valley, which was an incredible amount of fun. The business and legal community in the Bay Area has evolved a lot since then, and the work has become more specialized in terms of practice areas and industries. The work-family pressures are unrelenting, making it very challenging for women to maximize their potential in so many domains at once, so that hasn’t changed. On a more positive note, there are more varied opportunities for women to have terrific careers in the Bay Area as it matures.

List words that best describe you:

Entrepreneur
Leader
Team Player
Creative
Ambitious
Hardworking
Determined
Risk-taker