The Road to Discovery: Life as a Lawyer and Leader - with Thomasenia Duncan

“I am motivated by tomorrow. I've always believed that the best is yet to come. I've never believed that every day has to be a happy day for me. What I want to have is more like a deep and abiding sense of satisfaction and -- dare I say -- joy.” Thomasenia (“Tommie”) Duncan is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was a member of the Penn Law Review. She completed her third year of law studies as a visiting scholar at Yale Law School. 

 

Tommie started her legal career on a conventional track in private practice as a very successful litigator at the prestigious firm, Covington & Burling, LLP. Tommie then focused her career on leading government and nonprofit legal offices, including as General Counsel of the Federal Election Commission, General Counsel of America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth, and General Counsel of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Tommie also has been a professor of law at the District of Columbia School of Law (where she founded the HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic) and at Georgetown University Law Center. 

 

Tommie discovered a new path of leadership as a lawyer. She is the Panel Executive for the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. The MDL Panel consists of seven federal judges appointed by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In her position, Tommie is the “chief executive officer” and “chief legal officer.” She leads the MDL Panel’s legal, operational, and administrative staff. Tommie says, “I progress... in two situations: One is when I've learned something. And one is when I've taught something. Both of those things take me down the road of discovery. When I feel like I have learned something about myself, about the world, about my profession, or when I have taught something, I feel like I'm progressing.” Discover more by listening to today’s episode.