Rachelle A. Dubow was recently named Managing Partner of BBA Sponsor Firm Morgan Lewis. We caught up with Rachelle to learn more about her new role, her advice to new lawyers in Boston, and more. Check out the full interview below:
Boston Bar Association: What inspired you to become a lawyer, and specifically your interest in IP and trademark law?
Rachelle Dubow: I was born knowing I was going to be a lawyer, following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather, both lawyers until my father was appointed to the bench as a Probate Court judge here in Massachusetts. The practice of trademark law found me and has given me the incredible opportunity to work with creative brand innovators, Chief Marketing Officers, and some of the brightest General Counsels I know.
However, I knew I found something really special when I attended my first International Trademark Association Annual Meeting here in Boston in 1998. I was a 3L at Boston University School of Law and some partners from the firm I had accepted an offer to work at following graduation invited me to join them at an INTA reception at Jillian’s on Landsdowne Street. I walked in, saw all that fabulous networking, and knew the practice would be right up my alley!
BBA: Do you have any particular highlights from your career that you’re especially proud of?
Rachelle: Developing Morgan Lewis’s proprietary global trademark management platform, VizBridge, and launching it for our clients to aid in the seamless management and growth of global portfolios has been a highlight. Melding my passion for trademark counseling with the development of a software tool that makes it easier for clients (in-house lawyers and other professionals) to understand the scope of the trademark rights they own (and sets Morgan Lewis apart from any other firm offering trademark counseling services) has been a true career milestone.
BBA: What are you focused on as Managing Partner, not just in the year to come but over the next several years? What are the priorities for the firm, and what opportunities or hurdles do you foresee?
Rachelle: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to change the way we live and work, and that includes the practice of law. Morgan Lewis is at the forefront of this disruptive and transformative technology, including our firm’s partnership with Thomson Reuters (TR) and the roll out of its AI legal tools. Not only are we working collaboratively with TR to help test and shape the technology, but we are also constantly exploring ways that we can implement new technologies, inclusive of AI, to find efficiencies for our practice and the operation of our firm.
BBA: How has Morgan Lewis’s partnership with the BBA benefited you and your firm, and how can we continue to ensure that partnership remains mutually beneficial?
Rachelle: The BBA is committed to promoting the highest standards of excellence in the legal profession, ensuring access to justice, and fostering a diverse and inclusive community. It plays a vital role in serving both the city of Boston and its local communities. From providing networking opportunities for both emerging lawyers and seasoned professionals to offering pro bono services for those in need of legal counsel and hosting educational events—both virtual and in-person—the firm is proud to be an active member of the BBA.
BBA: What advice do you have for newer lawyers, whether at your firm or more generally, and law students looking to break into the Boston legal community?
Rachelle: Network, network, network. Stay in touch with your college friends, your law school classmates, and your class of summer associates. These will be some of your best sources of business and new job opportunities as your practice continues to grow. Set up a system for yourself where you track new contacts and regularly stay in touch. Relationships build practice, which in turn breeds success.
BBA: You’re quite involved in pro bono work and community work, both through your firm and on your own time. Why do you feel it’s important for you personally, and lawyers more generally, to give back to the community?
Rachelle: My drive to give back is rooted in my Jewish heritage—it is a fundamental tenant of Judaism to help those less fortunate. So, I have made it a priority of mine to both personally, and as an office, look for opportunities to give back to our Boston community.
For example, under my leadership, I have coupled every major Boston office event with a non-profit, to provide our Boston office with opportunities to give back. These partnerships have included BlueStar Families, The Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and Winter Walk.
We have done an excellent job as an office raising funds and awareness for causes such as anti-Semitism, veterans’ needs, and home and food insecurity in our community. The donations collected, and the time we have contributed to these causes and others, is a source of immense pride for me, our Boston office, and our firm as a whole.
BBA: You’re an alumna of one of our partner law schools, BU. Do you have any highlights or favorite memories of your time at BU law?
Rachelle: Boston University was an excellent place to attend law school. A highlight was the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with my professors, some of whom I am still in touch with to this day, and friendships that have carried me through multiple twists and turns in my career. Later on in my career, I was thrilled to serve on the firm’s hiring committee and have the opportunity to get back to campus to conduct OCI interviews.
BBA: If you weren’t a lawyer, what occupation do you think you would have pursued?
Rachelle: I have had a number of people tell me that if I wasn’t a lawyer, I would make an excellent Rabbi. I don’t know whether 24-year-old me would have thought to pursue a rabbinical career (and at the time there were hardly any female rabbis), but I consider it a huge compliment today. I think this stems from my genuine care and concern for others, my ability to listen, and my drive to help anyone who asks for it.
BBA: What is your favorite winter activity to do around the city?
Rachelle: If you consider Stowe, Vermont “around the city” then I’d say hitting the slopes of Mt. Mansfield with my husband and two teenage boys. I can’t keep up with any of them, but I get incredible joy watching my boys blow past me and occasionally slowing down to make sure I’m OK. In the city, I think you can’t beat the lights that line Comm Ave and the Boston Public Garden. A stroll down Newbury Street, capped off with a toast at Contessa at the Newbury or Coterie at the Four Seasons, overlooking all the lights, is a perfect way to spend a winter weekend day.
BBA: Is there anything else about your role at Morgan Lewis or the firm more generally that you’d like to share?
Rachelle: I was fortunate to join Morgan Lewis through its combination with Bingham McCutchen just after Jami McKeon took over as Chair. It has been incredible to build my career under the leadership of such a strong, sharp, strategic, and empathetic leader. I have learned much about leadership by observing the ways in which she motivates and inspires our lawyers to be their best every day, to never falter on the promise of delivering exceptional client service, and to lean into collaboration without concern for who gets the credit.
