Julie Jones, Chair, Ropes & Gray

Julie Jones is the Chair of Ropes & Gray, the venerable law firm founded in 1865, which today is a $2 billion enterprise with over 1500 lawyers.
Julie is the first woman to lead the firm, a position she was elevated to at the start of 2020 just as the world and business leaders were facing unprecedented challenges.
In this episode, she takes us back to the beginning, and we learn how steps she took and relationships she formed early in her career continue to help guide her in the leadership role she plays today.
We talk about how she prepared and marketed herself with intention on her way to becoming one of the world’s preeminent M&A lawyers, her experience as one of the inventors of the reverse termination fee, and how she’s adjusted from being a lawyer to being a leader.
Then we get into her firm’s response to the pandemic, how she tries to speak authentically on divisive issues, and the advice she received from Lloyd Blankfein.