Page 12 - The American Lawyer Trailblazers - South 2022

Texas

Jeremy Fielding

Kirkland & Ellis

What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer?
As a young lawyer, I sat through dozens of hearings and trials watching otherwise talented trial lawyers march
through wordy and ineffective PowerPoint presentations. These presentations mirrored the style and form of
those I’d seen—and was taught to mimic—in college and law school. But I was convinced there must be a better,
more persuasive way to craft and use demonstratives. Then a mentor of mine gave me a copy of the book Beyond
Bullet Points. It was a book aimed at business professionals. But it was an epiphany for me as a trial lawyer, giving
me a whole new way to think about the art and psychology of effective demonstratives and presentations.

What sort of change has resulted from the concept?
I completely changed the way I craft and present trial demonstratives. I devote a substantial amount of time and
energy of my trial preparation to creating and refining demonstratives—ones that are simple and accessible, light
on verbiage, and feature images that convey my trial themes with potency and power. And it’s a priority of mine
to teach the same concepts to other aspiring young trial lawyers, deprogramming them from presentation habits
I was also taught in school.
What bearing will this have on the future?
Whatever our other differences, we human beings share a common dislike: sitting through boring presentations.
The most effective trial lawyers are ones that use compelling, carefully constructed demonstratives to present
information in engaging and memorable ways. By refining my own skills—and passing on what I’ve learned to
others—I hope to be a more effective advocate for my clients and help the next generation of trial lawyers do
the same.

Sarah Fortt

Latham & Watkins

What was the genesis of the idea/path that has made you a trailblazer?
It is a little odd to think of myself as a trailblazer, because I did not necessarily set out to be one. However, the real-
ity is that every woman of color who chooses to walk into a room where she is underrepresented is a trailblazer.
Early in my legal career, and years before I joined Latham, I faced daily, race- and gender-based discrimination.
Ultimately, this experience informed my decision to stay in big law, as I wanted to become part of a sanctuary for
diverse lawyers across our industry.
In my Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) work, I pioneered one of the first cross-functional ESG groups
at a U.S.-based global law firm. It was about six years ago that I saw that law firms would need to be responsive to
evolving ESG trends, including addressing increased regulatory and jurisdictional complexity relating to climate
change, human rights, and corporate culture. At its essence, ESG is the fulfillment of corporate governance.
What sort of change has resulted from this concept?
As political and social pressures create an increasingly fragmented approach to ESG, corporate clients need to
engage in challenging conversations across multiple jurisdictions. Latham is uniquely positioned to help clients
navigate this space as we provide distinctive operational and sophisticated advice coupled with our jurisdictional
scope and industry breadth. Rather than simply seeking ESG rule guidance, clients need to know exactly what
steps to take next.
What bearing will this have on the future?
As client demand for practical ESG guidance is skyrocketing, so too is the complexity of the regulatory require-
ments that govern corporate action. Going forward, the hardest part of corporate governance will be distilling
a constellation of regulations, market expectations and business risks into actionable advice. Being able to see
through that to provide clear, actionable steps is what sophisticated ESG counsel does best.

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