FOCUS ON MY OBJECTIVES. AN OVERARCHING THEME IN OUR HOME WAS TO ALWAYS WORK TO BE BETTER, NOT JUST GOOD. – TARSHA PHILLIBERT
winner. T e CALI is given to the highest scoring student in each law school class at Case Western Reserve University Law School. She is thrilled with her decision to attend law school. Afterwards, she clerked for Judge E. Richard Webber in the Eastern District of Missouri, where she researched and drafted opinions on employment, product liability, intellectual property, and antitrust law. “Just watching Judge Webber conduct trials was an
education,” says Phillibert of the jurist she considers a role model and mentor. “He is smart and capable and yet humble and caring. He works really hard to understand all the actors in any case before his court. I want to bring similar sensibili- ties to the clients I serve.” After working for Webber, Phillibert clerked for Judge
Charles S. Haight Jr., in the Southern District of New York, where she also conducted research, edited, and drafted opin- ions on constitutional, securities, labor, and admiralty law. From the broad platform of her clerkships, Phillibert
landed at the New York offi ce of Jenner & Block, a national law fi rm with approximately 450 attorneys and offi ces in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. At Jenner, Phillibert is an associate in the litigation
department and a member of the complex commercial litigation practice. She also has signifi cant experience in white-collar defense matters and in corporate internal inves- tigations. Phillibert recently represented the court-appointed examiner in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy case. She believes it is important to give back and is therefore
very active in pro bono matters. Among other recent cases, Phillibert successfully represented a victim of domestic vio- lence in an appeal for an extended order of protection and
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represented an immigrant in a waiver of removal proceed- ing in Immigration Court. T e daughter of Jamaican immigrants who settled in
Scarsdale, N.Y., Phillibert says her parents have been integral to her growth and development as well as her commitment to excellence. “My parents taught me to persevere and focus on my
objectives. Perhaps more importantly, an overarching theme in our home was to always work to be better, not just good,” says Phillibert. “T ose values and principles guide me in whatever I do.” Phillibert has focused those values on building a fi rm
foundation in her chosen career, but she believes it is equally important to make sure that young people know of the opportunities that exist if they are willing to work hard and apply themselves. “I’d like my reach to be broader than just Jenner,” says
Phillibert. “I’d like to infl uence young people to come into the profession.” Phillibert draws inspiration from attending networking
and professional development events like the National Bar Association’s Corporate Counsel Conference where she has encountered a number of black legal professionals including judges, law fi rm partners, and in-house general counsel. “I felt empowered because in interacting with them I
realized I can do this too,” says Phillibert. Phillibert intends to work more closely with clients and
with senior members of Jenner. “It is important to keep my long-term objectives in
mind because I want to be a leader, not just a player,” says Phillibert.
MAY/JUNE 2012 DIVERSITY & THE BAR® 35
MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME TO PERSEVERE AND
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