Last month we brought you some of the collective wisdom that my  Law.com colleague Tasha Norman has been cataloging from newly tapped Am Law 100 litigation partners as part of her “How I Made It” series exploring what it takes today to build a successful career in the law. There were more than 40 litigators who participated in Tasha’s “How I Made Partner” series over the past year, and today we’re going to take stock of what the seven litigators at firms in the Second Hundred of the Am Law 200 had to say about how they forged their paths to partnership. 

Embrace Specialization

Bao Vu of Stole Rives. (Courtesy photo.) Bao Vu of Stole Rives. (Courtesy photo.)

Bao Vu in San Francisco made partner last year at Stoel Rives. In part, he credits that to his decision to focus on representing clients in regulatory and litigation matters involving California’s Proposition 65, a state law requiring businesses to provide warnings about significant exposures to chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. He returned to the firm after a brief stint practicing at Duane Morris when his longtime mentor Melissa Jones, who previously led the Prop 65 practice at Stoel Rives, was named firmwide managing partner in 2019.