Shipman & Goodwin managing partner Leander Dolphin’s career as an attorney is marked by numerous successes.

However, law wasn’t always part of her career aspirations.

“What I wanted to do when I went to Wesleyan was I wanted to be an English professor,” she says.

“I wanted to write books. And I wanted to focus my study on African-American literature, particularly by women.”

But Dolphin’s plans began to change when an advisor told her that while she was talented, she lacked discipline and should consider doing something else.