Voice of Experience: Heidi Levine, Co-Managing Partner, New York Office, DLA Piper

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“My advice for young female lawyers is to concentrate on doing excellent work that gets noticed by senior practitioners, rather than overly focusing on managing their careers,” said Heidi Levine, Co-Managing Partner of DLA Piper’s New York office.

Levine benefited from this strategy as a senior associate, with the support of a powerful sponsor who helped advance her career. Today Levine is also a member of DLA Piper’s Executive Committee, Co-Chair of the firm’s New York Mass Torts Practice, Co-Chair of DLA Piper’s women’s initiative called LAW (Leadership Alliance for Women), Co-Managing Partner of the firm’s New York office, all in addition to a thriving litigation practice.

She added, “Always be reliable and concentrate on being the best – it will lead to great things. Keep your eyes open and seek out mentors. But don’t think you’re entitled to one – you have to earn it.”

Career in Law

“My career path was straightforward, in that I became a partner in the law firm where I started,” Levine explained. She began her career as a summer associate at Piper Marbury in Baltimore, and made an effort to meet people in the firm. “When I was a mid-level associate, I met Amy Shulman, a former DLA Piper partner in New York, who is now the General Counsel of Pfizer. We hit it off and I moved to New York to work for her. She became my champion, mentor, advisor, and close friend. It’s unique to have a relationship that endures for so long.”

She continued, “Under Amy’s guidance, I immersed myself in pharmaceutical work, handling large, complex litigations on behalf of pharmaceutical companies.”

As Levine’s career grew, she took on numerous leadership positions at the firm, serving as the national co-chair of the firm’s women’s committee, a member of the diversity committee, and several other firm and outside organizations. “It keeps me pretty busy,” she said with a laugh. Today, she is focused on expanding her team’s capabilities globally. “What really excites me is being able to express the global platform of the firm with existing and prospective clients – that is one of the ways in which my firm sets itself apart.”

“There are two particular achievements I’m very proud of,” she continued. “The first took place after my mentor decided to take a position in-house. Her departure forced me to become autonomous. It was not something I had anticipated at that stage in my career – attempting to determine a future for myself, when I was in a place of comfort and confidence was challenging. I had to make my own decisions about what my career was going to look like. Looking back on the last five years, I am proud of where I am today and how I have developed since that time.”

The second is co-founding DLA Piper’s Leadership Alliance for Women. “The network’s goal is to develop and promote our women attorneys to maximize their opportunities for business generation and leadership positions at the firm and elsewhere. “I’m extremely proud of the work we have accomplished since we started in 2006. Women are represented in the firm’s Office of the Chair, Executive Committee, Managing Partners and in practice group leadership.”

Women in Law

Levine believes there are still several challenges women must face in the legal profession. First, women often react differently than men in many circumstances. “Women thrive on different types of challenges and feedback, including camaraderie and collaboration, doing a great job and having people take notice. I try to encourage the recognition of those factors with my peers and colleagues.”

Second, “There are not enough women in leadership positions to serve as role models for younger generations. Therefore, in the interim, we need to seek out men to take on that role enthusiastically.”

“For the men who are my peers, I encourage them to take the time to serve as a mentor, champion and role model for junior women, and to take an active role in helping to mold and shape their careers.

She encouraged senior women to also serve as mentors, and to find more ways to collaborate with one another. We need to engage in more business development opportunities for each other. That is the only way we will find more women with a seat at the table.

Women at DLA Piper

When Levine co-founded LAW in 2006, the firm was looking for a way to align a women’s initiative with its vision and values. “The initiative has changed over time as the firm has evolved,” she said. “Today we have support from the top including our global chairmen. They see the value our networking brings to the firm as a whole.”

Programs within her women’s group have been established over time as well, she said, including a quarterly speaker series, a global general counsel women’s summit with clients, and the firm’s Champions program, which connects women and diverse lawyers to leaders in the firm with the goal of providing business opportunities.

Levine is particularly excited about two new innovative programs. One is to provide senior women associates who are on track for partnership with the tools and information they need to help them through the process and the second is for junior women partners, to help them advance their business development skills and provide them with certain tools they will need to success. These programs will have the added advantage of identifying potential women for succession planning at the firm.

In Her Personal Time

“Many would say that I work around the clock, but I do believe it is important to take time for ourselves, our family, and our friends. No matter how short that time is, it helps me get through the week,” Levine said.

She and her husband are avid cyclists, and she enjoys spending time with her stepdaughter. “She is a young adult beginning her professional career, so I try to be a good role model for her,” she said. Levine is also a supporter of the Young Survival Coalition, an organization founded by her best friend to unite young women facing breast cancer.

She also enjoys golf and believes it provides her with opportunities to spend quality time with her clients and business colleagues, from which women are often excluded because they do not play or are not comfortable playing in a business setting. “I am fortunate that my parents pushed me to play golf when I was a teenager.”