Why Mentoring Matters: Katten’s Kenya S. Woodruff

I could not have made it this far in my career without good mentoring, guided by direct instruction and grounded in the belief that I was able to accomplish increasingly more complex tasks. The professional success I have seen stems largely from attorneys like Michael Silhol pulling me aside to give candid advice and pushing me to do more.

He was my mentor. He helped mold my career. Over the years, we have had a great professional relationship and a wonderful friendship.

Not everyone is so lucky.

In fact, a Harvard study showed that while more than 75% of professional men and women want a good mentor, fewer than 40% find one. The study also said many mentors aren’t making as much of an impact as they could if they considered all aspects of the mentee.

Over the course of many years that began when I was a third-year associate at another law firm, Michael, an in-house counsel and ultimately my supervising attorney in several roles, believed in me, encouraged me, and called on me. He sometimes kidded with me, yes, but importantly, he called on me to take on progressively more difficult assignments that forced me to stretch my skills as an attorney.

While the assignments were at times more than a bit difficult, what I remember most about our relationship is being truly appreciative that I had met someone who gave me opportunities to grow and who always had my back. It was not long before I knew I wanted to become a mentor, particularly as a diverse attorney in Big Law. I feel it is my duty to help as I was helped.

With a Little Help, Young Lawyers Can Flourish

There are so very many young lawyers who have great potential and will flourish with a little help.

At Katten, mentoring happens formally and informally and is a major part of continual attorney development through a range of programs including the Women’s Leadership Forum, which I chair. I now count among my Katten colleagues two senior associates, a staff attorney, and counsel, all of whom I have directly mentored—some over several years.

Ramana Rameswaran is one of them.

I met Ramana several years ago during meetings of a professional organization where we are both members. There, I observed his way of working: perpetually busy, it seemed, always seeking a new project. I saw his easy temperament and drive to learn all he could from whomever he could. This is one reason I so enjoy working with Ramana; he “gets it.” He knows that excellence requires hard work, and mentors can help move careers forward.

In Big Law, where the workload is often mountainous, it takes a team to get everything done in a manner that meets and exceeds client expectations. The more senior attorneys on the team count on other attorneys to help pay attention to the details. Ramana understands and does this. Readily. He knows that his work is a reflection not only of him but of our practice and, by extension, our firm.

Honesty Can Speed Professional Growth

He also understands that honesty in a mentor-mentee relationship can speed the professional growth process.

Though we are based in different Katten offices—I’m in Dallas and he’s in Washington, D.C.— we communicate often. The ease with which we talk and the range of subjects we cover are products of Ramana’s openness and easy acceptance of advice.

Though Zoom has been a best friend to many professionals working remotely during the pandemic, Ramana and I prefer texting. He knows I am often on the move, on client calls, or in Zoom meetings with other colleagues. Texting helps us connect quickly. Because of this, we have not missed a beat in deepening the ties that bind us as mentor-mentee. Our typed-out communication can flow from family matters—my daughters, his parents—to questions about work.

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when Katten, like most firms, was in an all-remote working environment, I could count on Ramana to check in with me, sometimes just to say “Hi.” I knew he could also be counted on not only to complete his assignments but also to help with other matters.

Ramana understands that this kind of dedication, flexibility, and, importantly, a steadfast desire to continually grow is required if you are to stand out in a field as competitive as Big Law.

Because he “gets it,” Ramana, like many of the young lawyers I have mentored, has thrived. I introduced Ramana to a general counsel who needed help on an ABA Business Law section committee. She was impressed with him, and he immediately took on the role of co-chair of the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s Health Law and Life Sciences Committee. Soon, he will become its chair.

I routinely include Ramana in client interviews for new work. I also work with him as he prepares pitches to his client contacts. And we talk often about the navigation of his career at Katten and in the larger health care industry. I believe Ramana will go far in his legal career because he embraces guidance, and he is committed to providing high-quality client service.

For a mentor/mentee relationship to thrive and meet the goals set at the outset of the relationship, the mentee must understand that there is a bigger picture that he or she perhaps cannot yet see. And there must be trust that the mentor has the mentee’s best interest in mind.

Rameswaran shares his thoughts on his mentoring relationship with Kenya and his ideas on what makes a good mentor in his Insight.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax, or its owners.

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Kenya S. Woodruff is the deputy general counsel at Katten, based in Dallas. She is a partner in the Health Care Practice and chair of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Forum.