Around the water cooler — Q & A with Anita Wilson

Each week we will pose these three questions to different lawyers in the legal community.

This week we talk with Anita J. Wilson, who has been practicing since 1996, and is vice president and chief employment counsel for TreeHouse Foods in Westchester, Ill.

– What do you find the most interesting about your practice?

Labor and employment law is dynamic. It’s always changing and developing.  I can’t remember the last “exciting” estates and trusts case, but there are always new laws and case law developments in labor and employment. These laws and cases are not just interesting from a pedagogical perspective — they have real social and political impact.

For example, look at the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. where the Court ruled that an equal pay claim under Title VII must be filed within 180 days of the specific action that set the discriminatory pay, regardless of its ongoing and continuing discriminatory impact on the employee. That case causes a real shift in how employees and employers look at their pay and really causes one to question the essence of pay discrimination and how it manifests. That’s fascinating and just doesn’t get any better than that.

– What makes a good lawyer?

First and foremost, a good lawyer really enjoys the practice and profession of the law. Secondly, a person who is detail-oriented but also has the ability to see the big picture makes a good lawyer. And a good lawyer is solution- rather than activity-oriented. The best lawyers I know don’t think in terms of motions and what to file — they think in terms of problems and focus relentlessly on how to solve them.

– What is the biggest legal news right now, and what is its impact?

I think the 2008 presidential election is the biggest legal news right now. The next president will probably appoint the next one or two justices on the Supreme Court. The appointment battle alone will be impactful.