Since founding ReeseLaw, P.C., Kate Reese has fostered an environment that encourages lifelong learning and development. Mentorship is a priority for Kate, as she sees it as a critical part of offering the best client services in the family law arena, a critical emphasis in her management style and an opportunity to promote excellence in her field. Just like every legal case is unique, every colleague in the firm, from administrative to attorney, comes to the firm with their own set of skills, qualifications, and areas ripe for growth. Kate’s approach to mentorship involves drawing out the former and offering guidance and opportunities to cultivate the latter.
As a mentor, a boss, and a respected member of the legal community, Kate has three strategies for fostering growth in her team:
Lifelong learning is a guiding principle for Kate. She practices what she preaches, most recently by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Counseling and becoming educated on coaching and communication skills. She encourages her team to take courses and pursue other educational opportunities with the same commitment to personal development. “If they can show the quality of the opportunity and how it will help them grow, the firm will pay for the continuing education,” says Kate.
Professional development doesn’t get you far if you don’t grow your network. Kate strongly encourages her team to attend networking events and expects them to actively seek to meet at least one new person at every event. “You never know what might happen when you meet a new person,” says Kate. “They may be a person we can help or have a mutually beneficial relationship with be it a potential client, colleague, or resource.”
Kate believes strongly in mentorship. Not only is she involved in the mentorship program of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, but she also commits to helping every member of her team to become their best selves. Among some of her proudest achievements have been her team's successes, including an administrative assistant becoming a paralegal and former associates finding their own path to growth such as starting their own firm.
We talked to her two current associates, Mario Williams and Amanda Feldman, about their experience as Kate’s mentees.
Kate always has one additional colleague on each case, which means the client has two points of contact, and she and her associate work on the case together. In this process, the associate learns from Kate’s experience, and Kate has the benefit of fresh eyes and perspective, both of which benefit the client. As a mentee, Mario believes that Kate has taught him how to practice wisely: “She has helped me to discern what is best for the case as well as what is best for the client. Sometimes these are not the same thing, and it’s important to recognize and prioritize the client.” While managing the case, Kate adapts her mentoring role to the needs of the case and the associate. Mario has experienced the evolution from Kate’s close scrutiny of each document sent out by the firm to a second set of eyes for trickier issues while the day-to-day is left in his capable hands.
Coming off a 3-day trial where she was “first chair,” Amanda has had first-hand experience of Kate’s commitment to providing her mentees the opportunity to learn and succeed. Kate was fully present at the trial, and through Kate’s consistent support and supervision during the preparation leading to the trial, Amanda felt more than ready to take on the challenge. For Amanda, the most important mentoring she has received has been in client relationships. When the law meets one of the most intimate relationships a person can have, it raises tensions, hopes, and fears to the highest level. Kate’s advice and example have helped Amanda translate her legal knowledge into an empathic yet realistic approach to clients.
For Kate, the mentor role is natural and essential to her practice. Her clients benefit from the additional attention and resources. Kate benefits from the extra pair of hands and fresh insights her mentees offer. Her reputation in the legal community is enhanced by her commitment to mentoring the next generation. Finally, the practice of family law is elevated by Kate’s careful and attentive cultivation of the next generation of attorneys. ReeseLaw, P.C., and Kate herself have received ample recognition for excellence. If you are interested in working with her team, contact us for a consultation.
Evening and weekend appointments are available under certain circumstances.
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