Lambert says that he traveled around the country for the first twelve years of his career to lead large teams through discovery, trial, and appeal. I loved being a litigator that could be immersed in many different industries, technologies and case strategies. It was also incredibly rewarding for me to achieve so many amazing outcomes for our clients, both at trial and settlement.
Her impressive record includes securing significant settlements for her clients, including a series cases related to digital cameras, which resulted in over $240,000,000. “I was able to experience every aspect of litigation in those cases – from deposing representatives at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo to winning a motion to sanction opposing counsel for discovery misconduct, and conducting jury interviews after trial. “I was grateful for the many opportunities.”
Lambert and her husband, however, faced difficulties in building a family as their career rose. They welcomed twins using a gestational ring after losing several pregnancies. Lambert returned to her job after maternity leave and began leading large litigation cases. Her husband, Louis Lambert who is also an attorney, worked on mergers and purchases for General Mills around the world.
Lambert smiles and says, “Things were running smoothly at the office, but even though I was working at 80 per cent, we felt stretched at home due to my husband’s traveling schedule and what seemed like constant interruptions from childcare.”
Pumping Professional Brakes
Balancing childcare duties with demanding careers became a significant challenge. Lambert, who noticed that her children were adopting the accent of their nanny, decided to take a vacation and be more available for her children.
The firm was fantastic and offered me to reduce my schedule, or do whatever I wanted in order to make it easier for me to stay. “But I needed to take some time off.”
Lambert originally planned to return to the workforce when her twins began kindergarten in 2016. The diagnosis of type I diabetes in her son three weeks after he started kindergarten, however, changed their plans. Her son’s condition demanded constant attention, even when he was in school. This made it difficult to resume her career as a lawyer.
During her time away, Lambert stayed in touch with her Robins Kaplan co-workers and Ron Schutz, Lambert’s mentor for many years and the current Chair of the Executive Board. Lambert’s eventual return was discussed. In early 2022, after her children had settled in and the pandemic was behind them, Lambert returned to Robins Kaplan in a part-time capacity in the intellectual and technology departments. She also assumed the role of Chair of Professional development, which included overseeing the training, mentoring, and career advancement of associates via the Robins Kaplan Academy.
Shifting Gears
Lambert realized the importance of hands-on training after experiencing the challenges that remote work posed during the pandemic. She and her team of professional development launched the Robins Kaplan Academy to provide comprehensive training in oral arguments, motion practice and deposition skills. First Chair, the cornerstone program of the academy, emphasizes practical experience.
“Like other lawyers around the world, we spent two years learning and honing our litigation skills from afar, but this is not the most effective way to do so, especially for a junior attorney. When I was climbing the ladder, my best training was on the job, in the real world. For example, our First Chair Trial Advocacy program was an important part of my training. When I returned to the firm early in 2022, and people started to return to the office, it was a great opportunity to focus on giving our attorneys practical training to improve their core litigation skills.”
Lambert is also committed to the development of her associates, especially women. She is a woman who has achieved success in a male-dominated area of patent litigation. She understands and appreciates the challenges that women face, and she strives to mentor and support them.
“Ron and I discussed, when I returned to the States, my involvement in our associates’ personal career development. I now try to meet our associates one-on-one a few time a year so that we can see how they are doing and what we can do to help them reach their goals.” We also want to ensure that they’re on track and receiving the training they need.
Lambert, who attributes her career success to “lifelong mentors such as Ron, Jake Holdreith, and Judge Becky Thorson” for their support, tries to emulate this behavior with her colleagues, particularly the women.
She continues, “Patent litigation is still a male-dominated field of law. This poses unique challenges for women both inside and outside the courtroom.” “So I try to keep in touch with our female colleagues on a regular base to ensure they are progressing and getting the opportunity they desire.”
Lambert, in addition to playing a role in her professional development, continues to help clients with patent, trademark and copyright litigation. She manages to maintain a balance between her career, family and community involvement.
Helpers and Heroes
Since their son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, Lambert and her husband are actively involved in the Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter JDRF. Lambert is on the board and with the help of their family and friends, Team Super Lou raised more than $250,000 for JDRF to support their mission of finding cures. Lambert and her husband co-hosted JDRF Hope Galas in 2021 & 2022, and raised a total of $3 million for the organization. Both personally and philanthropically, their involvement was deeply rewarding.
Lambert says, “It is a truly wonderful organization.” They do so much to help families deal with the daily struggle of T1D. But more importantly, hundreds of trials are underway aimed at finding a cure. They are SO close to finding a cure.”
Lambert’s story shows that professional women, with the support of forward-thinking companies, can create careers that fit their family life, even in unexpected situations. “My advice to young associates would be to do excellent work and achieve great results, but also spend time nurturing your relationships with mentors and your colleagues. I know that I wouldn’t have gotten where I am today without them.”
The post Carrie Lambert Embracing Pause and the Path to a Fulfilling career first appeared on Attorney at Law Magazine.