Emily Edsenga

Principal, Goldberg Kohn Ltd.

Emily Edsenga is a principal at Goldberg Kohn Ltd. in the Commercial Finance Group. She represents banks, finance companies and other financial institutions in a broad spectrum of both asset-based and cash flow commercial finance transactions involving borrowers in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, business services, retail and software and technology. Emily’s practice is focused on structuring, negotiating and documenting debt financing transactions, including refinancing, acquisition financing, dividend recapitalization transactions, working capital facilities, split-lien and first-lien/second-lien transactions, mezzanine financings and other complex financial transactions, as well as workouts and restructurings. She also has experience representing corporate borrowers and private equity sponsors in connection with acquisition financings and other commercial finance transactions. 

Emily is admitted to practice in Illinois and Michigan. She received her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in 2009. She received her B.A. in environmental biology and her B.A. in Spanish from Claremont McKenna College, cum laude, in 2005.

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry? 

The first few years of practice can be a difficult adjustment, for both men and women. Associates face a steep learning curve and the metric by which success is measured, as well as the path to getting there, is no longer as clear-cut as in law school. It is critical to find your bearings early on.  Ask yourself: how does the task in front of you fit in to the overall transaction? What is the purpose of the agreement you have been asked to draft? The sooner you connect the dots and see the 50,000-foot view of a transaction, the sooner you can begin focusing on the details, and the job becomes much more interesting and rewarding. Take the time to ask questions of senior attorneys. I am always most impressed by those who express a genuine interest in learning and take the initiative to educate themselves.

What role has mentoring played in your career?

Having the perspective of someone who is successful in a role that I was hoping to succeed in was (and is) invaluable to my career development. A mentor is a valuable resource to navigate substantive legal issues, work-life balance issues, and client relationship issues. It doesn’t have to be a single person, either – building relationships with established individuals in your field gives you access to different perspectives and more opportunities to find what works best for you. As a young associate, it was especially encouraging for me to work with women who I saw were able to sustain a successful and rewarding legal practice while also having a life outside of the office.  This gave me perspective; if they can do it, why couldn’t I?

How do you balance work/personal time? 

At this point in my life, I don’t think it is possible to achieve balance on a day-to-day basis, but I am able to balance priorities on a macro-level by setting realistic boundaries and sticking to them. It is unrealistic in my profession to have set work hours, so I have to be flexible and take advantage of down time when it presents itself. I also outsource tasks that don’t need my personal attention, or that might not be the best use of my time, as much as possible. I have learned to not be afraid to ask for help or apologetic when I need it. 

What do you think work will look like in the post-pandemic world? 

I think there was a general trend in this direction that was greatly accelerated by the pandemic. While I suspect that many people (myself included!) are looking forward to returning to an office environment and the occasional work travel, now that we all have been forced to adapt to working remotely, I would not be surprised if more people work remotely more often. Whether that is one or two days a week, a few days a month, or full time will, of course, vary by person and industry, but I do think the experience of this past year has proven that it is feasible and that we will see firms adopt more liberal policies as it relates to working from home. That said, I think this experience has also shown that face-to-face interaction with colleagues and clients is paramount to building and maintaining client relationships and firm culture so, overall, I anticipate that post-pandemic practice of law will look much like it did pre-pandemic.