What attracted you to Warner Norcross?

“I clerked here as a second-year law-school student so this looked like a good place to begin my career. If I took a job at a firm in Chicago, I likely would have been working 60 hours per week, which was fine starting out. But if my husband and I wanted to have kids, we didn’t want to raise them in the city, so we’d have to move to the suburbs. Add an hour commute both ways after working 60 hours a week and I’d only be home to sleep. I didn’t want to do that. Quality of life was pretty much the deciding factor in taking the job here. I love working here and being a lawyer but there’s nothing I love more than being with my family and friends. Here you get to do both.”

What were your initial impressions of the firm?

“When I started it was a little scary because you are almost immediately given a lot of responsibility. I was here a week and a partner said, ‘You’re going to talk to the client.’ I was here less than a year when I started managing clients. The partners want you to get in front of clients.”

What was your first memorable moment?

“A bunch of associates got together after work on a Friday to work on a skit (poking fun at the firm’s partners) and we stayed until two in the morning. It was so much fun. Everybody works hard but it’s a fun environment. You can be here until two in the morning doing work, but it’s with people you enjoy being around.”

What advice would you give to young attorneys looking for work?

“Come here. This place really does strike a good balance between work and play. And this firm is a big deal in Michigan so you are introduced to a lot of community leaders early on, even at my level. The partners give you a chance to be a big part of the community starting from the ground up, which is really cool.”

To learn more about Kelly and her practice click here.