They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40 - Dana Dombey of McDermott Will & Emery

Please describe two of your most substantial, recent wins in practice.

We represented Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey in a cross-border transaction forming IVI-RMA Global, the largest assisted reproduction services network. I have since co-led McDermott’s representation of IVI-RMA, including leading several acquisitions, corporate, and regulatory matters, and as US-based counsel for the multi-billion investment by KKR in 2022.

It has been rewarding to help IVI-RMA’s European team navigate the complexities of the US healthcare regulatory landscape and witness IVI-RMA’s growth.

I really enjoy supporting private equity clients throughout the lifecycle of their investments. For example, I’ve served as health care, M&A, and outside general counsel for Oral Surgery Partners since Sheridan Capital Partners’ initial investment in 2019, when OSP provided services to one practice in Missouri. Over the years, my team has managed acquisitions across more than 30 states and dozens of other matters, contributing to OSP’s growth into of the largest oral surgery DSOs.

Supporting NMS Capital in its investment in Flourish Research, a leading and rapidly growing clinical research site management organization, has also been very fulfilling. Seeing increasing investor interest in the pharma services space, it has been great to work with, and learn from, NMS, Flourish, and McDermott’s clinical research and life sciences teams.

What is the most important lesson you learned as a first-year attorney and how does it inform your practice today?

To take ownership over every assignment and be helpful and proactive outside the scope of the specific assignment given.

For example, first-year associates are often tasked with reviewing and summarizing due diligence materials for a more senior attorney’s review. As a first-year associate, I noticed that partners valued when associates not only produced the requested written summaries from their review, but also raised potential issues or questions, provided adequate context, and followed any identified issues through until they were fully addressed or resolved.

Doing so helped me build strong relationships and trust with partners, which led to partners offering opportunities to work on interesting and challenging projects for significant McDermott clients to which I would not have otherwise been exposed.

What was true then in terms of building relationships with partners has proven to be even more true in developing relationships with clients. Having the ability to anticipate and identify a client’s needs or potential risk areas before being asked, and maintaining responsibility over those issues until resolution to substantive work and client service.

How do you define success in your practice?

Success is defined by the strong, long-lasting relationships I have built with clients. Helping clients navigate challenges and transformative events has led me to become their trusted strategic adviser, while building strong personal relationships that I cherish deeply.

I am succeeding when clients view me as a creative and constructive member of their team who is focused on finding solutions rather than identifying roadblocks, a team member who thinks about issues and opportunities beyond the scope of a specific question asked (often on matters unrelated to my core M&A practice), and a good friend.

My success is also measured by that of those around me. I’ve had a successful day on the job when I can help make a company executive or junior investment professional look great in front of their organization’s leadership; a partner navigate a difficult substantive issue or land a new client; an associate learn a new skill or understand a complex concept; a legal assistant study for her paralegal certificate; or a law student navigate the job market.

What are you most proud of as a lawyer?

I can think of many examples, including my first time leading a transaction, my first time helping a pro bono client, and seeing the first associate I mentored be promoted to partner.

That said, I am most proud that I was promoted to partner before turning 30, while understanding that less than 4% of law firm partners are diverse women. As a Venezuelan immigrant and a woman, I look across the industry and struggle to identify leaders who look, work, or act like me, so I have often questioned my ability to succeed in Big Law while remaining true to myself, my style, and my priorities.

With strong support from my family, friends, mentors, and team at McDermott, I decided to put my head down, do my best work, and build the strongest relationships possible with clients and partners working across our differences, which led to my promotion. If my example can encourage even one diverse attorney to continue on their path and know that there is room for them to succeed in the legal industry, that would make me incredibly proud.

I am also proud that in my quest to build teams full of talented attorneys who can provide the best service to our private equity and health care clients, I most often find myself leading teams comprised primarily (or exclusively) of diverse attorneys.

Who is your greatest mentor in the law and what have they taught you?

I am lucky to learn from outstanding attorneys – including McDermott’s Chairman Ira Coleman, Healthcare Practice Group Leader Jerry Sokol, my partners Fred Levenson, Jed Spielman, Joan Polacheck, and Chelsea Rogers, my great-aunt Judith Cooper, and my friend and client Allison Canton, among countless others, but I would especially highlight the partner I have worked with most closely, Bernie Grondin.

Bernie always provides actionable and direct feedback, while remaining positive and supportive and giving me latitude to grow and develop my own style. I would not be the attorney or person I am without his trust, which allowed me to expand my skillset and build confidence as a lawyer.

In addition to substantive and client service excellence, Bernie exemplifies true partnership and teamwork. As a first-year associate, Bernie taught me that no task is too big or small when working in a team— input from junior attorneys can change the outcome of a matter and senior attorneys should aim to understand every small detail to achieve the best outcome—and that teams can be more successful when input from attorneys at all levels is considered and leaders roll up their sleeves to work on tasks at all levels as needed. I have taken these lessons to heart, and they have shaped the course of my career and my relationships within and outside McDermott.

Tell us your two favorite songs on your summer music playlist.

First, any song by Juan Luis Guerra! His music has been a constant in my life. My parents remember me singing along to “Burbujas de Amor” as I learned to speak, his concert in Caracas was one of my first, and his music would even provide comfort during homesick moments in law school. After years without seeing him live, JLG’s recent concert in South Florida was one of my happiest moments this year.

Second, Halev Sheli by Omer Adam and Ishay Ribo has been on my playlist since I saw them perform live in D.C. last November and it is still at the top of my Hebrew/Israeli song playlist for the summer.

Dana Dombey of McDermott Will & Emery in a hot air balloon over Tuscany, Italy.

Credit: Dana Dombey and Jonathan Hurtarte/Bloomberg Law