Dave Hutchinson Finds a Home at GATX

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Children of lawyers are seventeen times more likely to become lawyers than their peers, according to authors Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison. But even though both of his parents are law professors and his family is full of attorneys, Dave Hutchinson took a circuitous, cautious journey to a legal career, unsure that he wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps for much of his youth.

Hutchinson was never far from the legal profession growing up. His family moved to the Windy City just before Hutchinson was born, when his parents both began to teach at the University of Chicago. Years later, Hutchinson’s mother was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, where she served as judge and chief judge over a twenty-nine-year tenure.

An unusual level of exposure to the legal world left a strong impression on the young Hutchinson. “The academic side of the law was very apparent to me,” he said. “I learned how valuable reasoning and analysis were, but it seemed to lack the human side.”

Despite the front-row seat Hutchinson had to the inner workings of courtrooms, law schools, and appeals courts, he wanted to discover his own calling and find his way to make an impact on the world. He decided to enroll at a liberal arts college to gain a well-rounded education on many subjects, develop a global perspective, and become more culturally aware.

Hutchinson found a good match in Bowdoin College. However, enrolling would mean leaving his home city of Chicago to head 1,100 miles east to Maine.

“I’ve seen a lot across the spectrum, from simple to complex and from the normal to the wacky.”

Dave Hutchinson

Taking the risk put Hutchinson on a new path. He studied sociology and government with an emphasis on political behavior and theory. As a senior, Hutchinson wrote a paper on the effect mass media has on citizens’ political behavior. Upon graduation, he moved to Washington, DC to take a job as a paralegal at Williams & Connolly.

Two years of preparing documents and managing discovery for large-scale class action litigation finished what growing up in a family of lawyers had started. As Hutchinson watched partners and associates gather facts and craft arguments, he noticed how legal strategies harnessed knowledge of the people involved, including the court and adversaries, in addition to the law. They also knew their clients. Williams & Connolly’s partners, Hutchinson saw, were at their best when they took the time to build relationships and understand a litigant’s business strategy and objectives.

As he this synthesized this knowledge in his mind, Hutchinson knew what he wanted to do. He signed up to take the LSAT and attended Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law with the clarity that he would later pursue a career in litigation. While he was in Bloomington (and closer to his home, Chicago), the ambitious law student served on the editorial board of the Federal Communications Law Journal, participated in the Sherman Minton moot court competition, and taught lessons on constitutional law to elementary students through Outreach for Legal Literacy.

It was perhaps Hutchinson’s time working on the law journal that shaped and influenced him the most during that era. “I took ownership of the opportunity because I knew it would be good early experience working with people, moving projects forward, and creating strong work product,” he explains. Duties included serving as the outlet’s senior notes editor to oversee the writing process, selecting content to publish, and pitching new ideas.

A summer spent as a clerk in the Illinois attorney general’s office taught Hutchinson about antitrust litigation as he interviewed witnesses, researched issues, and drafted memoranda. The next year, he went to Jenner & Block as a summer associate. He would later return to the firm full-time and spend eight years advocating for his clients in state and federal courtrooms.

At Jenner & Block, Hutchinson was placed on effective teams with strong mentors who helped him grasp general practice and complex matters while working on cases big and small. Over time, Hutchinson discovered that law firms and companies, including prospective employers, were putting more emphasis on specialization. He therefore resolved to put himself in a position to tackle new practice areas, volunteer for increased responsibilities, and prepare for senior leadership positions.

Hutchinson found the opportunity to do just that in an unlikely role—as a judicial law clerk in the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, based in Boston. “I chose a clerkship after eight years in a firm because I knew I would get a lot of fast-paced exposure to a variety of issues and areas of law in a short time,” he explains.

 With the clerkship complete, Hutchinson moved to a boutique firm, where he managed a variety of matters. He garnered extensive experience in leading roles, including arguing (successfully) before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and first-chairing his first trial. He later spent nearly two years as special counsel handling IP litigation at a Silicon Valley firm.

“I’m excited to be established in a place where I can continue to contribute and add value as we move forward together.”

Dave Hutchinson

The desire to be back working at a company with Chicago roots led him to reunite with a former Jenner & Block colleague at GATX, a railcar leasing company. Now senior counsel, Hutchinson primarily manages disputes, litigation, and some regulatory matters.

Hutchinson has been impressed by the collegiality, capabilities, and collaboration in GATX’s relatively small legal department. While the role at GATX represents his first in-house position, after roles in large and boutique law firms, Hutchinson has found that his earlier preparation and diverse career are both assets.

“I’ve seen a lot across the spectrum, from simple to complex and from the normal to the wacky,” he says. “I find that I’ve developed good judgment to predict what may happen and how a business or counterparty behaves in certain situations, and that helps us move through issues faster than we otherwise would.”

“Dave has a broad interest in environmental law issues, which are of current interest and concern to GATX, and those which may point to potential future issues. His approach—being tuned into all aspects of how this specialized area of law affects GATX’s interests—meshes well with our approach to the practice,” says Steve Levine, a partner at Phelps Dunbar.

One thing about GATX might convince Hutchinson to settle into his role for the long term: the company originally created to ship beer in refrigerated railcars is now headquartered on iconic downtown Wacker Drive. “I’m tired of all the moving around at this point, and I’m excited to be established in a place where I can continue to contribute and add value as we move forward together,” he says. Dave Hutchinson has finally returned to his hometown. This time, he plans to stay.

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