"I’m incredibly grateful for the experiences and the learning opportunities I had while at RCDS. There were certainly moments of doubt and frustration, but RCDS served as a platform for my academic career, and I truly don’t think I would be where I am today without the training and preparation that I received during my four years at RCDS."

Nicole Fanjul ’02 is a partner in the New York office of Latham & Watkins, where she is a member of the Finance Department’s Banking Practice. She focuses primarily on the representation of investment and commercial banks, borrowers, and private equity firms in a broad range of leveraged finance transactions, including acquisition financings, debt restructurings, and cross-border transactions. Nicole graduated from Duke University in 2006 and received her JD from Harvard Law School in 2009. She lives in Westchester with her husband and two young sons.

Vanessa Jackson ’05 is a partner in Davis Polk's Corporate Department in New York, practicing in the Finance Group. She focuses primarily on the representation of financial institutions and corporate borrowers in a broad range of corporate finance transactions, including leveraged and investment-grade acquisition financings, asset-based credit facilities, debt restructurings, spinoffs, working capital financings, debtor-in-possession financings, exit financings, and other secured and unsecured financings. Vanessa graduated from Duke University in 2009 and received her JD from Columbia Law in 2012.

You are sisters who both hit career milestones within months of each other! Did you do anything fun to celebrate together?
Nicole: Vanessa has been one of my biggest supporters throughout my entire career, and I am grateful that I can share the successes and challenges that I experience with her. Vanessa was always one of the first people that I talked to as I reached each step in the process to making partner at Latham & Watkins, so when my promotion to partner was made official last fall, I was so excited to share the news with her and called her right away. That night I had a lovely celebratory dinner with my husband, my parents, and Vanessa and her fiancé.
 
Vanessa: Nicole and I talk many times throughout the day. Whether it’s a quick text message or a call to discuss something that came up at work, she has been a confidant and role model to me all of my life—but certainly since the very beginning of my career at Davis Polk. I called her as soon as I found out that I had been promoted to partner at the firm. There are few people I know outside of my colleagues at work who truly understand the rigors of being a corporate lawyer. It’s hard to put into words how invaluable it has been to me to have my sister really “get” the experiences I’ve had over the past seven years. I left the office a bit early the day I found out that I made partner, and my fiancé, Nicole, and I met at a beautiful rooftop restaurant in Manhattan to celebrate that evening. At least for me, in a lot of ways, I’m still getting used to the idea that I’m a partner. It’s a bit surreal so I’m just taking it one day at a time and trying to embrace each moment. It makes it all the better that I know I can call on my sister who will undoubtedly understand exactly what I’m dealing with in any particular situation.
 
Do you ever ask each other for advice on deals?
Nicole and Vanessa: One of the things that we both enjoy most about being a finance lawyer is the dynamic nature of the practice area. New features are constantly being introduced into loan agreements and much of what we do is advise clients on what terms have been recently accepted by other players in the market—and the market is always evolving. We genuinely enjoy debating new concepts and thinking through issues together. We both work at large firms with incredibly smart people and there isn’t always a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to solve an issue in our practice area. We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to bounce ideas off of each other, and we’re each able to help the other to think of new ways to approach issues.
 
How did your time at RCDS shape your careers?
Vanessa: We both started at RCDS as freshmen in high school. It was certainly the first time for me that I was really pushed academically. Prior to RCDS, school had been fairly easy for me, but RCDS showed me a new level of work ethic and academic rigor that was expected of me in order to be successful. I’m incredibly grateful for the experiences and the learning opportunities I had while at RCDS. There were certainly moments of doubt and frustration, but RCDS served as a platform for my academic career, and I truly don’t think I would be where I am today without the training and preparation that I received during my four years at RCDS.

Nicole: One of the lessons I took away from my time at RCDS was the importance of striving for success beyond the classroom. The RCDS mission is about a lot more than just academic excellence, and I continue to try to take a holistic approach to my legal career. In addition to focusing on client work, I am very involved in my firm’s mentoring programs, affinity groups, and training sessions for junior lawyers. I have also served on a number of our committees. I view my contributions to the firm as encompassing all aspects of my professional experience.
 
Do you have a favorite memory or class from your time at RCDS?
Vanessa: Peer Leadership had a significant impact on my time at RCDS. I will never forget the moment that Ms. Butera came up to me in the hall and asked if I would be interested in applying. Transitioning from public school to RCDS in ninth grade came with a unique set of challenges for me, and Ms. Butera’s office had become a safe space for me to discuss those challenges and how best to overcome them. But becoming a peer leader was not something I saw for myself as a freshman or sophomore—I was still very much getting acclimated to the culture of a new school and trying to “fit in.” However, I trusted Ms. Butera, so I applied to become a peer leader, and the program shifted my experience at RCDS during my junior and senior years. I learned an immense amount from my peers and started to feel a sense of belonging at RCDS.

Nicole: Visiting Italy with the Classics Club was an absolutely incredible experience. I had never travelled to Europe before, so the trip really broadened my horizons. I learned a lot and had an amazing time exploring the country with my friends and classmates.
 
What advice do you have for RCDS young alumni who are interested in the legal field?
Nicole and Vanessa: Stay open minded and willing to try new things. Neither one of us thought we would be a lawyer when we were in high school (Vanessa started college as a pre-med student, and Nicole started college as a math and physics major). Being a lawyer is much more than understanding the ‘black letter law.’ As corporate transactional lawyers, there is a lot of room for creative thinking, and we’ve found that having had varied experiences throughout our academic years has made each of us an asset to our deal teams by bringing unique perspectives to address complex issues. It definitely requires hard work, but it’s incredibly rewarding to have a career where every day we’re becoming more of an expert in the subject matter while simultaneously being confronted with new and complex issues that always keep us on our toes and keep us intellectually curious.