PROFILE/ TRACY PRESTON A
OF A BASF FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER
former partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Tra-
cy Preston is now Levi Strauss & Co.’s chief compliance officer and global human resources and litigation counsel. A Virginia na- tive and the daughter of teachers, Preston lives in Oakland and serves on the board of directors of the BASF Foundation.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST FULFILLING MOMENT IN YOUR WORK? I have a global, international role for an internation- al company and I love learning different cultures and norms. I enjoy travel and learning so, for me, work is a way to travel.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? I’m a good listener and a straightforward person, which helps me in my work and my personal relationships. At work, I assist in trying to find the appropriate response to a business question, and personally I give good advice and counsel to my friends.
IF YOU COULDN’T BE A LAWYER, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? My mother would be shocked, but I’d say I’d be a teach- er—a college professor.
IF YOU COULD TRADE LIVES WITH ANYONE FOR A DAY, WHO WOULD IT BE? Oprah.
AT AGE EIGHT, I WANTED TO BE . . . . . . two things: a soap opera star and an attorney. I watched Perry Mason with my babysitter.
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? I enjoy sports—both playing and as a spectator. I also like to read and I love going to movies, to plays, and to the symphony. I enjoy hiking. I also want to start taking language and dance lessons.
WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? I love to travel so I have a list of places I’d like to go. I’d like to be able to speak at least one other language flu-
64 FALL 2011
Leslie A. Gordon
ently. I’d also like to live abroad and to take my mom to England.
WHAT WILL THE LEGAL PROFESSION LOOK LIKE IN TEN YEARS? I’ll play Carnac from Johnny Carson: the structure of law firms and their billing structure will change even more. We’ll see more boutique firms because of the pricing issue.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CITY? I can’t pick just one. I love Paris, Florence, and Buenos Aires.
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR FIRST JOBS? Retail—I worked in local stores in my hometown. I was also an RA [resident assistant in the dorms] in college at Georgetown. I learned how to use the Xerox machines in the dorm and was trained in fix- ing them. It’s come in handy.
WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO OVER AGAIN? I wish I’d studied abroad when I was in college.
WHO WERE YOUR CHILDHOOD HEROES? My grandfather. He gave great advice. He said, “Don’t outline.” That meant be open to opportunities, don’t miss them. And my grandmother. She was a very devout woman—fun and naïve, which made her just adorable. She’d always do something nice for someone else.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FILM? The Godfather. I used to try to use Godfather quotes in my legal briefs. Also, when I’ve led trainings, I incorpo- rate the film, as in “Five Things You Can Learn from The Godfather” and one would be “separate emotion from business.” I also loved The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. It was amazing for the genre. I loved to watch westerns with my grandfather.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, and Chesnutt’s The Conjure Woman.
EVERY ATTORNEY SHOULD . . . . . . give back to the community through philanthropy or pro bono.
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