Leslie A. Benitez, co-managing partner of Gordon & Rees’ Austin office, was featured in the June 12 Female Powerbrokers Q&A published by Law360. In the article, Benitez discussed her 37-year career and her leadership role within the firm. She also offered advice to aspiring female attorneys.
“There still are challenges for women, but I have found over the last number of years that many clients value women on their teams, and law firms value women in leadership roles. . . . The challenging experiences I have had, though, including management experience in government and private practice, were great preparation for my role at my firm, which incorporates women into leadership roles,” Benitez said in the Q&A.
Benitez began her legal career as a briefing and research attorney at the Court of Criminal Appeals, Texas’ highest criminal court. She went on to become chief of the Law Enforcement Division at the Texas Office of the Attorney General and later general counsel to the governor of Texas.
She joined Gordon & Rees in 2011 as a partner in the Drug & Medical Device and Tort & Product Liability Practice Groups. She has handled matters for a diverse range of products, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, child safety seats, farm equipment, cosmetics, automobiles, tires, and automobile components. Benitez has extensive motion and appellate experience in product liability and tort cases, and she has argued in Texas appellate courts, U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Benitez has achieved a peer review rating of AV Preeminent from Martindale-Hubbell. Her accolades include the Super Lawyers distinction in the fields of appellate law and personal injury defense: products, and the Best Lawyers in America distinction in appellate practice.
To read the Law360 Female Powerbrokers Q&A, click here.