Name: Kara Baysinger
Firm Name: Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP
Address: 525 Market Street , 26th Floor, San Francisco, CA  94105-2708
Phone: 415.882.2475
Nominated by: Marty Africa, Partner, Major, Lindsey & Africa
Interviewed by: Natasha Innocenti, Partner and Chair - Partner Practice Group Northern California, Major, Lindsey & Africa
Practice area: Kara Baysinger is a Partner in Sonnenschein's Insurance Regulatory and E-business Practices, Co-Chair of the firm's Insurance Practice, Lateral Acquisition Partner, and a member of the firm's Management Team, Policy and Planning Committee and Women's Business Development Group.

Ms. Baysinger’s practice focuses on advising insurance companies and other entities operating in the insurance space. She assists clients with mission-critical matters such as regulatory examinations and investigations, mergers and acquisitions, and risk transfer arrangements. She has served on numerous state and National Association of Insurance Commissioners Advisory Boards, working on innovations or issues in the industry.  She has created contracting/licensing procedures and contracts for insurance and other distribution and production entities, on-line and traditional insurance advertisements, sales tools and protocols, insurance products and contracts.  She has also negotiated complex reinsurance treaties and commutations, developed market conduct procedures, regulatory compliance protocols and has procured corporate admissions and approvals for insurers and distribution entities nationwide.  She also has extensive experience working with traditional and Internet businesses on corporate transactional, licensing, strategic alliance and joint venture matters.

Most successful/Favorite Rainmaking tip:

For me, it is all about relationships and problem solving. The clients who come back again and again do so because they trust you with their problems. That kind of trust is developed through delivering the very best legal work, as well as developing a personal relationship that goes beyond providing a legal service. I take that trust really seriously, and am honored that my clients come to me with their biggest business challenges.

Biggest influence on career/best career advice:

I had a mentor before I was an attorney. I worked in the insurance industry on the business side for ten years before joining Sonnenschein and I was a client of Sonnenschein’s. Harold Shapiro was a partner at Sonnenschein with whom I worked closely, and he really taught me what it is to be a true advisor to a business. He took on a real sense of responsibility for the problems he worked on for us; he was the quintessential relationship partner. He got to know me, my family, my business, the issues in my industry, to the point where he could anticipate issues that I could articulate and even those that sometimes I didn’t. He understood the politics of a business problem and how to make you look good as a client. He taught by example - embodying those values. This is not the kind of thing they teach in law school, but it has been invaluable to me. That impression of always cultivating the relationship and helping my client anticipate and prepare for issues continues to guide how I practice law.

Proudest accomplishment:

I am most proud of my key client relationships in which there is a meaningful long-term relationship. When things go wrong for these clients I am the person they call. I am also proud of the leadership role I play in my firm, and the opportunity I have to mentor younger lawyers.

I have been with Sonnenschein for 12 years, and shortly after making partner I was asked to be Vice Chair of my practice group. About three years ago, I was asked to take on a strategic lateral recruiting role at a time when the firm had selected lateral recruiting as the number one strategic priority for the firm. I was flattered and honored to do that. I was also asked to be on our executive committee, which is called the Policy & Planning Committee, and to join our five member management committee, along with our General Counsel, CEO, Chairman and Client Services Partner. We are charged with making day to day decisions for the firm. I was given a real voice on how this firm handles its growth, how it navigates up economies and down markets, and this has allowed me to continue the legacy of my mentors. I think it is important to have people dedicated to keeping an eye on the big picture for a firm – what do we stand for, and how do we advance our brand in everything that we do? I’ve been able to help build this firm, and have an opportunity to make a difference, even when it isn’t easy or popular. I feel really fortunate, and very proud of that opportunity.

Knowing what you know now, if you were starting out as a lawyer today, what would you do differently?

I would have started focusing on client relationships right away – not for origination credit or billable hours, but focusing on caring about serving the client. As lawyers, our “widget” that we can sell is our time and our effort. I would have been more thoughtful earlier on in my career about how to optimize that time and effort on behalf of the client. I would advise newer lawyers to always try to think, “How will this work product be used? How does it add value?” rather than solely focusing on writing the perfect brief.

Having a business background also really helps. I am a big believer in secondments. Being seconded to a client gives attorneys a chance to understand how business decisions are made, and I think it really helps attorneys relate to their clients. I benefitted from my time in business, and continued working while I attended law school at night.

If you were mentoring a young woman lawyer, what advice would you give her regarding rainmaking?

Honestly, I think that for people in law firms who are focused on building a practice, I would say the following. Hiring counsel have a reluctance to move away from the safe bet. They become worried about their Board second guessing their decisions. So they tend to go for the established brand even when that team might not be the best choice for that particular problem. And this status quo makes it more difficult for women in law firms, especially since they are less often integral to those established law firm brands.

So, how do you handle that challenge? Being an exceptional lawyer is a baseline – it’s what you do above being a great lawyer that counts. It is all about relationships. You should really, really invest in that. Ask yourself, “How do I make this client look good to their internal audiences? How do I solve their problems?” Even a very junior in-house lawyer will likely develop into someone who can give you work later. Most of my best clients are people I’ve known for ten or fifteen years, and I invested in those relationships before it was about getting business. It still is about more than getting business. That is how you develop your own personal brand. You begin this right at the beginning with every client and every partner you work with and it will pay off.

Think about when you started out as a lawyer. Now think about the new female lawyers just starting out. What is different now compared to when you started?

Well, the economy is worse. I came out in 1994 and the economy wasn’t great then either. You had to be then, and you have to be even more now, the complete package. You need to be smarter, better, harder working, to get the most interesting work and clients.

When the economy is down firms are less certain how to make a place for themselves as the legal industry reshuffles. There is a lot of change in the industry right now. If you are in this career for the long run, you need to be in it for the long run. It is not about “will I make my hours this year and get my bonus.” It is about “what am I going to do that makes a real positive impact on clients,” because that is what this is all about. That focus on the clients has always been critical, but it is even more important now.

List words that best describe you:

Collaborative, responsible, responsive, energetic, determined, authentic.