IMAD I. QASIM
PARTNER, SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP CHICAGO, IL
YEARS PRACTICING: 30
PRACTICING AREA: M&A AND PRIVATE EQUITY, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
AND EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION, SECURITIES
AS A PARTNER AT SIDLEY AUSTIN, IMAD QASIM SAYS EACH DAY AT THE FIRM IS DIFFERENT. While he regularly advises public companies and their boards on corporate governance and securities law matters, the biggest part of his practice is transactional work. And some of his favorite things are negotiations, problem solving, and give-and-take. Fortunately for him, his practice area fi ts all of those things. In advising associates he suggests, “Aim to do
excellent work, but keep in mind that we are not a guild working in a vacuum. We also need to meet our clients’ needs effi ciently. And always return your clients phone calls promptly. T at alone is half of what they need. “T e legal profession is not static. As you get
older, your focus shifts,” says Qasim, who is based in Chicago but has also worked in Sidley’s Middle East and Washington, D.C. offi ces. “It’s the nature of the process. Your role evolves over time and your client counterparts become more senior. Obviously there’s evolution there but fundamentally as far as I’m concerned, doing the best work you can and address- ing each client's real need rather than just acting by habit ensures an attorney’s success. I don’t think that changes.” After thirty years practicing, he believes “doing excellent work and being responsive are at the heart of business. Otherwise whatever you're doing misses the point of being a lawyer. If you eff ectively and effi ciently take care of your clients' needs, the work will come.”
LI-HSIEN (LILY) RIN-LAURES, M.D.
PARTNER, MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN LLP
CHICAGO, IL
YEARS PRACTICING: 21 PRACTICE AREA:
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
RAINMAKING PARTNER LI-HSIEN (LILY) RIN-LAURES, M.D., STARTED COLLEGE AT 13 and completed medical school by age 21, but opted to attend Harvard Law School instead of practicing medicine. Looking back, she says, “As a young lawyer, having a medical degree generated some respect, but it didn’t guarantee success.” Like all lawyers, says Rin-Laures, she needs
satisfi ed clients. Most of her clients come from the biopharmaceutical industry. “My approach is uncom- plicated,” she says. “I don’t sell myself. I try to connect with people by listening carefully to what they have to say, and by considering their unspoken and spoken needs and goals. T is way I can get a big-picture perspective and make them happy.” T e turning point in Rin-Laures’ career came when
she re-entered private practice after having served as general counsel in a publicly held biotechnology company. “It gave me confi dence and an understand- ing of what in-house people do. I reported to the CEO and sat with the management team and made decisions about the future of the company. All of that improved my ability to give advice.” Her insider perspective, tech- nical expertise, and industry knowledge acquired from managing patent portfolios for diff erent FDA-approved drugs allow her to off er clients creative solutions. Today, says Rin-Laures, her strength continues
to lie in showing clients how she can help solve their problems and use IP to achieve their business goals. Looking forward, she is proud to see junior attorneys replicating what she has done in terms of forming long- lasting, trusting relationships with clients.
MCCA.COM NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 DIVERSITY & THE BAR®
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