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JOSEPH TORRES


PARTNER, WINSTON & STRAWN LLP


CHICAGO, IL


YEARS PRACTICING: 22


PRACTICE AREA: LABOR & EMPLOYMENT


ASHLEY L. TAYLOR, JR.


PARTNER, TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP


RICHMOND, VA


YEARS PRACTICING: 19


PR CTICE AREA: REGULATORY


COMPLIANCE AND GOVERNMENT LITIGATION


32


“ALMOST AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, I WAS TOLD I WOULD BE A LAWYER,” says Joseph Torres, a labor and employment partner at Winston & Strawn, Chicago. His father immigrated to the United States from Mexico and lived in a boxcar before going to work at the steel mills. Torres’ parents understood tough times and wanted better for their son. When he was just fi ve, his mother decided Torres would be a lawyer. Torres’ future rainmaker status was less certain.


He didn’t wake up one morning and think: “Today I will be a rainmaker.” For him, business development was part of a gradual evolution. “I’ve been at Winston my whole career, and through the years I’ve built my brand internally. Luckily along the way, I had wonder- ful mentors who were very generous about giving me opportunities. T anks to their support I began to get clients, which led to a book of business. Over time it comes together, and when it happens it’s both exciting and a little scary.” Still, Torres takes nothing for granted. Even though


he is regularly asked to take the lead on cases, he refuses to become complacent. “I’m always thinking of other skills I might develop. What you’re doing today may not be what you’re doing in 10 years. It’s also very important to keep up with the changing ways lawyers can best serve clients. “T e legal market is fi ercely competitive. You can’t


assume your clients will be there tomorrow or that new clients are coming around the bend.”


ASHLEY TAYLOR IS GROUP LEADER OF REGULATORY COMPLIANCE AND GOVERNMENT LITIGATION at Troutman Sanders. Taylor worked hard on develop- ing an accurate description of his practice, because he wanted clients and new lawyers joining his team to understand the group is not comprised of your typical corporate compliance lawyers or traditional litigators. “We exclusively represent clients in a highly regulated industry who are dealing with compliance issues or investigations, and litigation is one of the tools we use. T at’s what makes us special.” Prior to Troutman, Taylor spent four years as deputy


attorney general in Virginia where he led four divisions of lawyers worked on national investigations, includ- ing the national tobacco settlement. During his tenure in public service, Taylor says, he came to realize that clients needed guidance on compliance issues from someone who understood the regulator’s perspective. His future practice area was taking shape. During his fi rst six months with the fi rm, Taylor


was very busy but soon realized that simply being busy and building a practice was not the same thing. “T at’s when I began building a practice in earnest. When you serve your clients as a Sherpa during diffi cult times, they tend to stay with you over the long haul.” Looking back, Taylor attributes much of his success


to timing. “State regulations had increased, and multi- state enforcement actions increased, and I was a com- mercial litigator with four years of political experience as Virginia deputy attorney general who completely understood the regulatory landscape. I was standing with the right combination of skills and experience, but I had the good sense not to move.”


DIVERSITY & THE BAR® NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 MCCA.COM


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