Anjali N.C. Downs, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, was featured in The Business Journals in “In Her Own Words: Attorney Advocates for Herself, Colleagues,” by Ellen Sherberg.
The following is an excerpt:
In the world of (big) law my career trajectory is unique. I earned my master’s in public health and spent time working as a health educator, often advocating for women. It was through this work, that I had the opportunity to think about the intersection of health and the law and, I decided to change my professional course and go to law school. I had been exercising my voice to advocate for others, and by the time I became an attorney I knew how to exercise my voice in a professional setting.
Joining a firm as a first-year associate, married and older than some of my first year colleagues, was a lesson in self-advocacy, balance and empathy. As some of my peers were just finding their voices, I often had to look inward and balance life experience with gaining new professional experiences.
I quickly realized I wanted to participate in firm leadership opportunities and to help shape the future of the firm so I joined the associates and the hiring committees. I was able to advocate for the needs of my peers and to ensure that we were finding the best candidates to build a culture that recognized our values.
One of the big parts of self-advocacy is having the ability for introspection and reflection and the willingness to pivot. This has enabled me to create a balance that works for me both professionally and personally, and speaks to my path to law. By being true to myself and transparent with others, I felt the confidence to advocate for a reduced schedule when my son was born, another non-traditional path at many law firms. Of course, I had concerns about how a reduced schedule might change my trajectory, but if I did not make the ask, I would not be the attorney or the parent I wanted to be.
In many ways, this choice paved my path to leadership later on by empowering me to be strategic in how I prioritize my time and focus my practice work. I learned from this point on to 1) make the ask and 2) not compare my journey to others. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds, but with good mentors and taking stock of what was working and what was not, I could also make space for professional opportunities that worked for me. My path looked different than others but it wasn’t less worthwhile.
Part of being able to create that balance is learning that at different times there must be different priorities — and sometimes that means that the priority is work and sometimes the priority is something personal. My balance is feeling that I can be present in all aspects of my life the way I want to be and need to be during a given timeframe.
When I went back full-time, I made sure to surround myself with colleagues and leaders who would support my successes but also challenge me to step up. Encouraging feedback may not feel natural, but continuing to surround myself with advocates gave me the confidence to ask for and approach firm opportunities, ultimately resulting in my role as office managing partner. These mentors helped me (and continue to help) build my approach to leadership, and are pivotal to my success as a female attorney and leader.
Statistically speaking, just 28% of law firm partners were women in 2023, so arguably far fewer are office leaders. But working side-by-side with colleagues who were invested in me, and leaders who valued my work and voice, I was able to visualize a leadership path that was achievable.
When I set out on my first professional endeavors I did not necessarily see myself here. Sometimes the path can choose you, but I believe in making your own path. Reflect on what you want now and where you want to go and surround yourself with people and circumstances that can help you get there.
