Leaders in the legal services industry are currently encountering several challenges, including advancements in technology, changing client expectations, and heightened competition. To address these challenges effectively, leaders are concentrating on innovation and prioritizing strategies that meet client needs. Their role is critical in managing complexities, leading strategic initiatives, and developing a culture of flexibility and advancement within their organizations. They guide their teams through changing environments while maintaining ethical standards and delivering high-quality legal services.
Marie Napoli, Coral M. Odiot Rivera & Shayna Sacks, Partners at Napoli Shkolnik, are well-known leaders in the legal service industry. They all are committed to delivering impactful work. The trio possesses skills essential to leading a modern law firm and offering specialized legal services to clients. Under their leadership, Napoli Shkolnik stands out as one of the premier legal firms.
Inspiring Journeys
- Marie’s Path to Environmental Justice:
Marie started her career in law at her father’s firm, Kaiser & Hirsch, in Westchester County, NY, where she began working at a young age. After receiving her JD from St. John’s Law School, she returned to the firm as a lawyer alongside her brother. Motivated by her family’s legacy and her husband, who is also a lawyer she met in court, they decided to merge firms and establish Napoli Kaiser & Associates. Building on her strong educational foundation, Marie went on to obtain an LLM in Taxation Law from NYU School of Law as well as an LLM in Environmental Law from Lewis & Clark Law School.
Marie has put her combination of learning from the ground up at her father’s firm, education, strong work ethic, and experience together to become a founding partner of powerhouse Napoli Shkolnik.
- Coral’s Commitment to Community:
Coral started her career in the legal field at the Puerto Rico Supreme Court as a law clerk, where she gained valuable insights into judicial processes. She then served as a legal advisor for the Senate of Puerto Rico, further developing her skills in legal analysis and policy formulation. It was during her time as counsel for the Puerto Rican energy consumer that Coral discovered her passion for environmental law.
In this role, she saw firsthand the delicate balance between energy policies and environmental concerns, which inspired her to specialize in environmental mass tort litigation at Napoli Shkolnik. At the firm, Coral is dedicated to advocating for sustainable practices and seeking justice for communities impacted by environmental issues. In recognition of her outstanding work, Coral was selected for Law360’s Rising Stars 2024 in the Environmental category.
- Shayna’s Commitment to Regulatory Justice and Advocacy:
Early in her career, Shayna identified her interest in working within the legal, political, and medical fields with a focus on driving policy change and increasing safety in communities, specifically for women. Currently, Shayna’s practice focuses on representing individuals and governmental entities in cases involving complex science and regulatory issues at Napoli Shkolnik.
Champions for Change
Napoli Shkolnik is a nationally recognized law firm bringing a client-focused approach to complex, often large-scale litigation, largely in the areas of mass torts, environmental law, civil rights, product liability and pharmaceutical litigation, commercial litigation as well as personal injury and medical malpractice cases. The firm’s attorneys have built an impressive track record of successfully handling such cases.
They played key roles in significant settlements, including the $816 million settlement for World Trade Center first responders affected by toxic dust at Ground Zero after September 11, 2001. Other notable achievements include $640 million settlement involving the Flint Water Crisis litigation, the numerous victories in the opioid litigations around the country, including a favorable jury verdict in the New York Opioid Trial where the firm represented Nassau county, and the recent multi-billion settlements in the ongoing AFFF MDL in South Carolina.
Napoli Shkolnik attorneys and partners are frequently invited to speak at CLE seminars nationwide and hold leadership positions in numerous MDLs (Multidistrict Litigation). With its main office in New York, additional offices nationwide and an affiliate office in Puerto Rico, Napoli Shkolnik has the resources and reach to effectively pursue cases for clients.
Leading with Resilience
Despite significant progress, Marie recognizes that there are still some ingrained gender biases present in the legal community. She understands the importance of maintaining professional detachment from these biases. She sees them as a reflection of the individuals who hold them rather than a limitation on her abilities. Marie remains focused on her professional goals and is not influenced by external opinions or prejudices.
While directing the legal industry as a woman, Coral has also encountered both challenges and opportunities. However, she has been fortunate to have the support of successful women leaders who have inspired and mentored her. These experiences have taught her the value of resilience, confidence, and the importance of having a supportive network.
Overcoming Challenges
Alongside gender bias, women business leaders undergo several other challenges. Leading a team through environmental mass tort litigation, Coral adeptly handles challenging situations. She frequently deals with tight deadlines and complex tasks that require coordination across the client list, making the workload seem daunting at times. Her approach involves assessing and planning, communicating effectively with the team, actively participating in tasks, monitoring progress, and acknowledging the team’s hard work. These challenging scenarios offer valuable growth opportunities, helping to improve problem-solving and project management skills, as well as teaching resilience, adaptability, and strategic thinking.
Marie also encountered challenging times when her husband and business partner became seriously ill, leading competitors to believe their business was vulnerable to a hostile takeover. During this period, Marie led her team by focusing on honesty, hard work, and maintaining a clear focus on their goals. She emphasized the importance of self-belief, which in turn, inspired confidence in others. Through these key steps, Marie learned that success can be achieved regardless of circumstances by remaining steadfast and determined.
Learning from Strong Women
Continuous learning is the key to success in any field, and the trio is constantly on the lookout to learn something new from its peers. Shayna is always eager to learn from everyone she meets, particularly with regard to leadership styles. She believes that leading by example and staying true to oneself is the most effective approach. When supporting others, she values empathy, authenticity, proactivity, and commitment.
