Ed.
note:
This
is
the
latest
installment
in
a
series
of
posts
on
motherhood
in
the
legal
profession,
in
partnership
with
our
friends
at MothersEsquire.
Welcome
Jeanine
M.
Donahue
to
our
pages.
Click
here
if
you’d
like
to
donate
to
MothersEsquire.
“Location,
location,
location”
is
a
well-known
phrase
in
the
real
estate
industry
implying
that
location
is
the
most
important
factor
in
determining
the
value
and
success
of
a
property. Taking
a
page
out
of
that
playbook,
“Relationships,
relationships,
relationships”
is
the
phrase
for
new
law
school
graduates
contemplating
the
value
and
success
of
their
future
career.
Keep
up
with
and
interact
with
your
college
and
law
school
classmates
—
over
LinkedIn,
TikTok,
or
whatever
social
media
platform
is
in
vogue. Don’t
limit
yourself
to
virtual
connections
—
in
person
meetups,
whether
for
drinks,
dinner,
or
an
outdoor
activity
are
important. If
distance
or
time
is
a
problem,
set
up
Zoom
lunches
where
you
can
have
a
lunch
delivered
to
your
friend
and
then
you
can
causally
chat
over
a
virtual
lunch.
Ask
substantive
questions
about
the
person’s
area
of
practice
or
business
—
what
are
the
trends,
what
are
the
concerns
or
stressors
of
the
job/business,
what
are
their
goals
—
how
can
you
help
them
achieve
their
goals. Then
think
of
ways
to
help
your
friend.
Give
them
a
heads-up
about
an
article
you
read
or
a
speaker
you
heard
who
was
lecturing
on
a
topic
that
may
be
helpful
to
them.
Building
these
authentic
relationships
from
the
beginning
of
your
career
will
help
you
as
you
grow. I
lost
track
of
my
good
friend
and
moot
court
partner
for
a
number
of
years
—
my
life
and
career
got
busy
and
I
lost
contact
with
him.
When
I
finally
looked
him
up,
he
was
the
GC
of
a
Fortune
100
corporation. Because
I
had
not
nurtured
that
friendship
for
many
years,
I
lost
out
on
a
potential
opportunity
for
business
development
and
connections
(and,
honestly,
I
missed
my
friend
too!)
By
the
same
token,
try
to
maintain
relationships
with
the
people
who
you
work
with
and
for
over
the
years.
While
in
law
school,
I
worked
as
a
case
assistant
for
a
large
law
firm.
I
kept
in
touch
with
the
attorneys
and
support
staff
of
that
firm
as
I
moved
on
to
other
firms
as
a
lawyer.
Twenty
years
later,
those
big
firm
lawyers
and
some
of
their
staff
opened
up
a
litigation
boutique
and
were
looking
to
hire.
The
relationships
I
maintained
over
those
20
years
landed
me
one
of
the
best
jobs
I
have
ever
had.
And
from
that
role,
one
of
the
litigation
boutique
partners
made
introductions
for
me
to
a
client
who
I
have
now
worked
with
for
over
10
years.
Lastly,
relationships
with
co-counsel
and,
yes,
even
opposing
counsel,
are
important
to
maintain
and
nurture. These
are
the
people
you
are
going
to
call
about
what
they
are
hearing
in
your
practice
area
or
industry. They
will
be
the
ones
you
contact
to
ask
about
their
experience
with
a
judge
or
mediator
or
opposing
counsel. Opposing
counsel
who
you
respect
can
be
a
great
source
for
information
and
for
bouncing
theories
or
ideas
off
of. Attend
legal
conferences
where
both
sides
of
your
practice
attend
so
that
you
meet
the
people
in
your
practice
area
on
both
sides
of
the
V. Getting
active
in
various
legal
groups,
like
the
ABA
or
local
bar
associations,
is
another
way
for
you
to
get
that
exposure
to
co-counsel
and
opposing
counsel. Growing
those
relationships
now
will
make
it
easier
down
the
road
when
you
need
to
pick
up
the
phone
to
speak
with
those
people.
So
yes,
you
think
that
practicing
law
means
research,
arguments,
briefs,
and
trials
but
the
underpinning
of
a
successful
legal
career
starts
as
you
graduate
with
relationships,
relationships,
relationships. Congratulations
and
warmest
wishes
on
your
hard
earned
and
well-deserved
success! Don’t
wait
for
fate.
Create
the
relationships
now
that
will
shape
your
future.
Jeanine
M.
Donohue
is
a
member
of
the
firm’s
Litigation
Practice
Group
and
Wineries,
Vineyards
and
Breweries
Practice
Group.
She
practices
in
the
firm’s
St.
Helena
and
San
Francisco
offices.
With
over
30
years
of
experience,
Jeanine
is
a
big
picture
strategist
who
quickly
appreciates
the
30,000
foot
major
issues,
while
also
being
attentive
to
the
nuances
and
important
details
of
each
matter
she
handles.
Jeanine
maintains
a
broad
litigation
practice
that
includes
insurance
recovery,
commercial,
real
estate
and
products
liability.
Since
2013,
Jeanine
has
served
as
Outside
General
Counsel
to
four
active
524(g)
settlement
trusts
with
over
$1
billion
in
assets.
She
manages
all
outside
trust
litigation
including
insurance
coverage
litigation,
bankruptcy
and
adversary
proceedings.