Legal Lady Boss- Katherine Spicer
Truth be told, I reached out to Katherine (Katy) Spicer because I was interested in the work she’s doing at Squire Patton Boggs with the Women’s Enterprise. I didn’t expect to me absolutely blown away by her. A former supply officer in the Marine Corps and fierce litigator, she is passionate about uplifting and supporting women in the legal industry- using her leadership skills for a greater cause. She and Squire Patton Boggs have been incredible supporters of Avocate with a series of events in several of their offices this year. I know you’ll appreciate her honesty below.
You had quite a journey prior to practicing law. Tell us about your path to enter the legal field.
I definitely took the long road. I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer, but my passion to serve my country overrode my immediate entrance into law school after my undergraduate degree. Instead, I spent five years on active duty in the Marine Corps as a supply officer before being selected into the Marine Corps funded law program in 2007. I am thankful that I had real-world experience prior to starting law school, certainly helped with discipline and perspective.
What does your work at Squire Patton Boggs look like?
I focus on litigation, government investigations, and cyber security incident responses - essentially, I thrive from being at the heart of a crisis or dispute and working to bring calm to chaos, organizing response teams and systems to solve the problem, and, most importantly, solving the problem!
Tell us about the Women's Enterprise and your role with the initiative.
I got involved in the Women’s Enterprise because I wanted to make a difference and support other women. I have a unique perspective to lend other women given my years of experience in the Marine Corps where I was often the one of a handful of women in an entire unit. I use my personal experiences, and the platform of the Women’s Enterprise, to inspire women to approach their careers assertively and to recognize (and push through) the unconscious bias that still lingers today.
How do you use your experience in the Marine Corps to your work as a litigator and as the leader of the Women's Enterprise?
As for life as a litigator, the Marine Corps instilled in me leadership and management skills that I try to impart on my teams to include effective delegation, building and developing a team mindset, and exercising individual initiative in everything one touches.
Who is a female mentor that comes to mind who has advocated for you in your career?
My number one mentor and role model in life is Amy Brown. She is a partner and litigator at Squire Patton Boggs, she is also on the firm’s recruiting committee and global board. But she is the whole package. She has character, ferocious work ethic, humility, leadership, and a gifted legal mind. Plus, I know she genuinely cares about my success and pathway for success. In short, she is a true mentor and she makes me want to be the best version of myself.
What is the most interesting/exciting project you have worked on in your career?
I’m not sure I can name one. I have had many exciting and challenging opportunities that have shaped me into the person I am today. If I had to pick a trend of projects I have found the most rewarding, they would include a great team, high stakes (combat, bet-the-company litigation), and unique opportunities to professionally develop. I have found there is a difference between the day-to-day grind and high stakes matters that requires grit - I have grown the most outside my comfort zone, so I try to stay there.
How do you manage your personal and professional life?
My family sacrifices a lot for my careers (BigLaw and Marine Reserves). I can’t say I manage well between my personal and professional life. That’s just the truth. My family does a good job at reminding me that I need stop and take time for the things that truly matter. Like protecting our morning time so we can enjoy breakfast and walk our son to school together before the day gets away from us.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
The best advice I ever received was from a GySgt I worked with on my first deployment to Iraq in 2004. He said, “Nobody is going to take care of your career better than you.” It’s always stuck with me and he made me realize that if I want a door opened, I need to run through it. There are no handouts in life. Everything is earned. So, work hard, be a good teammate, don’t ask for handouts, be a person of your word, care about people, and things will fall into place.