Chip Loewenson is a partner at Morrison & Foerster. His practice focuses primarily on white-collar defense and regulatory matters. He has also handled significant civil litigation, including cases involving civil RICO, securities fraud, and trade secrets. Prior to joining MoFo in 1990, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He is a graduate of Princeton and Yale Law School, and was a Fulbright Scholar. He provided the following practical advice for newer attorneys.

The Big Picture

Whatever kind of job you have—whether it’s at a large law firm, a small boutique, in a government job, or working for a public interest organization—you want to think strategically. Think about the client’s goals or the organization’s objectives. Don’t just sit back and wait for a defined assignment, whether it’s a specific research memo, a document review, or some other discrete project. Think strategically, think big picture, think pro-actively, think like a partner or a business owner. Nothing is more helpful to senior lawyers—or to the client—than for you to be giving them those kinds of bigger-picture ideas. And it’s a way to make yourself stand out and to get more interesting and more challenging assignments.