Perri Birnbach, Esq.

After practicing for quite a few years, I noticed the days I liked best, were the ones in which I interacted with clients and helped them to solve problems. I realized I wanted to use my legal background to help people, but in a different way. I think part of the appeal in being an attorney is the ability to pursue a career instead of a job, and a career can take up most waking hours. I find the opportunity to contribute to making someone’s daily life better in such a meaningful way to be incredibly fulfilling.

I was thinking about my own professional growth, and I noticed that I was beginning to miss aspects of law firm life, especially the opportunity to work with sophisticated professionals operating at the top of their respective game. GCG came highly referred to me by a respected former colleague. As I learned more about their exceptional reputation among top law firms and had the opportunity to meet with such an impressive team, accepting the offer to join the group felt like a no brainer to me.

Putting the client first! When someone comes to me with a problem or a specific career trajectory in mind, it’s my responsibility to connect those dots and help them achieve their desired outcome. I’m also incredibly detail oriented because of my experience as an attorney – people won’t trust you with the big stuff if you can’t handle the small stuff, and trust is everything in this business.

I think we’ve seen rapid shifts from employer to employee friendly markets in the past few years and the tension that exists between sustaining the successful firm business model and talent retention. This balancing act is going to continue, but the firms that truly invest in their talent creatively will be the most successful. For young attorneys, knowing themselves and paying attention to which aspects of their career light them up is invaluable, as is developing the skill set to cultivate more of these experiences.

That there are so many opportunities and paths out there! I think people often feel like they are stuck or pigeon-holed, but there are always chances to pivot, if you just take a step back and see the broader skill set your experience has given you.

I try to set myself up for success by staying organized – the things I can control and plan for, I do. I then try to be fully present in either capacity, and I feel grateful, that both aspects make me who I am as a total person. Each day brings with it new opportunity to do my best.