Women Criminal Defense Attorneys: Susan Brune Stands Out As a Lawyer and a Leader
Susan Brune and her law partner Hillary Richard dreamed of starting their own law firm while attending Harvard Law School. Almost a decade after law school they did just that.
Their theory was that the quickest route to having the corner office was to rent one. Today they are the founding partners of a respected and successful boutique law firm, Brune & Richard, with offices in New York City and San Francisco.
They did not initially intend to create an all female law firm, but it developed that way and remained that way until 2005, when the first man joined them. Currently women comprise 13 of the 19 lawyers at the firm and six of the nine partners. The New York Times DealBook highlighted Brune & Richard in April of this year in an article titled A Law Firm Stands Out for Its Work, Not for Its Gender Makeup.
Brune worked as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan prior to opening up her firm. She focuses her practice on white-collar criminal defense, and one of her most prominent representations was when she obtained an acquittal in the highly publicized case of Matthew Tannin, one of the former Bear Stearns executives in 2009. Colleagues that know Brune and Richard credit them with “leaning in” long before Sheryl Sandberg wrote Lean In. Discussing the unique challenges that face women lawyers, Brune pointed out, “I have no choice but to practice as a woman,” while Richard stressed that “Clients don’t hire us because of our sex. They hire us because we win.”
While Brune & Richard are committed to being the best lawyers they can be, without regard to gender, Brune’s contribution as a leader amongst women is unmistakable. Her firm hosted an event for women criminal lawyers in New York in May, and Harvard Law School just named Susan Brune as one of their 60 Leaders for Change – Women transforming our Communities & the World in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first women graduates from Harvard Law School, set for the end of this month.
Susan Brune is a shining example of a successful female criminal defense attorney. And in addition to achieving her own success, her leadership has opened doors and created opportunities for the generation of women lawyers to follow her. Brune’s work, and the work of other like-minded women attorneys, is essential as we work towards leveling the playing field for women in law. We could all learn something from her example.