Katja H. Hill

Name
Katja H. Hill

Honor
Statewide co-chair of Legal Food Frenzy, gathering food and raising funds for Virginia Food Banks

Business/Employer
LeClairRyan
Riverfront Plaza, East Tower
951 East Byrd Street, 8th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 783-7543

E-mail
[email protected]

Education
BA, University of Virginia
JD, University of Richmond

Who was your most important mentor and how did that mentor impact your career?

I joined LeClairRyan directly from law school and was fortunate to have tremendously dedicated mentors in Dennis Ryan, Gary LeClair and Lem Marshall who cultivated my work ethic, taught me how to be a lawyer, about leadership and the business of the practice of law. They have served as daily examples of attorneys who were fully engaged in their practices, families and communities.

What do you consider your biggest personal accomplishment and why?

On a personal level without question my biggest accomplishment is parenting my twin five-year old sons. The ongoing challenges involved in raising them has helped me to tap into reserves of patience and flexibility that I did not previously know I had, and it probably made me a better lawyer as a result.

What is the best bit of advice you ever received?

Take things one step at a time. Remain focused on the task at hand, do the best job possible and things will take care of themselves.

How do you achieve a balance between your professional life and your personal life?

I’m not sure that my professional life is ever really balanced. As a working professional and parent to young children I have learned that both aspects of life demand 110% of your attention and at different times either your personal or professional life must be your priority. The trick is learning to prioritize the various demands on your time and to be flexible enough to adapt to the most pressing demand of the moment.

If you hadn’t become a lawyer, what field would you have entered?

I would have likely ended up in finance.

What is your favorite book or movie and why?

I love the old Audrey Hepburn movie Roman Holiday for its celebration of life’s adventures and the fun of finding pleasure in even the simplest of things.

What are two facts about you that most people, including your closest friends, may not know?

I’m obsessed with the Wall Street Journal, CNBC and financial news in general – a closet Maria Bartiromo.