Grouches Beware: A Message for You From The Pout-Pout Fish
Discovery wirh Lydia R. Webb
Published in 2020 Texas Rising Stars magazine
By Lydia Webb on March 31, 2020
My nickname is … the MVP. When I was a baby lawyer at Gray Reed, my nickname was Barbara Bush because I always wore pearls and a cardigan.
I can’t go a day without … Dove dark chocolate. My colleague next door keeps a stash of it on her desk, and I’m constantly raiding it.
If you were in my office, you’d … be shocked at how messy it is. At home, I’m a clean freak. But my desk? Controlled chaos.
My colleagues would be surprised to know that … I was a classically trained ballerina and taught dance through law school.
The quality I most like in a lawyer is … civility. I may be opposite another lawyer in one case but on the same side in the next. The bankruptcy bar is too small for you to get very far if you are a jerk.
My pre-trial routine is … prepare, prepare, prepare. I write best at night and under pressure, so I usually wait and put together my oral argument after all my other prep work is done—usually the night before.
When I started, I wish I knew … that business development is something you have to constantly work on as a young lawyer but really takes off as you continue to grow in your career and area of expertise.
If I weren’t a lawyer, I’d be … a paleontologist. I was the kid that memorized all the dinosaur names. When I take my nieces and nephews to the museum, I’m the most excited one there.
The SCOTUS justice I’d like to meet is … RBG. I hope to be as smart and tenacious when I’m in my eighties!
A different practice area that intrigues me is … employment law. They have the best stories!
I can’t believe more people haven’t read … The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen. It is my son’s favorite book—we’ve read it so much, I have it memorized. It has some great lines that I use on my colleagues when they are acting less than cheerful.
My fictional hero is … Leslie Knope (from Parks and Recreation).
On weekends I … am a full-time mom. I am very protective of my time with my husband and son.
The talent I wish I had is … being in two places at once. I always give my best to whatever is in front of me professionally, but it’s hard not to think about what I have to sacrifice sometimes.
Nothing cheers me up like … hearing my husband and son laugh.
If I had a morning show, my co-host would be … Hoda Kotb, of course. I’m a big fan of the Today show, so why mess with a good thing?
If I won the lottery, I’d … take my whole family on a fabulous vacation. Then go back to work.
My guilty pleasure is … cozy pajamas. I can never have enough.
My courtroom walk-up music would be … “My Shot” from Hamilton.
My real-life hero is … my mom. She is one tough woman—the first female police office in Arkansas—and she sacrificed so much to get me where I am today. I love you, Mom!
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