Company Description: Comerica is a Michigan-based financial services company with $50 billion in assets and offices nationwide.
Education: B.S., New York University
M.B.A., Columbia University Graduate School of Business
J.D., Columbia University School of Law
Department Size: 75 (40 attorneys)
Immediate Prior Position: Partner, Mayer Brown & Platt, New York
1. How does participation in community activities help your career?
I have not focused on advancing my career through community activities. I am engaged in those activities in order to make an impact in the communities we serve. And the activities mirror my interests in youth, education, legal reform, and economic development.
2. Are there any special opportunities or challenges for minorities in your industry?
The financial services industry has special opportunities for minorities because people who have good skills, exercise good judgment, and have an interest in a broad range of issues can do well. Banking is a relationship business based upon trust; therefore, interpersonal skills are so important, and minorities tend to excel in that area. Further, a broad range of responsibilities exists because the business is highly regulated and financial structures can be very complex. A large percentage of financial services employees in urban branch networks and the customer base in urban areas are minorities.
A great number of challenges and risks tests your judgment every day. And you have to focus on different perspectives, especially if you are a publicly held company responsible to customers, employees, shareholders, and regulators.
3. Please describe your management style.
I have organized my direct reports to be aligned with our business units. I give as much responsibility as I can to my lawyers on all issues. I consult with them regularly, offering my judgment. But I expect them to work cooperatively with their colleagues and to support each other. Still, I hold them accountable for results, and our advice must be correct and reliable.
I also expect them to serve as general counsel to their clients. So I have a budget for continuing education that helps them to remain fresh and to stay on top of the business. They must have these resources since the law is constantly changing.
Return to General Counsel Profile List
From the December 2001 issue of Diversity & The Bar®