They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40 - Lillian Hardy of Hogan Lovells

Please describe two of your most substantial, recent wins in practice.
I launched our Crisis Leadership Team the fall before COVID-19 hit, which provided an ideal platform to assist clients in the various ways COVID-19 threw them for a loop. We performed mission-critical work like helping clients bring ventilators and telethermographic systems to market under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, and helping a company recover from a COVID-19 outbreak at its premises.

I have advised more than a dozen companies on how to handle some legal aspect of the racial justice crisis following the slayings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other incidents. I also was appointed to conduct a probe into a police department to root out allegedly racist practices. I am grateful to use my influence as lawyer and advisor on behalf of organizations that are moving toward anti-racism and greater inclusivity.

What is the most important lesson you learned as a first-year attorney and how does it inform your practice today?
I learned that not every matter will be exciting, but all cases have a place in your development and the same supervisor that brings you a dud today can put you on career-defining matter tomorrow. Most of the cases I take on today are per se exciting, but I would not have the tools to handle them if I had not developed core investigation skillsets from more mundane corporate investigations.

How do you define success in your practice?
Success in my field is leaving a situation better than I found it and feeling confident that the person I helped would recommend me to someone they care about. I also feel successful when people decide to invoke compliance and preparation as a proactive crisis-avoidance tactic.

What are you most proud of as a lawyer?
I am proud that I have created a practice where problem-solving and decisive action are as valuable as truth-telling and meaningful change. Change that my clients can feel proud about.

One of the areas where I can make the most difference right now is working with companies motivated to address systemic racism in the wake recent events that have led to greater public scrutiny of the treatment of Black people and people of color.

Who is your greatest mentor in the law and what have they taught you?
I have enjoyed the great fortune of having a network of mentors that, taken together, have had a big role in helping me forge my path. A lawyer and historical figure I admire greatly is Charlotte E. Ray (1850-1911). She was the first Black woman lawyer in the United States and the first woman admitted to the District of Columbia bar. I am inspired by her accomplishments in the face of challenge and try to approach my own career with similar tenacity.

Tell us your two favorite songs on your summer music playlist.
Without a doubt, “Wheels on the Bus,” and “5 Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree” are always at the top of my playlist. I spend a great deal of time playing YouTube DJ for my kids, ages 7 and 3, and have sourced several dozen versions of these hits.