Name: Amy K. Johnson

Category: Law Firm: Thought Leadership

Firm/Company: Moore & Van Allen

Title: Member

Time in Position: Since 2008

What was your route to the top? 

Although it pays to be very intentional with your career, I have benefited from the unexpected. Upon graduating from law school, I clerked for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit thinking I wanted a career as a litigator. Not long after I started at a firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, a more senior associate took maternity leave and I was asked to pitch in with the public finance team. I found public finance to be a much better fit for me. I made partner at that firm but left after 12 years for another Charlotte-based firm. At my very first partners' meeting with the new firm, I learned that it was exploring a merger. Prior to the merger, a group of us came to Moore & Van Allen, where I have now been for over 10 years. I had been active in our local bar with promoting diversity. A partner at Moore & Van Allen who had worked with me on those efforts asked me to co-chair the diversity committee with her. She is now a dear friend. Connections matter.

What keeps you up at night?

Like many lawyers, I am either worrying that I have too much work or worrying that I need to be out there looking for more. From a more global perspective, I worry about the increasing loss of civility in our public spheres and what that means for our ability to exchange ideas and perspectives. Certainly you can look back in history and see positive change resulting from behavior that was not considered civil, but too often in this digital age any disagreement is met with insults. My children are 19 and 21. I hope our future generations share their beliefs better.

What is the best leadership advice you've given or received, and why do you think it was effective?

My father often quoted Dr. Stephen Covey's advice to seek to understand before you seek to be understood. Dr. Covey said that "most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." This leadership advice is particularly significant when striving to build a diverse pool of talent. Without truly listening, any response takes into account only your own frame of reference and experiences. We are very fortunate at Moore & Van Allen to have a fabulous manager of diversity and community initiatives. I know better than to make a decision without listening to her.

Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you started out in the legal profession?

Hang in there. It can be rough at the beginning. If you had asked me during my first year of practice whether I would still be practicing in 2019 and enjoying it, I would have answered, "absolutely not." As a young lawyer I could have handled critical feedback better, viewing it more as an opportunity to become a better lawyer.

What is the most valuable career advice anyone has ever given you?

The most valuable career advice was to bring my whole authentic self to work. I brought my personality to meetings and negotiations. I started to enjoy work more and became a more confident lawyer. In the context of my work in promoting diversity in the legal profession, this advice gives me pause for reflection. Bringing your whole self to work is more challenging when you are different. We've got to figure out how to make it easier.