Q&A: Jill B. Berkeley

> Jill B. Berkeley

Family: Married with two sons.

Education: A 1972 University of Michigan graduate, and a 1975 Northwestern University School of Law graduate.

Professional: A partner and co-chair of Howrey’s Insurance Recovery practice. Her clients include Ameren Corp., Chicago Bears Football Club Inc., Humana, and Laidlaw.

1. Why did you become a lawyer?
I was in college in Ann Arbor and I was a journalism major and writing for The Michigan Daily. I was covering the Commission on Women and, of course, it was also the late ’60s, early ’70s. I was very much swept away by the idea that women need to challenge themselves by doing more than just taking the easy path. …

I just felt I should be something I never would have assumed a woman could be. Although both of my parents went to college, there were no lawyers in the family.

I was not the least bit science-oriented, so I certainly wasn’t going to medical school. I wasn’t really interested in research — laboratory or academic research — and I also felt there were a lot of women already in those fields. So I said, “Well I will try this lawyer thing.” I took the LSAT and applied to law school and that’s what got me started.

2. What is the last big deal or case you worked on that you can talk about, and what did it entail?
The Illinois Appellate Court granted a petition for rehearing in a case we had won over a year ago, which was titled American Economy Insurance Company v. Holabird & Root. We had to prepare the response to the petition for rehearing and prepare for the oral argument and we are now awaiting the decision from the appellate court.

The issue in the case was an interesting question under duty to defend principles where we were attempting to have American Economy acknowledge its obligations to defend the architect as an additional insured under a subcontractor’s general liability policy.

3. What is the weirdest thing that ever happened to you as a lawyer?
I think probably the strangest thing I’ve ever done as a lawyer was to buy an insurance publication and become the publisher, the editor, the accountant, the marketer, and the researcher all at the same time.

When I went to law school it was really because I didn’t want to go into business. I just felt I didn’t have a real head for making a profit and, of course, the law has certainly become more of a business today. Taking that leap and owning a business and running a business at the same time that I was a lawyer was a real departure from what I would have thought was my career path.

4. If you could have lunch with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Frank Lloyd Wright.

I have been fascinated with him for his work as an architect, and his work as a visionary, and his success in building not just buildings, but also the creation of ideas. I’m fascinated with people who work with tangible things as opposed to just ideas. He, to me, combined the concepts of all these fantastic ideas and art and structure and engineering, and really changed the landscape of cities.

5. What is your favorite book, movie or television show about lawyers, and why?
For me, in some ways, my favorite movie would be “My Cousin Vinny.” I don’t mean that in any kind of deprecating kind of way.

Of all the things you could say — the TV shows, the movies and the books - there is just something about “My Cousin Vinny” that strikes me, that says something about the goodness of people who want to help someone. And a lawyer can certainly be a flawed person, but can actually still help somebody in need.

6. What advice do you have for new lawyers or those wanting to become lawyers?
I have found that new lawyers or maybe younger lawyers have developed an attitude of trying to do the work with as little effort as possible - in other words, trying to understand how to get the best result they can with the least amount of work …

I think that is such a dangerous attitude to have for a young lawyer. What I really want to nurture in my young lawyers is the sentiment that they should do whatever it takes to get the absolute best product, whether it’s a brief, whether it’s a memo, whether it’s taking a deposition.

As a young lawyer, if you don’t put in the effort to really push yourself as hard as you can to be as excellent as you can, you’ll never have as good of an opportunity in your life to really learn what it means to really work hard to get a great result.

7. What do you like the most and the least about being a lawyer?
I really like the ability to solve intricate and complex problems. I love sort of starting with a clean slate and having a client come to you with a problem that has layers and layers of complexity to it; and having to figure out and problem-solve and strategize how to get to the best result for the client. It really makes a new client a lot of fun to work with because you have new problems that come up.

What I like least is dealing with people who like litigation just for the battle. And there are many that really are thrilled by just engaging in conflict for the sake of conflict. And I recognize in my own practice that litigation is a necessary tool to resolve disputes. But I really don’t enjoy the battle just for the sake of battle. And I should say I don’t mean that in kind of a girly-girl way. I love to battle for the right result and I’m not at all adverse to conflict and aggression. But it offends me when people just do it for the joy of the battle.

— Interviewed by Olivia Clarke