Top Lawyers: Maryam Danishwar Of Clark Hill On The 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law
An Interview with Eric L. Pines
Young associates really need to work on their communication skills, whether it be with opposing counsel, the court, a partner or office staff. You need to learn how to communicate with different types of people in different settings. Asking questions is a part of communication. Don’t ever be scared to ask questions.
The legal field is known to be extremely competitive. Lawyers are often smart, ambitious, and highly educated. That being said, what does it take to stand out and become a “Top Lawyer” in your specific field of law? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law”, we are talking to top lawyers who share what it takes to excel and stand out in your industry.
As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Maryam Danishwar.
Maryam Danishwar, Senior Attorney, Clark Hill is an experienced trial attorney that represents clients in litigation and transactional matters related to interstate trucking and transportation accidents, employment disputes, claims against healthcare facilities, commercial landlord tenant disputes, subrogation claims, and other contractual disputes.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. What is the “backstory” that brought you to this particular career path in Law? Did you want to be an attorney “when you grew up”?
When I was about 8 years old, my mother and I immigrated from Afghanistan to the United States. When we settled in the states as refugees, my mom was a single parent and needed government aid in the form of subsidized housing and welfare to make ends meet. I watched her struggle to meet all of my needs and wants and vowed that when I grew up, I was going to be successful so that I could provide her with a better life and also do something that helped people who were similarly situated. I had two career paths in mind. One was being an attorney and the other was being a social worker. Eventually, in college, being an attorney won out, not only would it be an avenue for me to help people, but it would also provide me with the success and prestige that would make my mother proud.
My mother’s strength and her will for independence has certainly played a huge role into how I’ve grown up and the independence that I sought and have been able to achieve. My strength comes from having seen that attribute in my mom. When my mother left her homeland, we were smuggled out of the country. We snuck away in the middle of the night, traveled by donkey, tank and car, sometimes sleeping in farmhouses with others seeking their freedom, through the mountains separating Afghanistan from Pakistan. I know that if she could lead us through those situations and bring me to a better life, I really have no excuse and am driven to success.
Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?
I am a trial attorney who litigates anything from commercial business disputes to catastrophic personal injury matters and everything in between. More recently, my practice has focused more on transportation and trucking law, but my caseload varies at any given time. I knew from my law school experience in trial advocacy that litigation, more specifically becoming a trial lawyer, was something for which I had a strong affinity. Many lawyers choose their practice area when graduating from law school, but I waited until getting some experience in the field to decide. After a short period of time practicing, I immediately knew that I loved litigation. That passion has only intensified over time and ending my practice as a successful member of American Board of Trial Attorneys (ABOTA) is my ultimate goal.
You are a successful attorney. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? What unique qualities do you have that others may not? Can you please share a story or example for each?
My work ethic is my most significant characteristic. I take pride in being a hard worker. I’m a huge Kobe Bryant fan and grew up with his “Mamba” mentality. I’ve 100% bought into the concept of developing my craft and improving it daily. It’s important to never stop that improvement.
My relationship skills are another characteristic trait that has helped me in my career. I’m able to connect with and understand the perspectives of most people that I meet. Whether it relates to interoffice relationships, opposing counsel relationships, a court clerk, or even with a deponent in a deposition, I am able to build a trust and create a rapport which helps the process. It’s pretty amazing how many lawyers lack personal skills.
Another trait instrumental in my development is my ambition and determination. I think no matter what I have in life, I’ve always tried to do my best to maximize my abilities. Recently, I’ve learned that my ambition has caused me to be in competition with myself rather than others, which is a little bit dangerous but healthy. To make sure I’m progressing, I compare myself only to myself from year to year.
Do you think you have had luck in your success? Can you explain what you mean?
I’m not a big believer in luck. I know that everyone says there’s a certain aspect of luck that plays in everyone’s career, and that might be true. But I think that your fortune is what you make of it, and what you become is a result of the efforts and the work that you put in to get there.
Do you think where you went to school has any bearing on your success? How important is it for a lawyer to go to a top-tier school?
