Katherine V. Hernacki
Partner at Wood, Hernacki & Evans

Taking risks has paid off for Hernacki. It was a risk a year and a half ago to leave business law firm Bryan Cave and a nine-year relationship with her mentor, celebrity plaintiffs' attorney L. Lin Wood Jr., and start a solo plaintiffs' practice. "Lin always told me—go be a trial lawyer," says Hernacki. » Read more

» Age: 37
» Undergraduate: Northwestern University, history
» Law school: Emory University
» As a kid I wanted to be: An actress
» Best advice: Her father gave her the courage to go out on her own, saying, "You're ready. You can do this. Or you can sit there and be unhappy for the rest of your life."
» Best gift: Having mentors and champions—in her father and mother, and lawyers L. Lin Wood Jr. and B.J. Bernstein.
» Dream adventure: To travel the world with her husband, Mike, and their 4-year-old son, Baxter
» Last vacation: Mike's family lakehouse on Lake Huron
» Last book: "Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen" by Susan Gregg Gilmore
» One the Rise means: It's an indication that I'm going in the right direction.