As managing partner, Grossman oversees more than 725 attorneys across the firm’s 12 offices nationwide and around the world.
She said her deep engagement with every aspect of the firm’s operations and practice areas during her 17-year tenure with the firm was instrumental in her transition to a leadership role.
“I worked through every firm committee,” she said, including hiring, diversity task force, lateral partner acquisition, business development, and the women’s alliance, giving her an organization-wide perspective.
“Being managing partner is a 24/7 position,” Grossman said. “I have learned in life, not just in law, to be exceptionally organized and a good multitasker. It’s important to be a people person and a people mover in order to get everyone on the same page.”
Djaha serves as global managing partner of 11 offices around the world, with more than 1,400 attorneys.
“It’s been an exciting and challenging time for the firm,” he said. “We have been managing our offices in Asia under trade wars and the Hong Kong protests. We managed our U.K. office during Brexit. It’s been a politically volatile time for our U.S. offices, as well.”
Djaha said the problem-solving skills he developed as a global real estate lawyer, as well as the interpersonal skills gained through the transactional nature of his practice, have been critical to his success managing the firm’s global presence in a rapidly changing landscape for law and business.
Read more about Djaha’s career in the fall 2018 issue of Brooklyn Law Notes at www.brooklaw.edu/djaha
Lauri serves as co-chair and member of the board of directors at Jackson Lewis, a firm known for its expertise in employment law, with 950 attorneys and 62 offices nationwide. He also is the firm’s relationship partner for multiple Fortune 50 companies.
Previously, Lauri was managing principal of the New York office, where he oversaw its significant growth, increasing profitability by 90 percent and the number of attorneys by 70 percent.
“We are aiming to be the premier national employment law firm among our peer firms,” he said. “It’s my job to ensure the high quality of our practice across all offices, and to hold on to our collaborative culture, so we can attract and maintain our talent.”
As managing partner and chair of the litigation and resolution department at the 60-year-old firm based in New York City, Raimond concentrates on complex commercial litigation, with a focus on real property, environmental, and commercial foreclosure matters, as well as business law.
He was first drawn to litigation through his clinical work at Brooklyn Law School. Today, he balances his practice with his responsibilities managing the firm of more than 50 attorneys.
“When you’re managing partner, there are so many issues that come up, you can’t focus on one thing,” he said. “There are a lot of moving parts that can go unnoticed, until you are responsible for them.”
Raimond underscores the importance of listening as a law firm leader. “Lawyers are pressed for time and looking for quick answers, but you have to approach problems and obstacles by listening with patience and understanding.”