For seventeen years, Natalie Reid has found a home at Debevoise & Plimpton. Natalie was born in Jamaica, but left at the age of sixteen for international study. “I am seventeen years into my career at the firm. It’s been the longest I have stayed in one place since I left Jamaica. Being in a place where one feels both professionally and personally comfortable—it is very hard to call that place anything but home.”
Natalie recalls that when she first joined the firm, she was unsure how long she would stay. Although Natalie knew early on she would become a lawyer—she resolved to practice international law by age twelve—she did not have close role models in Big Law, as no one in her family practiced law in the United States. However, Natalie found an assortment of role models, mentors and sponsors who contributed to her growth at Debevoise. “Coming up through the ranks at the firm, it was really meaningful to work with many different lawyers, including women litigators, who modeled in different ways what a successful lawyer is.”
At Debevoise, Natalie not only found a place that embraces individuality, she also found a community that supported her. “It’s the people who made a difference. It’s everything from the peer with you in the trenches, to the more senior lawyer who guides you, to the members of the affinity group who make you feel welcome, to the senior colleagues who serve as your mentors and sponsors.”
Natalie stresses the critical role sponsorship plays in shaping successful careers. “How is it that certain people thrive within the firm? The difference is almost always having a sponsor: someone who creates opportunities and advocates for you. In some environments, someone may only have one sponsor. One of the things that distinguishes our firm is that there are often many people who deliberately step into sponsorship roles, and I think that makes Debevoise a special place.”
As a partner and co-chair of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at the firm, Natalie strives to ensure that rising lawyers have a similar experience. “When we train young professionals, it is important to do it in a way that allows people to realize their potential authentically. Everybody adds to the community.”
Natalie emphasizes that community building requires everyone at the firm to pull in the same direction. “To create inclusive spaces, it needs to be the work of everyone. It needs to inform and infuse everything our organization does, and everybody has to participate in the effort. It’s especially necessary for a multigenerational workforce, where younger colleagues expect the firm to live up to its values.”
Looking back at her career, Natalie recalls times when she was the “only lonely,” or only woman or Black lawyer in a room, as well as times when it felt that the work of DEI was shouldered exclusively by those from underrepresented groups. “It can feel like a tremendous responsibility to be the only one to speak up for an entire population—and you have to speak up, because if you don’t speak up, who else at the table is going to?” Today, Natalie rejoices in the community she has found in three of the firm’s Black partners, Conway Blake, Simone Hicks and Arian June. “One of the best parts is not being the “only lonely” anymore. We work as a team, have an ongoing group chat and now have a place to go for inspiration, to vent, to keep each other honest and accountable—it has been amazing.”
Natalie acknowledges the additional challenges ahead and the continued commitments that are necessary to foster an inclusive community. “On journeys this long that require this much institutional change, you have to celebrate successes. As a community, we have demonstrated our ability to make changes. We are proud, while recognizing that we still have a way to go. What does it mean to have a professional community where people feel at home, where people feel they are set up for success and empowered to grow? That’s what we are building.”
