Alumni Spotlight: Dani Potter ’21L Dani Potter works in the structured finance practice at Mayer Brown in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dani Potter ’21L

Dani Potter ‘21L grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia.  She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2015 with a major in history and a minor in art history. Following her first year at W&L Law, Dani interned for the Honorable Robert J. Humphreys at the Virginia Court of Appeals. Following her second year, she joined Mayer Brown’s Charlotte office as a Summer Associate, and she returned as a full-time associate after graduation. Dani works in Mayer Brown’s structured finance practice. She represents financial institutions in their roles as issuers, underwriters, lenders, borrowers, and loan sellers in asset-backed transactions, including private placements, CLO warehouses, forward flow transactions, and purchases and sales of financial assets. 

Discuss your career path and how it led you to Mayer Brown?

Some people go into law school knowing exactly what type of law they want to practice, or with a strong sense of what legacy they want to leave. I wasn’t like that. I knew I wanted to work hard, feel challenged, and be successful, but I wasn’t sure at what. Because I wasn’t sure exactly what type of law I wanted to practice, I wanted to pick a school that would open a bunch of opportunities and let me pick the one that seemed the most promising.

I really enjoyed the process of interviewing for my 2L position. I met so many impressive people and gained so much insight about different practice areas and work styles. That process was extremely helpful in identifying the practice areas that would be the strongest fit for me.

From there, I ultimately decided on Mayer Brown because it had a great reputation, the people I met there were smart and funny, and I liked the idea of settling in Charlotte. After accepting their summer offer, I worked with my future colleagues and my professors at W&L to tailor my classes to set me up for success for the type of work I would be doing at Mayer Brown.

What do you like about your current job?

My job allows me to tap into so many different skills that I enjoy using. I like language and being precise with words. Incorporating new concepts or mechanics into a document can be so fun and satisfying. I also enjoy using my project management skills to keep workstreams organized and make sure we’re staying on top of our timeline.

Additionally, I really like working with people. It sounds weird, but I enjoy emailing. I think there’s a bit of an art to establishing the right tone and being clear so you’re not wasting people’s time.

I value my clients and the opportunity to establish partnerships with them. I like hearing about their goals for the business and strategizing on how we can achieve them or kicking back at a sporting event and chatting about our families. I am lucky to have some great clients who have been very supportive of my career, which is empowering as a newer attorney.

What are some practices you have in your daily life as an attorney to maintain wellness?

I think having a sense of humor can get you through a lot. My job can be stressful, but there’s room for levity. If it’s late and we’re tired and another unexpected task appears, we can laugh about it or be annoyed about it. Either way, it’s got to get done so I’d rather find it funny than be grumpy about it.  I’m grateful to have some wonderful colleagues who share that philosophy. And when you’ve done several late nights in a row, suddenly everything is hilarious.

When I’m in the thick of it, I also just remind myself (and my team) that this will pass. When I complete a difficult deal or project and everyone is happy, with a little passage of time, I find myself looking back with fondness. The sense of satisfaction overshadows the stress, and I hold on to the memories of joking with my colleagues and getting praised for our work product much tighter than the memories of feeling tired or overwhelmed.

Which W&L classes and/or experiences do you think were most helpful in preparing you for this job? 

I had so many amazing professors at W&L. Some of them taught me in classes that specifically helped prepare me for my work at Mayer Brown. I had the pleasure of being in Professor Calhoun’s Contracts class my 1L year, which piqued my interest in the study of contract interpretation. And it’s hard to imagine making it as far as I have in structured finance without the foundation Professor Bowden set for me in his Secured Transactions class. Dean Danforth, Larry Manning, and Astrika Adams all gave me invaluable experience with drafting and interpreting contracts during law school and built up my confidence before going into practice.

Others taught me in subjects that have very little to do with my current practice but helped me learn how to think like a lawyer. Professor MacDonnell’s criminal investigations class was fantastic at teaching us to analogize and apply rules to varying fact patterns. The fact patterns I look at now are a little less flashy than the cops and robbers we encountered in his class, but I use that skill every day.

What advice do you have for prospective law students?

Deciding where you want to go to law school is such an exciting time. Enjoy it! Once you get there, my advice is to work hard. No one can be at their best 100% of the time. But you can always bring the best version of yourself that is available to you in that moment. If you put your best effort into an opportunity and it doesn’t work out, there’s nothing to regret. Regret comes in when you know you could have tried harder.

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