Kyle Dorso, 33, Partner at Brown Rudnick, Hartford, Connecticut
Practice area: Commercial litigation
Law school and year of graduation: University of Connecticut School of Law, 2015
The following has been edited for style.
How long have you been at the firm?
I started at Brown Rudnick as a summer associate in 2014. After receiving an offer to join the Firm full time, I started as an associate in the commercial litigation group in October 2015.
What was your criteria in selecting your current firm?
The short answer is the people and the work. One of the most attractive things about Brown Rudnick was that it staffs cases in a way that junior associates are able to get substantive experience early on in their career. The ability to get that experience began for me even a summer associate. The summer associates were paired up and each group represented a pro bono client from start to finish in his or her appeal of the denial of unemployment benefits. We had the opportunity to interview the client, draft a brief, and even argue before the administrative officer. Having those types of opportunities as a junior associate to develop valuable skills was critically important to me. The other equally important thing I considered were the people. I really connected with not only the other members of my summer class, but many attorneys across practice groups that I met over that summer.
Were you an associate at another firm before joining your present firm? If so, which one and how long were you there?
No. I started at Brown Rudnick as a summer associate in 2014.
What do you think was the deciding point for the firm in making you partner? Was it your performance on a specific case? A personality trait? Making connections with the right people?
I think it is rare for single case or connection to be the deciding point in making partner. I was fortunate enough to work at Brown Rudnick for more than eight years before making partner. During that time, I made it a point to work with as many different people in each of our offices as I could. In each of those instances, I strived to take ownership of the case and make the most of the opportunities given to me. As I progressed at the firm and my skills and confidence increased, on many of those cases I became the go-to person who was tasked with managing the case and serving as the primary point of contact with the client and opposing counsel. That gave the people I was working with confidence that I could take on those leadership roles as a partner.
Who had or has the greatest influence in your career and why?
There are so many people that I have worked with over the years that have been tremendously influential to my career and development, but if I had to select one, I would say Rebecca Lecaroz, a partner in our Boston office. I find that the best way for me to develop is to step out of my comfort zone and actually do the work. When I was a junior and midlevel associate I was staffed on many cases with Rebecca. She consistently went out of her way to find opportunities for me to take a larger role in the case. Whether that was taking depositions, arguing motions, or preparing clients for trial/deposition, she has always provided me with the opportunity, encouragement, and guidance that allowed me to gain that critical experience.
What advice would you give an associate who wants to make partner?
My advice would be to (i) try and work with as many people as possible, (ii) maintain the right attitude, and (iii) seek out and make the most of your opportunities. As to the first point, the reality of making partner is that you need to garner support from partners who can speak to your abilities before the larger partnership who may not have worked with you directly. The more people that can do that, the better. The last thing you want is to have one or two people vouch for you and the rest of the partnership have no idea who you are because you have not established an internal profile.
As far as attitude goes, law firms can be demanding. At times the hours can be long and the work can be stressful. But maintaining a positive attitude and always treating everyone at the firm with respect goes a long way toward making that experience more tolerable for all involved. Finally, actively seek out opportunities to take on more responsibility in a case and when those opportunities come, take advantage of them. Ask a partner if you can take a deposition of a certain witness or argue an upcoming motion. Then thoroughly prepare for and deliver on those opportunities and more will come.
When it comes to career planning and navigating inside a law firm, in your opinion, what’s the most common mistake you see other attorneys making?
I think the biggest mistake that I find is that people often get into a routine working with the same small group of people on case after case and do not build up a broader internal profile. The way to advance within your firm is to do good work and have people know that you do good work. This allows you opportunities to have work referred to you internally and allows other members of the firm to cross-sell your abilities and expertise to potential or current clients. It can feel awkward or uncomfortable, but having the ability to sell yourself and your skills to people inside and outside your firm is a critical skill for future development.
What challenges, if any, did you face or had to overcome in your career path and what was the lesson learned? How did it affect or influence your career?
One of the greatest challenges, but also one of the best things that has happened to me, is learning how to be both an involved parent and a successful attorney. I still am working on figuring out the best balance, but having both a supportive partner at home and colleagues that appreciate and understand these challenges have made this a smooth transition.
Knowing what you know now about your career path, what advice would you give to your younger self?
Be more confident in your abilities. I still have a (now very faded) post-it note on my computer monitor that says “Be Confident.” You did not get to where you are by accident. Everyone here has the skills to do good work, so be confident in your abilities and your convictions on a case. Do not be afraid to speak up if you disagree with a case strategy or have something to add that others on the case may not realize.
Do you utilize technology to benefit the firm/practice and/or business development?
The technology has advanced in a way that it is easy and seamless to connect with others halfway across the country. For example, I recently received an outreach from a prospective client in the Midwest about an issue in which someone in our New York office specialized. I was able to set-up a virtual meeting for all of us in less than 24 hours, which would not have been possible or the norm pre-pandemic. I also try to maintain an active social media profile, including LinkedIn, to share things of note and our firm’s social media posts.
How would you describe your work mindset?
Be reliable. I want the members of my team to be able to count on me and know that I will get the job done and that things will not slip through the cracks.
If you participate in firm or industry initiatives, please mention the initiatives you are working on as well as the impact you hope to achieve.
I am the co-chair of the Brown Rudnick parent’s forum, which is an organization that provides attorneys and staff a forum to discuss how best navigate being a parent and a working professional. Our goal is to help people as try and balance these two demanding jobs by providing advice and a place to discuss these challenges.