Day in the Life: Danielle Ducre Rawls

Corporate counsel

ditech, a Walter company

St. Paul, MN


6:00 am

The alarm clock wakes me up (sometimes I snooze for 15 minutes); check email on phone for anything pressing and then the temperature to see if Minnesota has reached subartic tempatures yet.

7:00 am

Wake up my three-year-old and get him ready for preschool. Depending on the morning (whether something gets caught up his nose, whether he goes to timeout two times, whether he attempts to slide down the stairs in a laundry basket, etc.) I may need to adjust the morning schedule. I get myself ready as I check emails again for anything important.

8:00 am

Say goodbye to my husband, leave for work, drop my son off at daycare, and head into the office.

9:00 am

Arrive at work where I get a status update from colleagues. I meet with paralegals and admins to discuss any urgent issues. Finish preparing for a 10 am meeting.

10:00 am

The senior vice president and I discuss pressing issues related to a litigation trend in his business unit. I provide litigation updates and give recommendations. We schedule follow-up calls to ensure the issue is addressed.

11:00 am

I call outside counsel to discuss litigation cases. We review briefs and pleadings and discuss the validity and merit of claims and causes of action, then evaluate claims for settlement.

12:00 pm

Eat lunch at my desk while I log into the daycare’s website to check on my son’s day. Three days a week, I fit in a yoga or step class. Today is yoga.

1:00 pm

Conference call with the ACC Litigation Committee’s publications subcommittee to discuss the In-house Access blog and blog schedule, followed by a call with the Leadership Council on legal diversity staff regarding an upcoming conference.

2:00 pm

I print out an upcoming summary judgment brief that will be filed later this week, review case law, and make comments. I also review and draft discovery responses, update new files, and evaluate whether the cases are candidates for early case resolution.

3:00 pm

I work with a witness to prepare her for an upcoming deposition. After that, I call outside counsel to update them on the deposition prep and other litigation issues.

3:30 pm

Conference call with business clients regarding issues needing legal advice.

4:00 pm

Discuss settlement authority with the company’s general counsel.

5:00 pm

Call with stakeholders regarding deal documents and potential litigation pitfalls.

6:00 pm

Pick up son from daycare. While driving home, I call out-of-state family members and friends.

7:00 pm

Dinner with husband and son. Tonight is spaghetti. This week my son apparently hates spaghetti. After dinner, I try to knock out some chores like laundry then play with my son.

8:00 pm

Bedtime for the little one, then prepare for the next day.

9:00 pm

Sign back in to finish reviewing summary judgment motion that is due later this week. Provide feedback and comments, then I review invoices.

10:30 pm

Unwind by reading Stephen King’s Dark Tower series or binge watching “House of Cards,” a political drama series shown on Netflix.

11:00 pm

Goodnight!