#CovLatinx Spotlight Series: Monique O'Donoghue
October 13, 2020
Monique O’Donoghue advises and represents clients in complex commercial arbitration matters and government enforcement matters.
Monique O’Donoghue advises and represents clients in complex commercial arbitration matters and government enforcement matters.
Ms. O’Donoghue has advised and represented international clients in complex commercial disputes in a range of industries, including oil and gas and technology.
Originally born in Puerto Rico, Ms. O’Donoghue was raised in Miami, FL and is now resident in our London office.
What attracted you to the area of law? Was there anything in particular which prompted your interest in a legal career?
My path to a legal career was more circuitous than some and I can’t say that I knew I wanted to be a lawyer since I was child. I graduated from Yale with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a second major in Anthropology. Looking back now, I think I gravitated to science and math over English and history as a child because when I moved to Miami from Puerto Rico at the age of nine, my schooling changed from Spanish to English. I found my English and history classes more challenging than my science and math classes. I enjoyed science and excelled in the subject so when I graduated from college, I stayed at Yale to manage a molecular biology lab and prepare to apply to graduate school. I ultimately decided that I did not want to pursue a career in academia and applied to law school because I thought that a law degree would allow me to pursue a variety of different career options. I enjoyed law school and my clerkship. Through my clerkship and my work at Covington as a young lawyer, I found that I really enjoyed litigation and the intellectual challenge of disputes work. I found that I also enjoyed -- and still enjoy -- the practice of law.
What differences have you seen regarding diversity and inclusion efforts in the Unites States and the UK?
I have been an expat for nine years now, with four of those years spent in London and five in Dubai. In each of the countries in which I have lived, I have found that the diversity and inclusion priorities are influenced by the ethnic and racial make-up of the population. The United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates have different histories and the make-up of their populations also is very different. As a result, the conversations around diversity and what institutional and societal changes must be made to advance diverse voices are different. I welcome the conversations that we are having on both of sides of the Atlantic about diversity and inclusion and the real value that diverse voices bring to a community and an institution. I believe that in both the United States and the United Kingdom there is a recognition that we need to examine the systems that are in place and assess what changes need to be made so that we can include individuals with more diverse backgrounds in all of our institutions, amplify their voices, and support them in achieving success. Because it is not enough to get individuals in the door, they need to be provided with opportunity and a path to success.
Looking back at your career, what advice would you give to yourself as a new associate?
I would tell myself to seek out mentors and create a support network both on a professional and personal level. A good mentor is a gift, but one must also cultivate a mentor-mentee relationship. That requires time, effort, and intention. A good mentor will offer guidance, support, and honest feedback -- all of which will help you grow as a person and a lawyer. I’ve benefited from good mentors throughout my career. Equally important is having a strong support network, both in and out of the office. I was fortunate to start at Covington with a brilliant and motivated group of female colleagues who created a great support network for each other. Though not all of them are still at Covington, we are still good friends.
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