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Melissa James grew up saying that she’d be the first female president of the United States. That evolved into interests into politics and the law.
“Law school was a very natural choice for me,” says James, whose father was a lawyer. “I took philosophy classes and was very fascinated by the concepts of right and wrong, good and evil, and morality. So law school was very enjoyable and a natural fit.”
After graduating, she started her legal career as a commercial litigator at Vinson & Elkins LLP (V&E), where she tried her hand in a wide variety of matters including oil and gas litigation, professional liability defense, and general commercial disputes. The sheer breadth of that work forced her to continuously learn new industries, businesses, and different areas of the law. After eight years at V&E, James was promoted to counsel.
“For the entirety of my ten years at the law firm, I constantly felt like I had all the work that I could manage at any given time, and learning how to prioritize competing deadlines for important clients taught me critical time management skills,” she says. “Not to mention trying to figure out how to have a personal life while constantly being busy at work. I learned how to juggle a number of different priorities, both professional and personal, cases, and clients, all at the same time.”
That skill has served her well at Goldman Sachs, where James serves as senior legal director and senior counsel of the litigation and regulatory group. As a legal professional at one of the leading financial services companies in the world, James is taking on more cases and competing deadlines than ever before, now all for the same client. And she continues to be fulfilled by and passionate about her work.
She primarily works on cases involving the firm’s investment banking division, which includes M&A-related lawsuits, stockholder challenges, and securities cases. She also works on regulatory investigations and matters involving other business lines within the firm.
For James, “living and dying” by her Outlook calendar and her daily lists are essential to staying on top of her caseload. James also relies heavily on her outside counsel, though she refers to herself as a “highly active client.”
“I have a wonderful rapport with the outside counsel I work with most regularly,” she says. “That means not only that I enjoy working with them, but that they understand how I work most efficiently and effectively, and they enable me to do that.”
Working with such outstanding lawyers is one of James’s favorite parts of her job. She enjoys seeing the different ways lawyers approach their work and how each one brings unique strengths to the table. Ultimately, James’s greatest strength is her ability to connect and form meaningful relationships with people.
“Melissa is an exceptional lawyer who brings keen intellect and drive to her incredibly large docket of complex cases. Her focus on partnership, integrity, and excellence precisely reflect the core values of Goldman Sachs,” says David Hennes, litigation and enforcement partner at Ropes & Gray LLP. “Ropes & Gray is thrilled to work with Melissa and her team on a daily basis.”
As a leader, James also believes in the power of both having mentors and being a mentor. “It’s important to have people you trust to help guide you through the difficult decisions and crossroads you’ll inevitably face,” she says. “On the other hand, it’s also important to pay it forward by being a mentor. Sometimes, simply having a sounding board to bounce ideas off of can help someone crystalize their own thoughts and make sense of what’s right for them.”
Even outside of work, James, a working mom, is no stranger to juggling priorities. She admits that work/life balance has been a constant struggle, but the fulfillment that she gets from raising her two sons and from her career as an attorney at Goldman Sachs is well worth it. “I’m a better mom because I have a job that I love, and I’m better at my job because I approach it with a full heart and a smile on my face.”
“I’m a better mom because I have a job that I love, and I’m better at my job because I approach it with a full heart and a smile on my face.”
Melissa James
James’s advice to young people who want to go to law school is that they shouldn’t neglect their first semester grades. “These days, law students receive summer jobs based on those. If that job goes well, you’ll get invited back. You can do anything for one semester. Do your very best, and after that, try to have more of a work/life balance, trusting the relationships you built over the summer to help you move forward in your career.”
Once those young attorneys graduate, James also believes they should get experience at a big law firm. “There’s not any replacement for it. The amount of different cases you see, the volume of work, the talent of senior lawyers you learn from all become an important part of your journey and better equip you to go in-house, if that’s your goal, with a diverse set of skills,” James says.
She also encourages younger woman lawyers not to be deterred by the disproportionate number of senior women attorneys at the highest levels. “Find your mentors in people you click with and look up to, whether they look like you or not. I’ve always pushed myself to embrace who I am and what makes me feel most comfortable and confident—which often means wearing high heels and sparkles in a room that happens to be full of men.”
“Melissa was a talented and tenacious trial and appellate lawyer during her years at Vinson & Elkins – superb judgment, detail-oriented, and a zealous advocate. She continues to apply those same skills in her role with Goldman Sachs.”
–Matthew Moran and George Kryder, Partners
