Christina M. Wheaton

Associate, Winston & Strawn

Christina Wheaton is an associate in Winston & Strawn’s Chicago office. She represents banks, non-bank lenders and borrowers in connection with middle-market asset-based and cash-flow credit facilities and related restructurings. Christina also represents administrative agents and collateral managers in CLOs and warehouse/leverage facilities. Christina was named Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” for Banking and Finance Law in 2021. When Christina is not spending time on billable matters, she represents pro bono clients on a variety of legal issues. In particular, she has represented veterans who were severely injured in combat operations by assisting them in obtaining specially adapted smart homes built and provided by the Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment (R.I.S.E.) program of the Gary Sinise Foundation. In addition, Christina serves as a mentor to younger associates through the Winston & Strawn mentorship program. 

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?

Take ownership of your work and your career. Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to figure out what interests you and to identify and pursue those opportunities in the work you do.  Be confident in your ability to take on more challenging assignments. We don’t grow from staying in our comfort zone; change comes from being challenged.  Identify the areas where you would like to grow and actively seek out opportunities to challenge yourself.  Ask for feedback from senior associates and partners on a regular basis and make a conscious effort to understand and then incorporate that feedback into your work. People are more likely to provide constructive feedback when it is solicited.  In fact, the most valuable and constructive feedback I have received has come outside of formal evaluations.  Finally, when I was first starting out, a senior associate who was leaving to go in-house passed on a very simple piece of advice to all of the new first year associates: “Don’t be lazy.” There are times when being a junior associate has its challenges, but remembering that simple phrase and working hard early on pays dividends later. 

What do you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning of your career? 

When you are just starting your career, no one expects you to be an expert in your chosen field or expects that you know everything. As long as you have a strong work ethic, take ownership of your work, and demonstrate enthusiasm, curiosity and a willingness to learn, people will be willing to help you figure out how to work towards becoming that expert or finding the right answers.  

How do you balance work/personal time? 

Technology has allowed us to remain connected no matter where we are and there can be immense pressure to be plugged in 24/7. On top of that, many of us have transitioned to a remote work environment over the past year. We’re incredibly fortunate that our industry was able to make the transition to remote work, but in many ways it shifted work-life balance in favor of work. When you are working where you live, it’s easy for the boundaries between personal life and work to become blurred. Although there is no perfect formula for maintaining work-life balance, I’ve realized it’s important to set boundaries and take the time for yourself to disconnect every day. Whether that means scheduling time in my calendar for a Peloton class or just taking the time to cook dinner, it’s critical to set defined boundaries around that time and take the opportunity (however brief) to disconnect and recharge.  

What do you think work will look like in the post-pandemic world? 

As a self-proclaimed “office person”, transitioning to remote work was challenging for me at first. A year into the pandemic, it is abundantly clear that our industry can function effectively while working remotely. There are certainly benefits to remote work (I have serious doubts about my ability to embrace a business casual dress-code five days a week ever again), but there is no substitute for facetime with clients and colleagues. Although there are a variety of ways to stay in touch virtually, it is critical to have in-person interactions in order to form and maintain genuine and lasting connections with the people in your network. Working remotely must be particularly difficult for junior associates who are starting their career and don’t have the benefit of a physical office space where they can develop relationships organically with other associates and partners. While our industry may never transition fully back to a five-day office week, I am hopeful that many will return to a hybrid workweek post-pandemic.