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LyondellBasell’s Brittany Ringel Walton shares what outside counsel needs to know about her and more.
The Texas Lawbook: What are the factors you consider when deciding about hiring outside counsel?
Brittany Ringel Walton: We primarily focus on results, value and service. We want to pick the right lawyer and team for that particular matter. When a matter is in a jurisdiction that we are less familiar with, we often rely on references from outside counsel. We appreciate when firms are open to alternative fee agreements. In addition, we think about diversity, equity and inclusion when selecting counsel and staffing the team. Finally, we consider who we want to work with and have in our corner.
Lawbook: What does outside counsel need to know about you?
Walton: In addition to top-notch advocacy and work product, I value trust, an authentic relationship, being able to maintain a sense of humor when it is a grind or stressful and the ability to make strategic calls after quick exchanges.
Lawbook: What am I not asking that I should be asking?
Walton: I am so thankful for the friendships and connections I have made through bar service. [She was president of the Houston Young Lawyers Association, 2015-2016.] Life escalated quickly. I got married one month after my HYLA president year, and then one month after our wedding I was pregnant with twins. I am a mom of three children: Henry (6), Catherine (6) and William (5).
Former UCLA Division I women’s volleyball and basketball player. My husband, Nate Walton, is a lawyer and played basketball in college, too. [Nate played at Texas Lutheran University.] I learned so many lessons playing sports and how to work with all different types of people and personalities — and in stressful, crunch-time situations. I take those lessons into how I lead teams today.
Click here to read the full profile of Brittany Ringel Walton.