ALLIANCE NEWS - The Chicago Bar Association

From the Office to the Boardroom and
Bench Page 1
Tracy O’Flaherty
years in that profession. After some time,
however, she realized that she wanted to
do more, and chose to pursue law, attending
The John Marshall Law School during
the day while working nights as a nurse.
After graduation, she eventually combined
her background in nursing with law when
she served as Loyola University’s Chief
Counsel for health care, and later as General
Counsel for the Northwestern Memorial
Health System.
Similarly, Ms. Barker’s journey to
prominence in the legal community differed
from that of most of her colleagues. She
initially entered the legal profession at age
18 as a legal secretary, and, while working
at Lord, Bissell and Brook, learned a great
deal about the operation of a law firm by
performing many different tasks and sitting
in on meetings. Working full-time as a secretary,
she attended college and thereafter
graduated from Loyola University School
of Law. Ms. Barker then returned to Lord,
Bissell & Brook. She was the first legal
secretary ever hired by that firm as an attorney,
and was eventually named a partner. In
2006, she founded her own firm.
In ascending to the bench, Judge
Finnegan noted that her career path followed
a more traditional route. During her
early years in the profession, she was a federal
prosecutor and thereafter became an
equity partner at Mayer Brown, where she
co-chaired the Chicago Litigation Department
and the firm’s White Collar Criminal
Practice. Judge Finnegan’s background and
experience prepared her well for the bench,
and she advised the attendees to stay con-
Page 3
nected with colleagues throughout
their careers and always be aware that
opportunities grow out of these relationships.
Judge Pallmeyer echoed
Judge Finnegan’s comments, and
urged those in attendance to become
involved in bar association activities,
charitable organizations, and pro bono
work not only as a means to network,
but also as a way to be of service to
others.
Ms. Holderman followed-up
on the panelists’ comments regarding
the importance of bar association
involvement and giving back to the
profession and community. She noted
that her position as Chief Attorney
Development Officer for Winston &
Strawn, as well as her various bar association
leadership roles at the state
and national levels, all have a common
thread: she is committed and
passionate about any project or role
she undertakes, and works to tie them
all together through her prior experience
in teaching, coaching and training.
She encouraged the attendees to
become involved in professional and
community activities, and to always
work at building relationships through
those endeavors.
When asked what helped her
best prepare for her in-house position
with Navigant Consulting, Ms. Weed
pointed to her interest in business and
finance, her penchant for details and
her curiosity about how all the different
aspects of a business enterprise
work together. She observed that in
her prior role as outside counsel, she
often felt hampered in only seeing a
small portion of the larger business
picture. Ms. O’Flaherty, who also
serves as in-house counsel for Baxter
Healthcare, agreed, and noted that to
be effective in such a position, one
must have business acumen, sound
judgment, and good communication
skills.
In closing, the panelists were
asked to offer their thoughts on what
Patricial Barker
it means to be “successful” in the legal
profession. Judge Finnegan opined that
each person needs to define “success”
for themselves, based upon what they
wish to attain in their life and career. The
other panel members agreed, and shared
tips on achieving these goals. Both Ms.
Weed and Ms. Barker advised the attendees
to focus on developing their unique
skills and strengths as a way to set themselves
apart from the crowd. Justice Cunningham
further noted the importance of
having the courage to seize opportunities
which may be somewhat outside of our
comfort zones. Noting that taking risks
is part of succeeding in what you want
to accomplish, she drew a parallel to her
recent decision to run for a position on
the Illinois Supreme Court, and observed
that each opportunity prepares you for
the next one. Ms. Holderman summed
up the discussion by advising the attendees
to always have “grit,” explaining that
in order to succeed, we must persevere
through hard times and rise above them.
This article was originally published in
the CBA Record. Michele M. Jochner is
a judicial law clerk to Justice Charles E.
Freeman of the Illinois Supreme Court
and a former co-chair of the Alliance
Newsletter Committee.