To celebrate Black History Month 2022, the CBA’s YLS D&I committee is shining a spotlight on local Black attorneys in the Greater Cincinnati legal community. CBA members nominated Black attorneys for recognition, and YLS D&I committee co-chairs Jenna Heaphy and Zachary el-Sawaf conducted interviews to learn more about them.
Meet Christian Gateskill, attorney at Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL.
1. What does representation mean to you in the legal field? Representation in the legal field is extremely important, especially in the firm setting. To me, representation means having a diverse group of attorneys that are representative of our country, our city, and perhaps most importantly, our client base. Clearly, the legal field, especially Big Law, has a ways to go to accomplish this goal, but I think that firms are making strong efforts to bridge this gap. I know mine is.
2. What advice would you give to other black attorneys or law school students following in your footsteps? Seek out quality mentorship. Unfortunately, there are not a ton of black law firm partners, which can make identifying and fostering mentorship relationships difficult for black attorneys. That being said, doing so should remain a top priority for any law student or young attorney. It is difficult to quantify the impact that having someone that is invested in your professional development can have on your career advancement. My second piece of advice would be to identify the aspects of your day that are wholly within your control and take total ownership of those items. As a young attorney, the learning curve can seem impossibly steep at times, but you can always control your attitude, effort, responsiveness. Ultimately, your colleagues just want to know that you are dependable, hard-working, and willing to learn. If you can display these attributes from day one, it will go a long way.
3. Where have you found the most support, mentorship, or guidance? My professional mentorship and support has primarily come from inside the firm. I was assigned a mentor through the summer associate program; we instantly hit it off and formed a great relationship which has continued to this day. Since starting at the firm, there are also number of other attorneys that I lean on for support – both professional and otherwise. As we all know, this can be a demanding profession. It is invaluable to have a strong network of attorneys to lean on for candid advice. Of course, I cannot forget about my parents – they have been my number one cheerleaders and tremendously supportive, even from afar.
4. When thinking about your legacy, what would you like your legacy to be? I want to have a lasting impact on my firm and the community at large. My goal is to be a leader at the firm and in the city and, in doing so, to hopefully serve as a guidepost and source of inspiration for younger attorneys, especially minority attorneys or aspiring attorneys. I truly believe if you work hard, do quality work and treat people the right way, the sky is the limit.
5. What has been your greatest achievement outside of law? I played collegiate soccer and won a conference championship during my senior season. The championship was especially notable because, in addition to being the first conference championship in program history, it also came on the heels of the program’s first losing season the year prior. To battle back from adversity and achieve that level of success with my teammates was a tremendous accomplishment. Those guys remain some of my closest friends and I draw upon the lessons learned during my collegiate career on a daily basis.
6. What do you think about when you hear "Black History Month"? I understand the qualms that people have with BHM (i.e. shortest month of the year, separated out when Black history is in fact American History); however, I think it is important month to recognize as it can be used to highlight a lot of stories that have been untold. BHM can be used as a tool as what hopefully it was intended to do – highlighting the accomplishments Black Americans.
7. What does/has Black History Month meant to you (past and present)? In the past, growing up, it did not mean a great deal to me. As I have gotten older, BHM has become increasingly important to me. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Black people and Black communities that have made tremendous contributions to the progress of this country and have not received proper recognition. Having a designated period to highlight these stories and bring these people and communities to the forefront is vitally important. To not do so would be a disservice.
8. What does being a Black man mean to you? This is a complicated question. I am proud to be a Black man. But it is also a weighty responsibility. Black men are under a level of scrutiny that others are not. If recent events have taught us anything, it is that it can be downright dangerous to be a Black man in society. I feel that all Black men bear a tremendous responsibility to do our part to help the collective and be a positive example/serve as a source of inspiration.