Coming from a family of lawyers, Sheila Hermes Marshall was exposed to the intricacies of the field at a very young age. She always found it fascinating, so she got a job as a secretary in a law firm. Ms. Marshall eventually realized she wanted more, however; she didn’t just want to assist lawyers, she wanted to be one. Although women didn’t frequently break that barrier at the time, she knew she had to try. Ms. Marshall proceeded to obtain a Bachelor of Arts from Saint John’s University in 1959 and an LLB from New York University in 1963. She was also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States Supreme Court, and the state of New York.
Fresh out of law school, Ms. Marshall set out to achieve her dreams. She landed a job as an associate at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae (now Dewey & LeBoeuf) in 1963, and quickly found that she was where she was meant to be. Randall J. LeBoeuf Jr., one of the founding partners, took her under his wing and the rest was history. Ms. Marshall was promoted to partner in 1973, and remained in the position until 1995, when she decided it was time to take a step back. She wasn’t ready to leave completely though, so she stayed on as of counsel for nearly a decade. She retired in 2004.
Looking back, Ms. Marshall considers one of the highlights of her career to be working as a special assistant to Randall J. LeBoeuf, Jr., during a high-profile case. The case involved a water dispute between New York, Chicago, and the state of Illinois in which Chicago and Illinois had diverted water from the Great Lakes into the Mississippi River by running it through canals in Chicago. Ms. Marshall learned a lot from the experience, and really valued the opportunity. She is proud of everything she accomplished for her clients.
Ms. Marshall’s hobbies outside of law include reading, history, and spending time with her family. Additionally, she is involved with The Gables, a residence association in Massachusetts.
