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Walgreens is in the middle of a massive turnaround. The pharmacy chain plans to close up to 1,200 stores and announced earlier this year that it has agreed to be taken private after almost one hundred years as a public company. But analysts are hopeful this big move could help mark the beginning of a recovery for one of the best-known names in pharmacy.
A turnaround isn’t easy. But it has been a learning experience unlike any other for Lisa Haidostian, senior director and managing counsel for commercial and securities litigation at Walgreens. Haidostian came in-house in 2021 after nearly a decade at Chicago-founded firm McDermott Will & Emery.
“There’s no doubt that a turnaround environment can be challenging, but I’ve tried to find opportunities,” Haidostian explains. “There are chances to stretch yourself and further your development in ways that might not have been available otherwise.”
Haidostian says she focuses on the aspects of her job that she can control. She loves her work, genuinely enjoys being around her coworkers, and she has faith in the direction her company is headed. She believes she has the dream job for her, focusing on litigation strategy and big picture issues.
The attorney has also had the opportunity to expand her own practice. A year into her in-house role, Haidostian was asked to manage compliance for Walgreens’ US healthcare segment, a wholly new experience for her. She eventually returned to her litigation practice, but says the detour was a good chance to develop different legal muscles.
“I was excited about the opportunity,” the attorney explains. “I learned some important lessons about working proactively with a compliance team to anticipate issues and try to head them off before they become actual problems. We work with our compliance group early and often to anticipate or mitigate potential problems before they bubble up.”
And while returning to high-stakes litigation was the right move for Haidostian, the attorney says going in-house gave her the opportunity to focus on a bigger picture for her entire life, not just her career.
Haidostian went in-house, in part, to have a better handle on work-life balance. The attorney and her commercial litigator husband have two children, currently four and six. After nine years at a law firm, Haidostian was ready for a different approach.
“I still have a very demanding job, but most nights I’m not staying up past midnight preparing for a deposition,” the attorney says, laughing. “My husband and I are trying to model a balanced life for our kids: two parents committed to their careers, but also fully invested in their family.”
Today, the attorney says she’s proud of the life she and her husband have created for their children in the heart of Chicago. When Haidostian is home with her family, she’s present. The inherent demands of supporting a major company and indulging her husband’s interest in discussing even the more mundane aspects of litigation mean she rarely escapes the law completely. But the couple manages to balance their work talk with enjoying their lives with their children.
“There’s no doubt that a turnaround environment can be challenging, but I’ve tried to find opportunities. There are chances to stretch yourself and further your development in ways that might not have been available otherwise.”
Lisa Haidostian
Additionally, Haidostian has stayed connected to the pro bono work she engaged in previously. The senior director started working with the National Immigrant Justice Center while at McDermott, eventually joining the organization’s board. When she came to Walgreens, she made it clear that it was important for her to continue working on asylum and other immigration-related cases.
“Walgreens has been very supportive of me continuing that work,” Haidostian says. “Our NIJC clients have usually been through incredible hardships and are just trying to create the best lives for themselves and their families. I’m grateful to be able to help them.”
Haidostian encourages other in-house lawyers to find ways to keep doing pro bono work. She positioned her request internally as a way to build more engaged relationships with outside counsel as well as being the right thing to do.
“Most companies want to do the right thing,” Haidostian says. “They want to give back, and it creates good development opportunities for their in-house lawyers. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
