They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40 - Jade Turner-Bond of Nixon Peabody

Please describe two of your most substantial, recent wins in practice.
In January 2021, my team and I served as underwriter’s counsel to The California Endowment for its $300 million social bonds offering. This deal is special to me for two reasons. First, it was the first deal that I worked on where there was a clear focus on social justice. In the offering document, we highlighted the fact that The California Endowment was issuing these bonds because it believes that the “nation’s recent awakening to racial injustice provides an historic opportunity for transformational change toward a more equitable California.” To that end, The California Endowment used the proceeds of the bond offering to provide financial assistance to nonprofit organizations, projects, and programs advancing social justice initiatives. This transaction was also special because it was the first transaction that I led as a partner at the firm.

In May 2021, my team and I served as both bond and disclosure counsel for The Broad Museum on a sustainability bond transaction. Sustainability bonds were issued because of the environmental benefits, given the design of the museum, as well as the social benefits. The Broad’s commitment to sustainability, equality, and providing education and community engagement and development are key to their mission.

What is the most important lesson you learned as a first-year attorney and how does it inform your practice today?
One of the best lessons I learned as a first-year associate was the importance of being resilient. I came out of law school with a focus on corporate law following the financial crisis. Many firms were still recovering from mass layoffs and furloughs and finding a job as a first-year wasn’t easy. Fortunately, I was able to secure a volunteer position with the California State Treasurer’s Office in their public finance division. Thankfully, the volunteer position led to paid employment, and I worked there for nearly four years. I didn’t give up, and I followed the great opportunity available at the time, and it led me to where I am today. It’s important to be resilient as well as flexible when things don’t go your way or seem not to be part of “the plan”—those two traits have been equally important over the past two years with Covid.

How do you define success in your practice?
Success is when my clients see me as their trusted adviser. Success is when I secure repeat business because I’ve gone above and beyond. And success is when I partner with my clients to help meet their legal needs and potentially other business needs. What is really exciting is when a client comes to me for help with a public finance matter and then asks our firm to help with other legal matters.

What are you most proud of as a lawyer?
I’m really proud of my team. We are a talented, hardworking, and diverse group of attorneys that provide excellent client service. We take pride and lean into our diverse backgrounds to support our clients as well as each other. Many of my team members take a leading role in firm wide diversity programs like the attorney Black and Hispanic resource groups, or act as the firm liaison for the National Veterans Legal Services Program. Additionally, we have several team members who are multilingual and fluent in Spanish or Korean. We recognize that teams with diversity of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives produce the best results for clients—and they make our work more fun, as well.

Who is your greatest mentor in the law and what have they taught you?
Dan Deaton, a public finance partner at Nixon Peabody, has hands down been my greatest mentor in the law. He has taught me two important lessons:

Client service: As a junior associate, there is a tendency to get into people politics—internally and externally. Dan taught me the importance of focusing on anticipating and meeting the needs of the client.

Self-evaluation: On each and every transaction, the clients may feel like you did an excellent job or perhaps there was room for improvement, but most importantly you must evaluate yourself, honestly. Dan’s also taught me to take accountability when I make a mistake. His guidance throughout my legal career, from an associate to partnership, has had immeasurable effects not only on my practice today, but on who I am as a person.

Just for fun, tell us your two favorite songs on your summer music playlist.
Lizzo: “Good as Hell” – This song came out a few years ago, and I loved it the first time I heard it. Then I watched Lizzo’s show on Amazon Prime and developed a greater appreciation for her music because it is so empowering.

Sam Smith: “Money on My Mind” – This was one of my favorite songs. My 3-year-old son heard it and he loves it too, so we kind of bonded through our mutual love of this song.

Jade Turner-Bond helped her clients weather the Covid-19 pandemic through key financing, refinancing, and bond transactions. A founding host of Nixon Peabody’s podcast “To Live and Law in LA,” she serves as the partner chair of her firm’s Black Resource Group. She also sits on the board of directors of Grid110, an accelerator that provides access to resources to mostly diverse Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs.