Member Article

Authority Magazine

October 23, 2023

By: Eric L. Pines

 

The legal field is known to be extremely competitive. Lawyers are often smart, ambitious, and highly educated. That being said, what does it take to stand out and become a “Top Lawyer” in your specific field of law? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law”, we are talking to top lawyers who share what it takes to excel and stand out in your industry.

As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anastasia Campbell.

Anastasia (Annie) Campbell’s legal career has been on a fast track since she joined the law firm of GrahamThompson in 2007, becoming an associate a year later in September 2008, and then making partner in 2016. Two years later, Annie took over the reins of GTC Corporate Services Limited, a licensed affiliate of GrahamThompson. She was first elected to World Services Group’s (WSG) Board of Directors in 2020, again — within two years — Annie became chair-elect, and was elevated to lead WSG as the first chairwoman and the youngest person to hold the top role at WSG; a proud first for GrahamThompson and for The Bahamas.

 

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. What is the “backstory” that brought you to this particular career path in law? Did you want to be an attorney when you grew up?

Alawyer was probably the last thing I aspired to be as a child. I accidentally fell into the law — not completely by force, but maybe by fate. I needed a 5th class to meet my high-school senior year requirements. After reviewing the options, my Guidance Counsellor suggested that I take the law class. She had a hunch that I would love it and she was correct. After acing my first two tests, I applied to law school on a whim, which was a bit of a shock for my family and friends. I had worked the entire prior year to ensure I secured the right pre-requisites to apply for finance/management programs. By spring break my decision to pivot into law school was made. The rest, as they say, is history.

Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?

I am a partner in the Financial and Corporate Services Practice Group at GrahamThompson. My practice is primarily focused on corporate and commercial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, asset finance, regulatory matters and inward investment projects across several industry sectors.

Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? What unique qualities do you have that others may not? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1. Being personable

Being a lawyer is so much more than just knowing the law. It also takes building relationships which comes naturally for me. My report cards usually read, talks too much, (haha) but it has served me well in this profession.

2. Being dependable

I take pride in knowing that my clients and colleagues can rely on me and my work product. I was keen to prove myself as capable and dependable early on — I found that hustle combined with willingness seemed to be the right mix and I kept with it. Consistently returning to this combination has proven to be beneficial throughout my career.

3. Being a team player

One of my favorite sayings is “teamwork makes the dream work” — no one person knows it all. Recognizing the advantage of collaboration and different perspectives increases the value proposition on any number of matters. One of the things I love about GrahamThompson is our culture of collegiality and team development.

Do you think you have had luck in your success? Can you explain what you mean?

I would not call it luck, but I have certainly been blessed to have great mentorship within GrahamThompson and a strong support system within my family. I was exposed to clients and matters that helped to propel my career — this is all due to my mentoring partners being inclusive and nurturing. I was also able to take advantage of opportunities because of the support that my family provides — I did not have to turn offers down because I had no one to take care of home, for me. These two factors combined have been the biggest blessings on my path to success.

Do you think where you went to school has any bearing on your success? How important is it for a lawyer to go to a top-tier school?

Exposure resonates more than the tier in which your school lands. In my practice area in particular, the vast majority of my clients live outside of The Bahamas. As there are a lot of cross-border deals, it helps to understand different cultures and customs around the world. I left The Bahamas at 16 to attend boarding school in Canada — this was by far the best decision my parents made with respect to my education and real world preparation. Attending WSG events reminds me a lot of the international excitement of my boarding school years. I love connecting with WSG members, many of whom have grown from colleagues to friends. This only enhances collaboration and deal making within the network, which ultimately transcends which school one attended. Whilst it is a plus, going to a great school is not the only thing needed to build a successful career on the world stage.

If you could go back in time and speak to your twenty-year-old self, what would you say? Would you do anything differently?

I would tell my twenty-year-old self to silence the doubt. In other words, “You’ve got this! Trust your gut; you are enough.”

The one thing I might do differently is travel more during my college years. I went to law school in Manchester, England and to everyone’s shock I became terribly homesick — this was a complete 180 from my boarding school years. As a result, I returned home almost every break. It would have been great to travel throughout Europe more during that time.

What is your primary motivation and drive behind the work that you do?

My family is by far the biggest motivating factor that keeps me going each day.

Where do you go from here? Where do you aim to be in the next chapter of your career?

