Jill E. Bronson

Partner, Corporate Securities Practice and Leader, Corporate Finance Team, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Biography:

Jill E. Bronson is a partner in the corporate securities practice and leader of the Corporate Finance Team at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. She also serves as regional partner in charge of Drinker Biddle’s Philadelphia office. Jill has vast experience handling a wide range of financing transactions. She regularly represents agents in syndicated financings, as well as sponsors and corporate borrowers. Jill has been involved with financings in diverse industries, as varied as health care and telecommunications. Transactions range in size from a few million dollars to billions of dollars and include asset-based facilities, recapitalizations and commercial paper back-up facilities.

Among her recent transactions are the financing of a not-for-profit conversion of a healthcare company and an acquisition financing of a multinational chemical company. While she is typically engaged in front-end financings, she has also been involved in many work-outs and out-of-court restructurings.

Jill is ranked in Band 1 for Pennsylvania Banking and Finance in Chambers USA and was named as a “Woman of the Year” by The Legal Intelligencer.

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

Work ethic and attitude is everything. First, always keep the big picture in mind. If you are a banker, approach issues with the larger goals of the institution foremost, such as risk to the institution and return on investment. If you are a lawyer, always remember your client’s goals. Keeping that perspective usually leads to the right answer to the small and large questions that come up when you’re just starting out.

Second, remember how you got to where you are and have confidence that you will continue to be successful.

Third, never underestimate the value of your team. You need others not only to help get the work done, but also to step in and do the things you cannot. Not being able to do what others can do is not a failing   failing to recognize it is.

Studies have shown women are more reluctant to tout their accomplishments in the workplace. What advice would you give to help women be more comfortable with speaking up?

This is a complicated issue. It depends on the person and the situation. Some women succeed through the power of persuasion, a calm demeanor and a strong, clear voice. Others use humor. Still others successfully harness the power of a mentor or others to set the stage for them.  What is important is that each person pushes herself to find her voice in a way that best suits her style and goals.

What is your approach/advice to change in the workplace?

Change in the workplace starts with finding an environment that is open to, and even desirous of, making positive changes. Then, it is important to understand the goals of the organization and how the changes you seek support those goals. Next, understand who within the organization has the power to implement the changes and tailor your arguments to that audience. Last, have patience and a sense of humor; you will need them!

For example, our firm just announced the election of our new class of partners. In the Philadelphia office, where I am regional partner in charge, four individuals were elevated into the partnership. Incredibly, they are four working mothers, who collectively have 12 children. How did this firm go from an all-male partnership in its early years to one that actively supports a career path for lawyers with diverse backgrounds and situations? It took a lot of hard work by people who embraced issues of inclusion and career-life balance, as well as the goodwill and active involvement of firm leadership. That is, it required viewing success in the context of what best serves our clients and finding creative ways to support lawyers so they do not feel the need to opt out if they don’t fit the stereotype established 20 years ago.

What do you enjoy most about your role? Least?

I enjoy my colleagues and my clients and working through issues with them to get deals done. This never grows old for me.

I find rankings based on size or mass surveys about law firms in which we are forced to participate annoying; they miss the point of what is important about what we do. For example, a ranking that rates a firm based on revenue just shows how much money it generates; it may or may not be the true metric of good lawyering.