Coral’s leadership style has been greatly influenced by the strong women role models she has encountered throughout her life and career. Her mother taught her resilience, wisdom, and compassion, which have guided Coral with determination. As an assistant to Maria Dolores Fernós during law school, Coral learned about advocacy and the impact of education on social change. These experiences have shaped her leadership style, which emphasizes collaboration, empathy, and justice while also focusing on authenticity and lifting others as she moves forward.
Marie, on the other hand, admires Margaret Thatcher as an inspiring role model. Thatcher’s example showed her that it is possible to succeed in a male-dominated industry with strength, determination, grace, and etiquette. Her leadership style and resilience in difficult situations had a lasting impact on Marie, motivating her to pursue her ambitions with confidence and dignity. Marie learned valuable lessons about balancing assertiveness with grace through Thatcher’s legacy, which she applied in her professional journey.
Leadership Perspectives
The trio follows different leadership philosophies based on different principles.
For Marie, leading by example is a key aspect of effective leadership. She consistently provides productive feedback and offers encouragement when it is needed. Additionally, she understands the importance of identifying when an individual may not be well-suited for their current role. In such cases, she explores options such as additional training or the possibility of transferring the individual to a different department, aiming to find the best fit for both the employee and the organization.
Similar to Marie, Shayna leads by example, providing clear direction and communicating the overarching goals to ensure everyone understands their roles and contributions. She encourages open communication and the exchange of ideas, fostering a respectful and valued team environment. Shayna values feedback and input from her team, promoting positivity and enjoyment at work to enhance productivity. She consistently recognizes team efforts and supports professional development, emphasizing that failures are opportunities for learning and growth. Shayna believes in the collective strength of her team to handle any challenge together.
Coral’s leadership style is collaborative and transformational. She focuses on empowering and motivating her team by setting high standards through her own hard work and commitment to excellence. She grants team members the autonomy to make decisions, trusting in their abilities. Coral fosters a supportive environment that encourages open communication, feedback, and continuous learning. She acknowledges hard work and achievements, sets clear expectations, and provides necessary resources. She believes constructive feedback is essential for growth and improvement.
Building a Culture of Innovation
Under the leadership of Marie, Coral, and Shayna, Napoli Shkolnik fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. Team members are encouraged to work together in a supportive environment. The firm offers internal weekly training programs and requires certification programs for all employees. Regular meetings are held for those interested in the firm’s DEI initiatives to share ideas. Employee surveys are conducted anonymously to gather feedback, leading to team-building events, firm picnics, happy hours, energy breaks, virtual cooking demonstrations, and more.
Marie is proud to have a team of highly skilled and talented women in the legal industry. She actively supports the firm’s professional development initiatives. These include providing internships, participating in mentoring programs with alma maters, including the recently established NYU Law Environmental Justice Laboratory (EJL), implementing the Future Leaders Program, and promoting from within the firm.
Coral takes a strategic approach to talent acquisition and development within her team. She emphasizes identifying individuals with essential technical skills who also align with the team’s core values of work ethic, commitment to diligence, and a strong drive for professional growth. During interviews, the focus is on understanding candidates’ motivations, work ethic, and career aspirations. This approach helps evaluate their potential to excel and remain dedicated in challenging environments, such as legal work.
Technology & Innovation
Marie acknowledges the transformative impact of technology within the legal industry, particularly highlighted during the pandemic. Remote court appearances, virtual client meetings, and online filings were crucial in maintaining judicial continuity. While Coral recognizes the benefits of AI advancements in research and efficiency, she emphasizes that human oversight by qualified attorneys remains essential. Looking forward, Marie is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of generative AI to streamline legal processes and improve access to justice for underserved communities.
As per Coral, the current landscape of technology in the legal industry is a significant and transformative shift. It supports its inclusion not just as an enhancement but as a necessary evolution to address the complexities of the modern world. She is particularly excited about emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). These technologies are reshaping legal research, contract review, and litigation support with high accuracy and efficiency.
Under the leadership of Marie, Coral, and Shayna, Napoli Shkolnik has implemented technology to improve efficiency and personalized client services. They focus on tools and platforms tailored for managing high volumes of information in mass tort litigation, enhancing legal outcomes. The cybersecurity challenges faced by law firms involve the risks associated with handling sensitive client data and ensuring data security and privacy through a robust IT team dedicated to cybersecurity measures.
Words of Wisdom for Women Aspiring in Law
Coral advises aspiring women leaders in the legal industry to navigate the challenging yet rewarding journey with resilience, skill, and a strong support network. She stresses the importance of cultivating resilience by learning from setbacks, seeing challenges as opportunities for growth, and nurturing empathy to strengthen teams and improve client relationships. Lastly, she encourages supporting other women by mentoring younger lawyers, advocating for diversity and inclusion in organizations, and creating a more inclusive and supportive professional environment.
Shayna advises individuals to prioritize authenticity and embrace their unique approach in professional pursuits. She underscores the value of building a strong network and encourages seeking guidance from mentors as needed. Shayna advocates for giving back to the community, particularly by mentoring young women and investing time in their development as future leaders in the field.
Marie advises women entering the legal profession to persevere and stay focused on their goals. Her counsel emphasizes the importance of dedication and confidence, urging them to set personal goals and maintain a steady pace. Marie advises against comparing oneself to others, highlighting the career as a marathon rather than a sprint. She encourages persistence and a forward-looking approach, emphasizing the value of continuous progress in the face of challenges.
