Jessica King,
Director of Library Services,
Perkins Coie LLP
What does leadership mean to you?
For me, leadership means discerning the context of the work my team is asked to do and enabling my team to make the best decisions in light of that context. We are in a dynamic time of change, to put it lightly. Our attorneys, management, vendors, and colleagues are all facing these changes but in different contexts. A good leader has to be a connector and a good communicator to get the job done.
Is there a particular 糖心视频 product/program/article that was especially helpful for you as you developed as a leader?
I first started working in law firm libraries in 2008 as a research assistant. I spent a lot of time filing updates, but it was enough to spark an interest in me, and I went to grad school for my MLIS. I attended the Conference of Newer Law Librarians (CONELL) in 2011 as a newly minted librarian. It was at CONELL that I truly got a sense of the profession I had joined just a few years earlier. I met librarians from different types of libraries and with different backgrounds, and I still count one of the attendees as one of my closest law library friends of all time (that鈥檚 you, Kate, if you鈥檙e reading this). As a leader, I鈥檝e made it a priority to send all my new law librarians to CONELL. It provides a strong foundation for working in law libraries and for becoming a leader in this field.
What is the best advice regarding leadership or being successful in your work that you’ve ever received?
鈥淔ind the pause.鈥� One of the office administrators I used to work for gave me this advice. Law firms live on responsiveness, which, early in my career, I interpreted to mean 鈥渇ast,鈥� and only that. Now I recognize the value and effectiveness there can be in finding the pause. Not all questions need a fast answer. I believe most don鈥檛. Take the time find the best answer. Sometimes that means hitting pause.
What has been one of your biggest challenges as a leader?
Letting go of processes that no longer serve the business. It鈥檚 a challenge to know when the work you are doing is no longer needed or effective because it鈥檚 not always obvious. I used to provide quarterly reports to management, but they were in a format that no longer worked here. I鈥檝e had to change that process to something less formal but more effective. Somewhat related, it鈥檚 also been challenging to give up work I loved doing in my previous roles as the research services manager. I miss being closer to the research like I once was, but that鈥檚 not my job anymore.
How have you remained resilient in the past year?
I started running again. I used to run half-marathons, but quit in 2013. Last year, I signed up for a 5k with some friends and rediscovered my love for the sport. I ran two half-marathons in 2025. Running helps me prioritize myself by carving out time for the training and reminds me that I can still do hard things!