Litigation
Jun. 15, 2002
Fearless Litigator
Top 30 Women Litigators - Debra E. Pole - Attorney Debra E. Pole had the good fortune to be taken under a judge's wing when she was a budding attorney, and then she had the wits scared out of her, until she learned to fear nothing in the courtroom.
Debra E. Pole
Attorney Debra E. Pole had the good fortune to be taken under a judge's wing when she was a budding attorney, and then she had the wits scared out of her, until she learned to fear nothing in the courtroom.
"He forced me to learn all the elements of the crime, and if I made a mistake, he'd tell me after it was too late to correct it," Pole, 51, recalls. "That got me on my way. I learned to be prepared when I walked into the courtroom."
When she was only 27, an appellate judge offered to nominate her to become a municipal judge, but Pole knew she wanted to become a litigator, so she turned him down.
"It was a very wise decision," she says.
Pole moved to Los Angeles and worked her way up at various firms before landing as a partner with Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison.
"I liked the fact that there were women in management here and a number of female partners," she says.
Pole is serving her second term on the firm's policy committee and is a former chair of the partnership committee.
In the courtroom, she defends pharmaceutical and medical device companies, including defendants in several breast implant cases, and has had some interesting moments during trial.
"Any real trial lawyer tries to wait for just the right moment, and you can't plan for it," she says. "When I've been in tough situations where the person I'm examining is ill or has suffered, I just try to keep the mood in the courtroom light."
Pole's light mood about her work has rubbed off on her young nephews, with whom she spends much of her free time.
"They are so funny about my work. They want to know all about what it is that I do and even to read the trial briefs," she laughs. "The younger one was in my office the other morning, reading The Wall Street Journal and discussing it with whomever would listen."
Christina Landers
For reprint rights or to order a copy of your photo:
Email
Jeremy_Ellis@dailyjournal.com
for prices.
Direct dial: 213-229-5424
Send a letter to the editor:
Email: letters@dailyjournal.com