Women’s History Month: Kate Gordon Maynard

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Robinson Bradshaw is highlighting women from the firm throughout March. Meet Kate Gordon Manyard, Robinson Bradshaw's general counsel.

Describe what you do at Robinson Bradshaw.

I serve at the firm’s general counsel. In this role, I am a resource for our lawyers on issues of professional responsibility and legal ethics. I also provide guidance to firm leadership on risk management issues, ranging from managing the pandemic in our workplace to cybersecurity practices to more traditional professional liability risk management efforts. I am deeply involved in the firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion work and, over the past year, I have led the firm’s new collaborative pro bono program for under-resourced entrepreneurs, Charlotte Legal Initiative to Mobilize Businesses.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

In my current role, I spend a lot of time thinking about my client: our firm. I enjoy working to sustain and improve how we serve our clients and how we work together. No two days are the same, and I regularly interact with a wide range of our lawyers.

What advice would you give a younger version of yourself? 

Professionally, make an effort to chart your own course and define your own vision of success. It does not have to be a one-size-fits-all experience. On the personal side, I would caution myself to nurture my personal relationships and not allow busyness to get in the way.

Who is a female role model you admire, and why?

For the past few weeks, I have been thinking about the women of Ukraine, who are fleeing their country for safety – leaving their homes, husbands, fathers, sons and communities. These women are demonstrating their individual and collective strength, courage and determination, and I am sure they will be resilient when their circumstances allow. The images and stories of these women have reminded me to be grateful for the safety and ease of my own life. These women inspire me because they are demonstrating the qualities we each have, whether we recognize them inside ourselves or not.

Tell us something about yourself that we wouldn't learn from your website bio.

I come from a family of lawyers – my brother and I are the sixth generation – and grew up on a farm in western Kentucky. I love a get-dirty outdoor project as much as a complex research project.