Grace E. Mangieri joins Lane & Waterman as our newest associate. Grace has moved back to the QC with her husband and twin boys. Grace previously worked in Chicago, IL.  We sat down with Grace to find out her career path with L&W.

1. What made you decide to pursue a degree in law; and in particular, why have you chosen to primarily focus on litigation law?

I decided to pursue a degree in law because I enjoy problem-solving and working with people. As an attorney, each day, I have the most rewarding opportunity to make someone’s life easier by helping them understand and utilize the law. When I graduated from law school, I had no intention of litigating until a friend convinced me to apply for a litigation position at a firm in Chicago.  Intimidated by the perceived adversarial nature of litigation, I was hesitant at first. However, after I deposed my first witness and made my first court appearance, I was hooked. I love how litigation forces me to think on my feet. I also enjoy the constant client contact and collaborating with my colleagues.

2. Why did you choose Lane & Waterman for your law career?

I chose Lane & Waterman not only for its long history of fostering some of the best and brightest attorneys, but also for its reputation of professionalism in the courtroom and involvement in the community. It is important to me that Lane & Waterman is made up of individuals who work hard for their clients as well as their community. As a believer in helping the next one in line, Lane & Waterman also stood out to me for its commitment to mentoring young attorneys. The experienced attorneys at Lane & Waterman recognize that, while it takes time out of their demanding schedules, providing substantive feedback and guidance to newer attorneys is a worthwhile investment.

3. What’s something we wouldn’t guess about you?

As much as I enjoy working with people, I enjoy working with animals. When I was younger, I helped raise money for local celebrity elephant, Kathy Sh-Boom so she could have more room and a nicer pen at Niabi Zoo. In high school, I volunteered at local animal shelters and continued to volunteer in college, fostering and training dogs in need of forever homes. After moving to Chicago, I continued to help animals every summer as a Zoo Ball volunteer with the Lincoln Park Zoo, and am currently pursuing volunteering possibilities in the Quad Cities. All of this experience with animals has come in handy, as I now have two little monkeys of my very own… eleven-month old twin boys, constantly chattering and chasing each other and our dog around the house!

To learn more about Grace, please visit: https://l-wlaw.com/attorneys/grace-e-mangieri/