I wanted to take a moment to celebrate an extraordinary milestone. Tomorrow, October 1 marks Steve Greenwald's 31st anniversary at #DavisWrightTremaine and an incredible 51 years of practice.
Steve has been more than just a colleague; he's been an incredible mentor and sponsor to so many of us. Think of him as a mighty oak tree, whose strength of character and wisdom have sprouted countless other oaks during his tenure. His guidance and support have been instrumental in the development of many notable figures at this Firm, including, to name just a few:
Jeff Gray, former Managing Partner of the Firm
Salle Y., former DWT partner and former General Counsel/CLO of Uber
Mark Fumia, former DWT partner and now Director, Legal at Google
Patrick Ferguson, former DWT partner and now Orrick partner
Katie Jorrie
Derek Green
And yes, me (forgive the hubris of listing myself among the notables)
Steve's influence extends far beyond individual mentorship. He played a crucial role in building the national reputation of the Energy, Natural Resources, and Environmental practice. As the practice group chair for the Energy group for many years, he successfully recruited numerous associates and partners across the various offices based in part on his sterling reputation as an attorney with a brilliant legal mind and impeccable client service.
On a personal note, Steve taught me to be the lawyer that I am today. His exacting standards raised mine at every turn and continues to do so even today (there is literally nothing I have ever written for him or with him that he has not redlined for the better) – I’m guessing this might be the first thing that I write that does not result in a redline. And I will never incorrectly use “between” when I should have used “among” as a result of his careful tutelage.
His gift at seemingly effortless, but tireless business development achieved primarily through short, timely, and usually, but not at all exclusively, sports- or financial-related communications delivered at all times of day to his extremely wide range of contacts across the country resulted in the remarkable referral network that will pay dividends to the Firm even after his departure. His ability to stay top of mind and useful to his clients and referral network while not actively being seen as selling because indeed he was not selling, but genuinely enjoying the connection and joy he created with each email – is something that I try to emulate. I hold it as one of the most significant lessons he has taught me – that and to have a healthy paranoia about ensuring one’s client service and work product is always top notch.
Anyway, please join me in celebrating Steve's remarkable milestone.
Thank you, Steve, for everything you've done, and congratulations on your 51st and final year of practice.
Owner - Winkworth Development & Commercial Investment at Winkworth
7moWhat a fantastic decision WFL and a great asset you are to the company Tara.