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Partner, Commercial Litigation, Quarles & Brady LLP
Achievements: When Quarles & Brady created its Indianapolis office, the location consisted of six attorneys and a handful of business professionals. Now, due to the leadership and recruitment efforts of Lucy Dollens, the office has 32 attorneys among a total 55 employees. Her role in recruitment also has led to a significant increase in attorneys who are women and people of color. As a member of the firm’s executive committee, she helped negotiate and integrate two key mergers. A winner of numerous professional accolades, she also continues to be responsible for a seven-figure book of business. “I have tried to show that you can be a strong voice for women at the leadership table but by remaining your authentic self,” she said. “My authentic leadership has been through collaboration, really listening to other ideas and viewpoints, and consensus building—they work.”
Career track: She was a partner at another national law firm in Indianapolis, Frost Brown Todd.
Giving back: Dollens serves on the boards of the Indiana Bar Foundation, the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana, CHAMP Camp and the Indiana/Kentucky chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Mentors and mentoring: Dollens co-founded the Indiana Women’s Empowerment Network, a grassroots organization whose mission is to inspire, support and promote women attorneys toward professional advancement and success. The organization partnered with the Indiana State Bar Association to launch an Associate Empowerment Series in which 20
midlevel and senior-level women attorneys gather throughout the year to help position themselves for success.
Work/life balance: “In my view,” she said, “trying to achieve work-life balance on a daily basis is a losing proposition. Instead, I try to focus on the big picture or ‘seasons of time’ to gauge whether I was able to meet family/friend/personal needs as well as professional needs.” For example, one day might bring a big score at work but at the cost of less focus on family. Another day might bring a great day with family, but her work might be affected. “Instead,” she said, “If at the end of a given period of time, whether it be a few weeks or months, I can look back and say neither eclipsed the other entirely—I put that in the win column.”•
Check out more Women of Influence honorees.
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