Becoming Chair of World Services Group has been most exciting. The undertaking of being the first, can seem daunting, but the distinction and driving force for me has been the fact that representation matters — as cliché as that might sound. The basic idea of seeing oneself reflected in leadership helps to foster a sense of identity, validation and connectivity, which are powerful factors in changing the trajectory of groups which have been traditionally marginalized or excluded. I wish to actively and gracefully demonstrate to young women and people of colour that the proverbial it, is indeed achievable.

From here, I am focused on the three goals which I have set for my Chairmanship:

• Diversity: WSG’s diversity has grown leaps and bounds since attending my very first meeting, many years ago. We are now proud to boast leadership that is symbolic of the wider membership. The aim is to cultivate authentically representative groups which are diverse and inclusive.
• Emerging Leaders: As an emerged member of the Emerging Leaders Group (ELG), the growth initiative of our members firms’ bright-and-best is very close to my heart. The ELG is a wonderful and very necessary movement to ensure succession and membership engagement, which are two key elements to safeguarding the network’s viability and continued vibrancy.
• Training Programs: One of the paramount objectives at WSG is providing tangible benefits for our members. We have launched various leadership programs over the past few years which have proven to be hugely successful. We aim to continue to equip our members with opportunities for professional and personal growth.

Without sharing anything confidential, can you please share your most successful war story? Can you share the funniest?

When I was a first-year associate, a more senior associate had a not-so-professional song as his ringtone. He forgot to put the phone on silent ahead of an associates meeting with the managing partner. As his phone starts to ring during the meeting he ignores it, but I naively thought that he could not hear it. So, I tap across the table and say, “your phone is ringing”, at which point the meeting halts and you could hear a pin drop. During the awkward silence, he gives me a death stare while simultaneously turning beet red. It was embarrassing for both of us, but quite funny to think of now.

How has the legal world changed since COVID? How do you think it might change in the near future? Can you explain what you mean?

I primarily work onsite with an occasional remote day or two as needed. As a mother, the flexibility of a hybrid work model is key so that I can better juggle the demands of both home and work life. In terms of work models going forward, I think many lawyers will or perhaps already have deem hybrid flexibility to be non-negotiable. COVID reminded us of the value of home; work-life balance is now more often than not, paramount to pay scales. My view is that hybrid working models for law firms are here to stay for the foreseeable future.

COVID catapulted the use of technology in the legal world. Even the most tech-savvy firms increased their infrastructure and capabilities during that period. Luckily for WSG, we found ourselves in the tech-savvy genre and well ahead of the game. WSG boasts a full proprietary tech offering for member firms and individuals. Our technology platform is one-of-a-kind and allowed our member firms to remain connected — we were able to continue to work cross-borders during the pandemic; not just through confidentially sharing advice and resources but also through referrals and joint projects. I do not think that the way in which WSG members interact electronically will change in the near future; this is a defining feature of our network, and our members find tremendous value in the platform.

Based on your experience, how can attorneys effectively leverage social media to build their practice?

Social media is bridging the gap. Gone are the days of networking/connecting at conferences twice a year. Through social media, we can have frequent and meaningful connections with colleagues worldwide, which presents opportunities to leverage our accessibility with common business purposes.

Social media also presents an opportunity to control the narrative. I find that living in a very brand conscious world has trickled down on an individual level. Lawyers are now leveraging social media to their individual branding purposes and ultimately steering their careers in a revolutionary way.

What are your,5 Things You Need to Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law?

1. Determination

You must be willing to roll your sleeves up and do the work; it won’t always be pretty but, approach each matter with the same intention of working hard for the desired outcome. The goal is to remain determined and diligent; your work ethic will eventually speak for itself.

2. Time Management

The older and more successful you become, the less space there is on your plate. You must be able to juggle and manage time well, especially when creating value for clients’ money. I was once told that in the constant juggling act, there are glass balls and there are plastic balls. Some will understandably drop, but the key is to ensure the glass balls remain in the air.

3. Networking

Connections are everything! There will be periods in your career when the work does not simply fall into your lap. You may have to leverage your network in this respect; don’t underestimate the value of relationships built over the course of your career (no matter which stage you find yourself in).

4. Creativity

In my practice, client dynamics are never the same; creating cookie cutter solutions is only a detriment to efficiency and effectiveness. You must be able to think outside of the box to produce bespoke and creative solutions for clients. Again, this goes back to creating value for money which will keep your clients returning.

5. Confidence

Once you find your footing, believe in yourself and be confident in your abilities. Do the groundwork required to sharpen your skills and lay a solid foundation — it’s only up from there.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this. :-)

Michelle Obama — hands down! Her story resonates so much with the mom/wife/lawyer in me.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!