Overview
Reprinted with permission from Women Lawyers Journal, a journal published by the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL).
A Career of Community and Healthy Competition | A Q&A with Zoe Cross
Zoe (Brumfield-Meyers) Cross is a litigation attorney in the Chicago office of Barack Ferrazzano.
Zoe’s practice cuts across industries, including representing motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors, financial institutions, and individual shareholders. She has achieved favorable results for her clients in federal courts, state courts, arbitrations, and administrative forums across the country.
Beyond her practice, Zoe is an engaged member of her firm, serving on the DEI Committee and Committee on Retention and Promotion.
She reflects on her opportunities as a member of NAWL, how litigation is like a team sport, and the importance of believing in her own abilities.
How are you involved with NAWL?
My first experience with NAWL was participating in the Leadership Program. This program brought in influential speakers on topics that have helped me develop my leadership skills, including navigating generational differences in the workplace and developing a personal brand. It also provided me with a cohort of lawyers across the country with whom I got to discuss these topics on a personal level and form new connections.
More recently, I attended the NAWL Annual Meeting. The major highlight of that event was hearing from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson about the influences of her parents and community on her trajectory to the Supreme Court.
I also had the opportunity to speak on a panel at the Annual Meeting about how attorneys in different areas of the law are incorporating AI into our jobs, where I shared my perspective on using AI tools specifically in litigation workflows. I was grateful for this opportunity to learn from the other panelists and our audience about how AI is revolutionizing our profession and to share tips, tricks, and horror stories about how AI is reshaping the legal world. It was an honor to represent my firm in front of such a prestigious audience of accomplished lawyers.
What do you enjoy most about being a lawyer?
Being a litigator lets me fully lean into my competitive nature. To me, litigation feels like playing a team sport: we’re constantly strategizing as a team, adjusting based on what the other side throws at us, and pushing each other to perform at our best. I enjoy the daily grind of building a case piece by piece with my colleagues over time.
But I especially love the big moments where that hard work comes together and there’s the potential to score big points—whether that’s a hearing, a negotiation, or a deposition. There’s nothing quite like watching a litigation strategy we’ve spent months or years developing actually play out in real time. Especially when we win.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
If someone wants to give you an opportunity, don’t try to talk them out of it.
This came from a law school professor who told our class about how he was offered a prestigious position shortly after graduating from law school. He came up with several reasons he wasn’t the most qualified for the job, but he took it anyway.
Like many people, my instinct when presented with an opportunity to take on a new challenge is often to doubt whether I have enough skill or experience, or to wonder whether there is someone else better for the job. Those are the moments I think back to this advice and remind myself not to doubt my own abilities if no one else is.
What does a typical day look like in your role?
At this stage in my career, a typical day for me touches almost every aspect of the litigation process. I’m routinely arguing in court, meeting with clients, and dealing with opposing counsel—but I’m also in the weeds reviewing documents, drafting discovery responses, and citechecking briefs before they go out the door. Depending on the day, I might spend the morning preparing a witness for their deposition and the afternoon writing discovery requests.
I appreciate keeping one foot in the big-picture strategy and one foot in the everyday details. Being close enough to the granular work means I know exactly what’s in the record, while still being experienced enough to see how each piece fits into the larger case. That full-circle view, from the smallest details to the highest-stakes moments, is part of what makes the day-to-day work satisfying.
What is your favorite self-care practice?
Going to the beach. I live about a mile from Lake Michigan, and I try to put my toes in the sand and watch the waves almost every day.
It’s a quick reset that helps me clear my mind and gain some perspective.
To read the article on the digital publication, visit the link below.
