On June 10, Ruth Beyer, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Precision Castparts Corp., will speak about in-house careers and the skills and experience she acquired in private practice that were most valuable in her first year at PCC. REGISTER ONLINE. Here's a Q&A with this month's speaker.
1. What or who was most influential in your upbringing that contributed to your current success?
Roy Marvin, now deceased, was VP Administration at Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC) and managed their legal needs when I was a young associate. Roy taught me a lot about practicing law in a manner that best served clients. Roy would get a chuckle from the fact that I am now General Counsel at PCC.
2. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
In the professional context, the best advice I’ve received has to be some version of “Don’t let it get under your skin.” I can think of multiple occasions when I felt (justifiably) irritated or agitated about how someone was acting or how they were responding, often in a negotiation context. To be effective, I could not allow these behaviors of others to derail me.
3. The Queen’s Bench theme for 2014 is "Authentic Communication: Considering the Value of Including Diverse Perspectives”, what does this theme mean to you?
My interpretation: If we recognize that there is likely some truth in every perspective and we are open to finding that truth and fairly considering it in forming an opinion or making a decision, then it is more likely that the viewpoint or decision will be valid and accepted.
4. What is your favorite movie?
I love movies with a story of personal triumph over adversity. It doesn’t have to be a complex film, but just be inspirational. Example: The Blind Side.
5. What is the last book you read for pleasure?
I listen to books on tape from the public library while I commute, which I loosely include in the definition of 'reading'. I just finished The 13th Hour by Richard Doersch, a good suspense story.
Roy Marvin, now deceased, was VP Administration at Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC) and managed their legal needs when I was a young associate. Roy taught me a lot about practicing law in a manner that best served clients. Roy would get a chuckle from the fact that I am now General Counsel at PCC.
2. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
In the professional context, the best advice I’ve received has to be some version of “Don’t let it get under your skin.” I can think of multiple occasions when I felt (justifiably) irritated or agitated about how someone was acting or how they were responding, often in a negotiation context. To be effective, I could not allow these behaviors of others to derail me.
3. The Queen’s Bench theme for 2014 is "Authentic Communication: Considering the Value of Including Diverse Perspectives”, what does this theme mean to you?
My interpretation: If we recognize that there is likely some truth in every perspective and we are open to finding that truth and fairly considering it in forming an opinion or making a decision, then it is more likely that the viewpoint or decision will be valid and accepted.
4. What is your favorite movie?
I love movies with a story of personal triumph over adversity. It doesn’t have to be a complex film, but just be inspirational. Example: The Blind Side.
5. What is the last book you read for pleasure?
I listen to books on tape from the public library while I commute, which I loosely include in the definition of 'reading'. I just finished The 13th Hour by Richard Doersch, a good suspense story.
