Law.com's "How I Made It" series features conversations with legal industry leaders about how they climbed the ladder of success and what they learned along the way. Below is a featured interview with Morgan F. Mouchette, Blank Rome partner and vice chair of the Matrimonial & Family Law group.

Morgan Mouchette, 41, Partner at Blank Rome, New York City, New York

Job title: Vice chair of matrimonial and family law practice group

Practice area: Matrimonial and family law

Law school and year of graduation: Fordham University School of Law, 2010

How many years have you been at your firm?

I have been at the firm for 17 years since summer associateship; 14 as full-time attorney.

What made you pick your practice area?

I joined Blank Rome as a summer associate in 2008 as part of the firm’s recruiting efforts for 1L students. I was in my first year of law school at Fordham Law and had always felt drawn to litigation work. At a summer associate social, I spoke with Lois Liberman, today a partner and co-chair of our New York office and formerly a matrimonial and family law practice group leader. Her engaging stories sparked my interest in matrimonial law, which I had not considered before, and I immediately began taking on assignments from the group.

By the time I became a full-time associate in 2011, it was abundantly clear that I was passionate about matrimonial law. I enjoyed the substantive work and the opportunity to counsel clients one-on-one, providing meaningful advice and solutions to people going through one of the most difficult times in their lives. I still feel that way today, and I am grateful to work with an amazing and accomplished group of colleagues in the matrimonial group at Blank Rome.

How did you develop your expertise in your practice area?

I give a tremendous amount of credit to Blank Rome—throughout my career I received excellent internal and external training, as well as exposure to interesting and challenging cases. I also had the opportunity to work on complex and rewarding pro bono assignments. One of my first pro bono cases was representing a female Army veteran fighting for custody upon her return from the war in Iraq. The matter spanned five years and two trials, and in 2015, my colleague and I received Blank Rome’s Edwin P. Rome Pro Bono Achievement Award for our successful efforts.

Beyond that, I’ve been lucky to cast a broad net—my work has involved representing a diverse range of clients and supporting them in various matrimonial and family law matters. I’ve handled cases involving celebrities, professional athletes, and high-net-worth individuals. My work has spanned industries from art to finance to retail and closely held businesses. Many of these matters have featured complex financial issues in addition to sensitive family dynamics such as custody, domestic violence issues, or children with special or medical needs. In one recent case, I helped my client retain control of her successful Hamptons-based hotel business. In another, I represented an internationally renowned artist in complex litigation concerning the worth of works valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The variety in this practice means you are always learning the intricacies of different families and industries.

My involvement with various bar associations, including the New York Women's Bar and the New York State Bar Association’s Family Law section, has also helped me develop my skills.

Why did you want to become a practice area leader?

I enjoy being part of conversations about strategic planning, how to make the firm an even better place to work, and how we can continue delivering excellent results for our clients. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a practice group leader, where I can engage in leadership more formally and on a larger scale.

What skill sets do you need to be an effective practice group leader (i.e., knowing more about the practice, hiring, business development, financial management, etc.)?

As I am learning, being a practice group leader is about much more than your own book of business and approach to client service. It requires strategically balancing the goals of the firm, the practice group, and our individual attorneys. I am guided by the incredible potential of the people around me and I work to ensure that each attorney has what they need to succeed.

How do you balance client work with management work?

The key to finding balance in any of my various roles requires an honest evaluation of what I (and my colleagues) need to produce the best results as efficiently as possible. A clear understanding of what is necessary in the workflow, particularly as it relates to procedure, delegation, and communication, allows me to triage issues and matters daily.

How does having a practice leadership role give you a sense of the broader strategic vision of the firm?

While Blank Rome’s leadership team is very transparent about goals, intentions, and priorities, it is always helpful to be present in the rooms where strategic firm decisions are made. The practice group leadership role provides me with a much closer view of the firm’s overall strategy. More generally, this is an exciting time at law firms as they navigate the expansion of new technologies and grapple with substantive issues of law, so I find it extremely rewarding to observe and participate in plans for the future.

What other roles or experiences help you in this current role?

Before becoming a practice group leader, I served in other leadership roles at Blank Rome, and I’ve been involved with numerous committees within the firm, including the New York attorney recruiting subcommittee, the women’s forum subcommittee, the diversity and inclusion committee, and the pro bono committee. Outside of the firm, I’ve also held and continue to hold various board memberships, including on the boards of the New York Women's Bar Association, the executive committee of the New York State Bar Association, and other civic and community organizations. These leadership roles have helped me learn how to be part of high-level strategic discussions—when to listen, when to weigh in, and when to take action—and how to implement strategy on the ground. My work as a practicing attorney has also given me the context of what it takes to be a successful partner, business generator, and colleague, all of which are the bedrock of our firm.

What are key priorities for your practice area?

Matrimonial and family law, like everything else today, have been evolving quite quickly. Keeping up with these shifts while bolstering the continued success of all attorneys within our group is a key priority. Blank Rome’s matrimonial and family law practice group deals with novel and complex issues in multiple jurisdictions across the United States, often for high-net-worth and high-profile clients, so there are critical business and financial aspects to the practice as well. Our cases are varied and sophisticated, and Blank Rome’s full-service platform is a great differentiator for our clients. Additionally, we are one of the largest matrimonial and family law practices in the country, with 35 attorneys in the group, so recruiting and attracting high-caliber talent while developing our associates is also a consistent area of focus.

Is succession planning a part of your role as a practice group leader, and if yes, how so?

Succession planning is part of the firm’s strategic plan and happens very organically in our matrimonial and family law practice group. We focus on ensuring that associates can work directly with partners and service clients one-on-one, which is incredibly beneficial to their development and provides excellent value for clients. Mentorship also plays a key role in this area. I have always felt that Blank Rome’s attorneys have a special focus on mentorship. For this reason, our group is fortunate to have incredible attorneys at every stage of their careers, ensuring we can carry on our legacy of success.

Is there anything that surprised you about the role?

I have been the beneficiary of the firm’s strategic plan as a summer associate, associate, and partner, but now that I am in this role, I am privy to the sheer amount of time, thought, and care that goes into making these important strategic decisions.

How has the role given you insights into client needs?

As a practice group leader, I can observe the broad issues that our Matrimonial clients face and the services they require. This role also helps me to spot trends in matrimonial and family law matters that may affect various clients. This enhanced perspective creates numerous opportunities for collaboration with colleagues across Blank Rome in areas such as tax, trusts and estate, real estate, and corporate law, enabling us to better meet our clients' needs.

Is there any other advice you’d share for those looking to become a practice leader?

Being a practice leader doesn’t have to be your goal from day one. If you’re early on in your career, you may not have envisioned that for yourself yet. As an associate, I was focused on being an excellent firm citizen and an excellent lawyer, and I believe that the leadership opportunities arose because I was genuine and hard working. Take the time to be a good colleague, team player, and attorney. Think about what you can do to strengthen your firm as a collective as you build your own practice. Developing these skills will help you build the foundations of good leadership and create opportunities as you advance in your career.

"How I Made Practice Group Chair: 'Be a Good Colleague, Team Player and Attorney,' Says Morgan Mouchette of Blank Rome" was published on May 28, 2025, in Law.com, as part of Law.com’s How I Made It series.