October Member Spotlight

Erin K. Linehan, Esq.

What 3 pieces of advice would you give women in this industry?

Network and build relationships, within your firm/company, externally, with your peers, with folks who are junior to you, with people who are senior to you, with people outside of your specific area of practice and/or work. This is something that comes more naturally to men than women, but once I started taking it more seriously, and being more intentional and deliberate about it - the trajectory of my career path really took off.

Always have a mentor and be a mentor - you learn so much on both sides of the relationship.

Don’t take it all too seriously. The work will be there tomorrow. No one is so important they can’t take a vacation. Mental health and self-care are critical.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?

Well, Andrea beat me to it last month, but I couldn’t agree more - Co-Founding SWIFS is most certainly my greatest professional accomplishment. It was such a leap of faith - not knowing if anything would come of it, if it was something women in our field wanted, needed, or had time for. Its success has been my greatest source of pride. And getting to do it with Andrea made it even more special. The organization has helped develop so many women, assisted in making connections, mentorships, and educating our male colleagues. Add to that our new reach to law students to expose them to the industry and what the women of SWIFS have done to help the girls of Pace. I can’t help but be filled with so much pride for the organization and the SWIFSterhood.

What has been your greatest professional challenge?

Setting boundaries and defining what kind of leader I want to be - while being authentic to who I am. I have had to learn to step away, give advice and guidance, and let others work through their own challenges as opposed to stepping in myself. I have always been a fixer - but doing it myself doesn’t help anyone. Stepping back has been a challenge for me. I was told recently by a mentor that I needed to start saying no - it is hard for me to decline getting involved in projects - when I think the initiative or the work is truly important work that needs to be done. I need to remind myself of my own advice - mental health and self-care are critical.