Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella's Women's Profile Series: Danielle Gould

Introducing this month’s profile in our series celebrating the talented women attorneys at Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella!

This month, we highlight Danielle Gould, a highly experienced litigator whose dedication and expertise drive remarkable results for our clients. Stay tuned as we continue to showcase the accomplishments and stories of our exceptional women leaders in law.

Have you had any female mentors or role models who influenced your career, and how did they help shape your professional journey?

I had the opportunity to attend an interview of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg a few years before she died. She was asked about the challenges she faced as a young lawyer and noted that she had three strikes against her – she was a woman, she was Jewish, and she was a mother – the biggest strike being that she was a mother. It was a meaningful comment for me at the time because while I had not been a mother for most of my career at that point, I was a few years into motherhood and her comment resonated deeply with me. I keep her comment in mind every day as I attempt to balance doing this job with being a mother involved in my children’s lives. I am thankful to RBG for helping to pave the way to do both.

How did you cultivate the leadership skills that have supported your success?

My parents taught me that hard work moves you forward, and usually it does. So, I wake up every day expecting to work hard and learn and grow along the way. I have always pushed forward to face a challenge whether to dig for the facts, present an oral argument, take a deposition or go to trial. This has built confidence for me to do this job at a high level and lead others working with me on any given matter so we can do the best job for our clients.

Who or what keeps you motivated, especially during challenging times?

I always fall back on my family and friends for support, but generally I am motivated in challenging times to meet the challenge. That is the point.

Do you have any advice for law firms looking to better support female attorneys?

Communicate with all of your attorneys. Ask them what they need to do their jobs well and try to accommodate. Learn about what plagues females in the workplace – including not being heard, having their good ideas appropriated, and being underestimated. Do not assume that your employees understand gender bias. Conduct training and implement measures to overcome these unnecessary gender bias issues and, in turn, maximize the utilization of the skills and leadership of a valuable part of your workforce in manner that encourages and breeds respect.

Is there a book, quote, or philosophy that has had a lasting impact on you?

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Victor Frankl