Washington Lawyer - March/April 2021 - 40

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
MADSEN continued from page 38
says. " It's very positive to see women and
minorities [today] as partners in all fields of
practice and in senior in-house positions. "
She also applauds the " greater flexibility " in law
firm partnership processes. Madsen remembers
she " didn't have much company " as a new law
firm partner, and even less as a mother of
three young sons. " It isn't unusual anymore for
women to make partner while pregnant, on
maternity leave, or while working part-time
or remotely, " she says.
Practicing law while raising a family was, and
still is, " very hard, " Madsen says, and she attributes her ability to handle both to rigorous time
management and a very supportive husband.
Another change she has witnessed over the
years is a general increase in legal and business
complexity, and thus the need for broad-based,
multidisciplinary legal services. To address the
needs of clients with national and global interests, firms must bring together cross-disciplinary and cross-geographical resources, as
well as a deep understanding of clients' businesses and industries. " There's a real emphasis,
even in a somewhat specialized practice, that
you will have a broader perspective on other
areas of the law, " Madsen says.
Some practice changes have been less welcome, notably the side effects of ever-present
technology. " It's helped lawyers be more productive and efficient than ever, " she observes.
" We don't send people off in cabs to deliver
court filings anymore. " But convenience has
come at a cost. Madsen cautions that " today's
law practice still requires mental discipline and
time to reflect, and constantly looking at a screen
can be a distraction that has to be managed. "
In terms of how today's law firms can support
early-career attorneys, Madsen thinks lawyer
development programs, including formal mentoring, " certainly help, " but she counsels against
relying exclusively on them. Lawyers should
focus on " proactively " seeking out growth
experiences, she says. To excel in private
practice, Madsen advises lawyers to not only
" work hard and try to be the best at what they
do, but also to actively reach out to others who
can help them achieve their practice goals. "
" Some of the best advice I ever got was to get
out of the office more often, " she says. She ran
with the suggestion and explored professional

40 WASHINGTON LAWYER

MARCH/APRIL 2021

association activities, which serendipitously also
became a source of deep friendships.
Madsen says even junior lawyers can gain
valuable skills by actively participating in professional associations, where they can organize
programs on emerging issues and write for
journals and other publications. Career growth
" is not just top down. It's a two-way street, " says
Madsen, a former chair of the prestigious ABA
Public Contract Law Section, where she remains
active.
How do successful lawyers like Madsen gain
recognition as thought leaders in their respective practices? " Over time it's become ingrained
[in me] to stay on top of new developments
through frequent learning, study, and reflection;
to figure out how changes fit with the current
structure of the law and practice; and to look for
opportunities to analyze, write, and speak about
how policy choices impact different groups and
industries, " Madsen says. It's also important " to
be intellectually open to a range of views and
ideas. "
With more than full plates at work and at home,
how does Madsen find time for speaking and
writing? She clearly possesses indefatigable

energy, steely discipline, and a lean-in philosophy, but she has no easy formulas for a successful balancing act. Madsen says she doesn't
" carve out specific times of the day to think and
write; it's really more opportunistic. " She regularly " captures 'aha' moments in brief notes, "
leaving the actual work of drafting to " early
morning or late at night. "
When asked what she looks forward to most
post-pandemic, Madsen responds without hesitation: " seeing my family outside of D.C. " She
hasn't seen one of her sons and a sister in many
months. " I have family scattered all across the
country and was accustomed to hopping on
a plane and spending a few days " with family
on short notice.
" The other thing I'm really looking forward to, "
she confides, " is having a leisurely dinner with
my husband in a nice restaurant. "

Kathleen Troy, an attorney and founder of strategic
general counseling, practices in the Washington,
D.C., area.

JEST IS FOR ALL

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