UP CLOSE: René L. Siemens
Posted On: Apr. 26, 2015 12:00 AM CST
LOS-ANGELES-BASED PARTNER
Covington & Burling L.L.P.
PREVIOUS POSITION: Los Angeles-based partner with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman L.L.P.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: Growing Covington's brand-new Los Angeles office.
GOALS FOR NEW POSITION: Help to build Covington's leading policyholder insurance coverage practice and establish it more deeply in Southern California.
CHALLENGES FACING INDUSTRY: Pricing and meeting market demand for coverage of emerging risks like cyber losses.
INDUSTRY OUTLOOK: Robust.
FIRST INDUSTRY JOB: Litigation associate at Heller Ehrman L.L.P.
WHAT SURPRISED ME: How interesting insurance recovery work is. I had originally planned to be an environmental lawyer but quickly got drawn into insurance coverage work instead.
ADVICE: Find a specialty you enjoy, work hard at it, be a good person, and success will follow.
OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRY, A DREAM JOB: Running an NHL franchise.
HOBBIES: Hockey and yoga.
THING MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME: Before becoming a lawyer, I earned a doctorate and taught philosophy.
FAVORITE MEAL: South Indian vegetarian fare.
FAVORITE BOOK: Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations.
CAN'T-MISS TELEVISION SHOW: Hockey Night in Canada.
BEST CITY: Los Angeles. Few places, if any, can match its climate, diversity and dynamism.
ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON: Hang out with my two kids, aged 7 and 11.