More than two dozen law school alums gathered at Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney Nov. 21 for “The Board as Springboard,” a CLE that explored service on charitable boards as a strategy for building a legal career.
Board service benefits attorneys in many ways, like providing avenues for expanding one’s professional network, said Carl Buchholz, a partner at DLA Piper and former special assistant for homeland security who chaired the board of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and serves on boards that include the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the Committee of Seventy.
“It’s all relationships,” Buchholz said. “The relationships overlap a lot. Some have become clients.”
Board service helps enhance skills in collaboration and in speaking one’s mind, said Steven N. Haas, a shareholder and chair of corporate law practice at Cozen O’Connor who moderated the discussion.
“These are skills you learn on a daily basis that work very well for business development and the practice of law,” Haas said.
Alumna Jamie Gershkow, ’12, said that serving on the Investment Committee of Women Against Abuse has provided significant insights about the very arena in which she works as an investment management associate at Stradley Ronon.
The Hon. Nelson Diaz, a partner at Dilworth Paxson and former judge for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, said experience with non-profit boards can also pave a pathway to positions on for-profit boards, expanding opportunities even more.
Regardless of the nature of the organization, boards face diverse legal issues, Settlement Music School Executive Director Helen Eaton said, noting that her board handles matters involving real estate, intellectual property, employment and human resource issues, as well as advocacy for arts programming.
Board members have fiduciary responsibilities and must not confuse their own role with those of the board counsel or the CEO, the panelists said.
“You need to remember what hat you have on,” Buchholz said.
Before joining a board, attorneys should find out what commitments of time and money the organization expects, Gershkow said, noting that law firms can sometimes be convinced that sponsoring an associate’s board activities will pay for itself in the long run.
Professor Beth Haas, who organized the panel, recounted how a senior partner once advised that advancing a cause about which she was passionate would serve her both personally and professionally.
“It’s probably the best piece of professional advice I’ve ever heard,” Haas said. “That’s where you’ll find your clients.”
The panel did a great job of laying out the opportunities and drawbacks in board service, said alumnus Kevin Rieffel, ’12.
“To the young attorneys who are always hesitant to substitute billable hours with hours spent on personal projects, the panel was reassuring,” Rieffel said. “The trend today for firms is to encourage participation in service.”