Initially when I was coming out of law school during a recession, having that Loyola Los Angeles name recognition definitely helped with my job searches and getting me into interviews. Thereafter, my career has been shaped by my experience. I think young lawyers that are starting out should realize that as you get further into your career, it’s really the experience that you gain and your accomplishments that matter more rather than what school you went to.
Based on the lessons you have learned from your experience, if you could go back in time and speak to your twenty-year-old self, what would you say? Would you do anything differently?
I think I would go back and teach myself to be more financially responsible. Colleges and law schools are very good at providing credit card companies access to students. And law schools give loans without really teaching students anything about financial responsibility. I fully took advantage of the social life in college and law school with my loan money and I didn’t think of one day having to pay it back. If I could go back, that’s probably the only thing that I would change. I would teach myself some financial or fiscal responsibility. Otherwise, I don’t really believe in regretting anything that you do, because where you are and who you are in life today can only be attributed to everything that you’ve gone through. I’m very content with how things have worked out.
This is not easy work. What is your primary motivation and drive behind the work that you do?
I love litigation. I am a law nerd who loves unique, new situations and digging in and finding new solutions or finding a way to deal with something that’s a little bit tricky or difficult. I love trials and being in front of a jury. I knew from the start that my goal was to be a trial attorney, so getting into ABOTA has been my motivation for the last 12 or 13 years. Client satisfaction is also a huge motivation in how I work and how I practice.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Most of my cases are $20–30 million catastrophic cases that keep things interesting at all times. Currently I’m preparing for a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration with nuisance issues that are new and exciting for me. Now that I’m comfortable and have such a passion for being in front of a jury, I’m concentrating more on building my book of business to become a go to trial attorney, which is exciting.
There are also a couple of projects that I’m involved in with my firm, Clark Hill, that actually don’t have anything to do with the practice of law itself, but are related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). I’m very proud to be a part of the DEI initiatives and just recently became a part of our Mansfield certification group. The DEI aspect of our firm is very near and dear to my heart. Being an immigrant woman who came here at the age of eight, I certainly appreciate the need for an initiative for DEI. What I love about Clark Hill is that not only are we focused on diversity, but inclusion is a very big factor in how we operate as a law firm.
Where do you go from here? Where do you aim to be in the next chapter of your career?
Becoming a member of ABOTA is my biggest goal. In my 14 years of practice, meeting the ABOTA membership requirements has been my focus and with a few more trials under my belt, I will hopefully achieve that goal soon. I also have a passion for mentoring, so that’s going to be another big focus for me moving forward. I currently supervise multiple associates on my cases and seeing their progress and how I contributed to that warms my heart. Furthering the DEI initiative is also up there for me and something I plan to focus on heavily.
Without sharing anything confidential, can you please share your most successful “war story”? Can you share the funniest?
My recent trial of a couple of months ago is war story that brings a smile to my face. The opposing counsel is a plaintiff’s attorney that I looked up to and wanted to work for when I was younger and on the plaintiff’s side myself. To be sitting at counsel’s table across from him objecting to his questions and throwing him for a loop as to how he should rephrase his questions because the objections were sustained, was very fulfilling, gratifying, and something that I’m going to remember for a long time.
Another war story that I take great pride in is the settlement of a catastrophic transportation case involving three traumatic brain injuries and a paraplegic from about six months ago. While the settlement being reached during the second day of trial was hard to accept given the amount of time and effort, I had put in the case for over two years, the client satisfaction and successful result will stay with me for years to come.
Ok, fantastic. Let’s now shift to discussing some advice for aspiring lawyers. Do you work remotely? Onsite? Or Hybrid? What do you think will be the future of how law offices operate? What do you prefer? Can you please explain what you mean?
I think that remote work has made the legal field a little bit more efficient, where you don’t have to waste so much time in traffic, whether it’s going to an appearance or a deposition. It’s also made the legal world a little bit smaller, where you can do things with people across the country over Zoom. However, attorneys and staff should remember the collaborative aspect of being in an office and what an advantage that was before 2020.
Because of that, I try to go into the office as much as possible. I’m somebody who needs the camaraderie and collaboration that inter-office relationships provide. I go in at least three to four days a week. I like to work with my secretary one-on-one and be able to walk into a partner’s office if I have questions. I’ve found it’s easier for colleagues to stop by and collaborate when I’m there in person rather than to try to connect when working remotely.
