Mackrell International's (MI) Mentor Series brings together seasoned lawyers with our Next Generation of legal leaders. MI Mentors share their professional and personal experiences and advice to help guide up-and-coming lawyers.
This article features Lorraine Cavataio, Shareholder at Sandberg Phoenix.
Super-Lawyer Lorraine Cavataio has come a long way from being the little midwestern girl who used to hide behind her mother’s leg in social situations.
Although she grew up an introvert, she knew by the seventh grade that she wanted to be a lawyer. She envisioned a life in the big city, taking the courtroom by storm and earning the respect of her colleagues and clients.
Those were big dreams for someone with social anxiety - so she began working to change that. She now declares herself an “ambivert”, introverts who teach themselves how to be extroverts.
A notable result of that change for Lorraine is that she developed self-awareness, “You realize things change and sometimes you’re wrong. Wrong about yourself, wrong about others,” she said. “And you just have to be self-aware enough to make a change and figure out what that change is and be strategic as to what you do.”
She wasn’t wrong about her longing to be a lawyer, but she did come to realize that she didn’t have to go far from her hometown in Illinois to live out her dream.
Lorraine has been practicing law for 24 years near the area she grew up in. She is now a shareholder of the Sandberg, Phoenix law firm in O’Fallon, Illinois, where she focuses on business law, estate planning, estate and trust administration, litigation and real estate.
The wife and mother of two teenagers is active in charitable and nonprofit associations within the community. She serves as district governor for Rotary District 6510 and regularly gives speeches - another area she feared until she taught herself to overcome her nerves.
She finds that a simplistic approach to her work yields best results, remaining humble in who she is and how she treats and responds to others. She said this involves taking off the lawyer hat from time to time to help others feel at ease.
“I realized I can't talk like a lawyer. If I want to be successful, I have to learn how to talk like a human being,” she said.
The accomplished attorney also noted that mentorship is important in any line of work, and while it's advantageous to look up to others, never forget to look at the value within.
“Stop looking at me. Look at yourself,” she said. “You need to realize how phenomenal you are and carry that forward.”
Her advice to new or aspiring lawyers:
Don’t find reasons to hold yourself back. Regardless of your gender, race, upbringing, economic status or confidence level, continue to move forward. “I just keep plowing forward and seeing what works and learning from that. Continue to figure out from the failures what needs to change and what needs to be done differently.”
Be strategic and intentional in decision-making. If you are married and have a family, have discussions about schedules and hours and who will take care of which responsibilities from the very beginning. “We walked into the relationship with eyes wide open as to what this meant. He chose to stay home with the children, and I pushed my career forward. I am blessed that he allows me to do those things.”
Stay humble. Don’t get too full of yourself or too overconfident. “Every time that I’ve realized that I got too cocky and too big for my britches and came down off the hill, somebody knocked me off my pedestal.”
Be accountable for your mistakes. No one is perfect, so accept your mistakes. “I think that sometimes sharing those moments where we failed, that’s the most important thing we can do. I don’t dwell on them. I learn from it and move forward.”
It’s ok to say “no,” but say “yes” when you can. Before you turn down an opportunity, ask yourself why you are saying no. Think hard about it. Don’t let fear of failure be the reason why. Don’t leave yourself with regrets when you look back over your career.
Learn to smile. Smiling as you walk in will make whatever you have to say that much more inviting. It might not be the best idea to smile right as you go into court to argue a case, but in your other interactions, it can be beneficial. “You’d be amazed what people can do for you if you just are nice, smile and be gracious.”
The full recording of Lorraine’s discussion with Keith Heddle, MI’s Managing Director, is available on-demand from our YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/Ilg0h-L3sQk. Like and subscribe to our Channel to keep on top of legal developments from around the world.