Women’s History Month | Marci Kawski

What has been the most important lesson?
I have learned lots of lessons over my career—it’s probably why it is called the “practice” of law. 😊  One of my most important takeaways over the years, however, has been is that you are able to give the most sound and practical legal advice when you first seek to understand your client’s business, including its operations, and the broader industry within which it operates.

Was there a mentor who provided great insight in your early career?
My retired partner, Ed Heiser, who also was involved with AFSA for much of his career. I had the greatest pleasure of working with Ed for nearly a decade and he imparted so many pearls of wisdom.  One such piece of advice he gave me is to play the long game. In other words, be patient.  He cautioned against making a decision based on the emotions of today or even tomorrow, and encouraged me and others to make decisions based on the long term future.  Oh, and of course, as many people on AFSA Law Committee will understand, he taught me to “drink your water course!”

What do you wish the you of today could have told the younger you about building a career?
One of the best ways to build a successful and enjoyable career is to lean into your natural talents.  I am not sure I quite realized at the beginning of my career that one core component of a successful career in law is developing relationships.  I like people and I like being social, which naturally translates into relationship building.  In the legal profession, we work a lot with people and it’s much more enjoyable when you have a good relationship with the people with whom you work!