My biggest advice to aspiring attorneys or younger attorneys would be to go to the office in person as much as you can and benefit from the advantages of one on one face time, collaboration and camaraderie.
How has the legal world changed since COVID? How do you think it might change in the near future? Can you explain what you mean?
I think the trend is moving more and more towards working remotely. It seems like all court appearances and depositions are now automatically remote and in person appearances are the exception. I just hope there’s a boundary developed that leaves room for people to build interpersonal relationships, which I think are very important.
Based on your experience, how can attorneys effectively leverage social media to build their practice?
I think social media has created a great platform for attorneys who want to market themselves and build their practice more. I strongly encourage all younger attorneys and experienced attorneys to get on LinkedIn, get on social media, learn more, teach more, and use all of it for your purposes because social media is a very good and resourceful tool.
Excellent. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law?” Please share a story or an example for each.
For any young attorney wanting to be successful or accomplish their goals, you have to have a good work ethic. You need to be willing to put in the time needed to develop your skills. You must carve out some time, whether it’s non-billable or time outside of the office, to learn about what you’re doing, even if you’re not getting paid for it. Because in the long run it’s going to pay off. I think young lawyers need to invest more in developing mentorship relationships. Having a mentor is very important. Whether it be work related or not work related, a mentor can help you navigate through the difficult processes of your job functions and your career.
Young associates really need to work on their communication skills, whether it be with opposing counsel, the court, a partner or office staff. You need to learn how to communicate with different types of people in different settings. Asking questions is a part of communication. Don’t ever be scared to ask questions.
Building relationships is also very important. I don’t think I put as much importance on that aspect earlier in my career. You meet people, you do great work for them, they come and they go. Then there’s the next client that you concentrate on. But keeping, maintaining and building those relationships becomes important because you never know what you could do for someone later on or what they could do for you. You never know where you’re going to end up and where they’re going to end up. So, it’s very important to maintain and build relationships.
Then my final advice would be, be humble. No matter what you achieve, you can work as hard as you want and put your all into something and if it doesn’t pan out right, it might be crushing. And if you haven’t been humble in the past about your successes, that might be a problem. I think humility is a good characteristic trait to have.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this. :-)
If Kobe Bryant were alive, I would’ve loved to have met him for a one-on-one conversation to let him know how inspirational his mottos and quotes have been in my life. I would also love to hear the perspective of the first woman to become an attorney in this country, Arabella Mansfield. But since they are unfortunately not with us, I think Michelle Obama would be somebody who I would love to sit down with and have a conversation. I find her to be such a powerful, strong, educated woman, and it would be amazing to get her perspective on what it was like for her to take a back seat to a male President when she herself is just as qualified, if not more qualified, to do the same work.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!
About the Interviewer: Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative. A formal federal employee himself, Mr. Pines began his federal employment law career as in-house counsel for AFGE Local 1923 which is in Social Security Administration’s headquarters and is the largest federal union local in the world. He presently serves as AFGE 1923’s Chief Counsel as well as in-house counsel for all FEMA bargaining unit employees and numerous Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs unions.
While he and his firm specialize in representing federal employees from all federal agencies and in reference to virtually all federal employee matters, his firm has placed special attention on representing Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses hired under the authority of Title. He and his firm have a particular passion in representing disabled federal employees with their requests for medical and religious reasonable accommodations when those accommodations are warranted under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA). He also represents them with their requests for Federal Employee Disability Retirement (OPM) when an accommodation would not be possible.
Mr. Pines has also served as a mediator for numerous federal agencies including serving a year as the Library of Congress’ in-house EEO Mediator. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court for federal employee matters. He has also worked as an EEO technical writer drafting hundreds of Final Agency Decisions for the federal sector.
Mr. Pines’ firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. His first passion is his wife and five children. He plays classical and rock guitar and enjoys playing ice hockey, running, and biking. Please visit his websites at www.pinesfederal.com and www.toughinjurylawyers.com. He can also be reached at eric@pinesfederal.com.
