C — October 25 - November 7, 2013 — Executive Women in Business — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
Executive Women in Business
Amy SantaMaria, Kimberly Russell, Simi Kaplin Baer & Pamela Tobin Four members of Kaplin Stewart talk about their careers
Pamela Tobin Title: Attorney Firm: Kaplin Stewart Meloff
Kimberly L. Russell Title: Partner Firm: Kaplin Stewart Meloff
Amy SantaMaria Title: Partner Firm: Kaplin Stewart Meloff
Simi Kaplin Baer Title: Attorney/Partner Firm: Kaplin Stewart Meloff
Reiter &Stein, P.C. Years with Firm: 5 Education: Bryn Mawr College; Temple University School of Law Real estate organizations/affiliations: Urban Land Institute ell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in? After becoming a victim of a petty crime, I gained insight into the legal system and got hooked. Because at law school, I was on law review and got good grades, I was quickly wooed to a large center city law firm. What were some of your early goals and did anything happen in your career /profession to change them? Early on, my goal was to try cases. As a result of working at a large law firm, however, I was assigned to large commercial matters which usually settled before trial. I would take on all the smaller matters I could find and therefore got to try some cases. My practice continues to focus on complex commercial matters and the occasional trial. What unique qualities and/or personality traits do you feel makes you most successful in your profession? I like a challenge and I derive a great deal of satisfaction from analyzing complex issues and deriving the best possible outcome for my clients. What challenges and/or obstacles do you feel you needed to over- come to become as successful as you are today? I had to learn to detect when oppos- ing counsel was blustering as opposed to telling the truth. Do you feel being a woman is an advantage in today’s business world? Why? Why not? I think this is an exciting time to be a female attorney. It is definitely better than in years past. That said, women still have to persevere to earn leader- ship positions in their firms and bar associations. Do you feel there are any dif- ferences in the way that men and women develop business relation- ships and if so, what activities or venues do you participate in? Sure, there are differences. I serve as a director of the Montgomery Bar Association and chair of its Women in the Law Committee. I also oversee the Bar’s civics program taught in Norris- town middle schools. Serving the Bar allows me to connect with diverse T
Reiter & Stein, P.C. Years with Firm: 20 Years in Field: 20 Education: J.D. from Villanova University School of Law
Reiter &Stein, P.C. Years with Firm: 8 Education: State University of New York at BinghamtonMagna;
Reiter &Stein, P.C. Years with Firm: 12 Education:
BA, Tufts University. JD, University of Pennsylvania
Temple University School of Law 1996 T ell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in? I began my career as a lawyer in No- vember, 1996 at a small firm in Center City Philadelphia. I was immediately thrown into civil litigation matters. I specifically recall writing and arguing a motion relating to successor liability in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania within the first fewmonths ofmy employ- ment. I knew litigation was for me. What were some of your early goals and did anything happen in your career /profession to change them? My earliest goal was to prove tomyself that I was good at this – the practice of law. This goal really hasn’t changed and I strive to improve every day. What unique qualities and/or per- sonality traits do you feel makes you most successful in your profes- sion? I think that I am very organized, ar- ticulate, hard working, and intelligent. I also care about my clients. These are not unique qualities but just a combination of qualities that makes me an effective lawyer. What challenges and/or obstacles do you feel you needed to overcome to become as successful as you are today? The biggest challenges and obstacles I had to overcome include not being from the area and not having any connections to the legal field. Do you feel being a woman is an advantage in today’s business world? Why? Why not? I do not feel that being a woman is an advantage in today’s business world. Many still believe that it is a man’s world. Women have to be twice as good as their male counterparts to be consid- ered equal. Do you feel there are any dif- ferences in the way that men and women develop business relation- ships and if so, what activities or venues do you participate in? I do feel that there are differences in the way that men and women develop business relationships. Golf and sport- ing activities do lend themselves to easy marketing and networking. The outside activities in which I participate – pre-K soccer and t-ball, Brownies and social
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ell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in? After law school, I worked in the fi- nancial services department of a large Philadelphia law firm. What were some of your early goals and did anything happen in your career /profession to change them? Upon graduation, I thought that I would want to work in a large law firm with the goal of eventually mak- ing partner. Within eighteen months, I realized that I was not getting the exposure to transactions that I had anticipated and was not inspired by the practice area. I worked long hours and was, quite frankly, unfulfilled. What unique qualities and/or personality traits do you feel makes you most successful in your profession? I always try to make the client feel as though I am as vested in the trans- action as they are. Their success is my success. Also, I’m generally able to make my clients laugh (when ap- propriate). What challenges and/or obstacles do you feel you needed to over- come to become as successful as you are today? My father is a successful real estate attorney. Twelve years ago, when I started working at Kaplin Stewart with him, I had to overcome the fear that I would never be as good a lawyer or as well respected. I thought that I would always be viewed as his child; particularly with his long-standing clients; many of whom I have known most of my life. Do you feel being a woman is an advantage in today’s business world? Why? Why not? I don’t actively think about my gen- der as it relates to my profession. I don’t view it as a negative or a positive. When I hear someone refer to a “lady lawyer” (which, oddly, in 2013, I still, on occasion hear), I cringe. I don’t think that you’d ask a man this question. Would you? Do you feel there are any dif- ferences in the way that men and women develop business relation- ships and if so, what activities or venues do you participate in?
ell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in?
I am an employment and real estate trial lawyer and have been practicing law for almost 20 years. What were some of your early goals and did anything happen in your career /profession to change them? I was very fortunate to find myself at a firm that allowed me to practice in real estate, which was an early in- terest, and also allowed me to expand into an employment law practice as my interests diverged. What unique qualities and/or personality traits do you feel makes you most successful in your profession? My “business sense” has been one of my most valuable assets in the practice of law. Unfortunately, many lawyers, even those practicing in the areas of real estate litigation, lack any basic business sense and become obstructive in trying to achieve realistic goals for clients. What challenges and/or obstacles do you feel you needed to over- come to become as successful as you are today? The biggest obstacle to success in my practice is getting other attorneys to see the “big picture” of how their limited legal view of disputes can have a very detrimental impact on their own clients and in turn, my clients Who do you feel was most influ- ential in your life when choosing this profession? My parents were most influential in my choice of this profession. I do not come from a family of lawyers. There was only one member of my family who had attended college before me. The goal of going to law school seemed un- attainable at first, but my parents en- couraged me to keep pushing ahead. What is the funniest, most unique situation you have faced / conquered during your business career? I tried a jury trial while I was eight months pregnant. The opposing at- torney (an older gentleman) told me repeatedly that I had nice “hatch- ing” clothes and the Judge (also an older gentleman) referred to me as the
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