Profile of Richard Roberts: From Rainmaker to Public Policy Advocate

Alternative Legal Career: Vice President, Government and Community Relations, Mount Sinai Medical Center

Law School Attended: Yale

Year Graduated From Law School: 1989

Years Practicing Law: Three +

The atmosphere at Mount Sinai Medical Center where Roberts works is very different from the corporate offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell, where Roberts began his legal career. The hospital occupies a series of buildings on several blocks near 101st and Fifth Avenue, which borders Harlem and the Upper East Side of NewYork. The streets outside the hospital are noisy and somewhat frenetic-everyone in the area is obviously connected with the hospital in some way.

Inside Roberts' department, the atmosphere is quieter, but far from plush. The Department of Government and Community Relations occupies a set of offices, which appear to have been used previously as doctor's offices-in fact there is a sink right in the middle of Roberts' office. The sink is now covered with law books as are the bookshelves and the desk that adjoin them. Many of the books deal with education law as well as health care.

Roberts'job as Vice President of Government Relations and Community Affairs involves bringing together all of the various constituencies that are affected by the hospital and government reforms and legislation: the outlying community, the doctors, and hospital executives. As vice president, Roberts interacts with many different types of people. That is what Roberts has always liked to do, and has done successfully throughout his career.

"My theme has always been to try to keep in touch and develop contacts outside the 'box'-it always has led to something else," he said. Roberts has been involved in community activities since his first days as a lawyer when he started as an associate in the corporate department of Davis, Polk & Wardwell.

Although he had a very positive experience at DP&W, there were two down sides for Roberts: 1) the underlying subject matter, corporate law, was not intrinsically as interesting to Roberts as public policy; and 2) there was always a tension between the need to spend all of his time at the firm and his desire to pursue interests outside of the firm and with other people. For example, he was a member of the board of the Brooklyn Children's Museum at the time, something for which he had a strong interest.

One evening, he left the firm early for a board meeting, with the intention of returning to work afterward. It turned out a project came in for him while he was away that night. When he returned to the firm, it was clear that his colleagues were not pleased that he'd been away. Although he liked the firm, and they liked him as well, he decided to leave. Roberts wrote to Benno Schmidt, whom he had first met as an undergraduate residence counselor and then as a student leader of BLSA (Black Law Students Association) when Schmidt was Yale's President. Schmidt offered Roberts a job at the Edison Project (a start-up educational management company), working in the area of education policy.

"It was very difficult to leave [the firm]," he said." I was actually shaking when I left... I was going into the great unknown, leaving a protected environment. However, the decision to do it once has made it easier to do it time and time again," he said.

Both of Roberts' parents are teachers, and education policy was an area in which he had always been very interested. He was specifically interested in working with public policy involving communities and neighborhoods. The job fit in very closely with his beliefs, ideology, and interests. It was a very good career match. "There is nothing more neighborhood-based than a school," said Roberts.

After working with the Edison Project for about two years, one of the consultants to the project passed his resume on to New York city Mayor Guliani's administration. He was hired by the mayor, primarily to increase home ownership and revitalization in distressed neighborhoods throughout New York City."Working in government with people setting public policy was what I really wanted to do...it was fantastic. One of the best work experiences I have ever had," he recalled. "I was the man from City Hall."

One of the people Roberts met through working for the mayor was on the Board of Mount Sinai. Again, networking led to his current position. He is thirty-two years old. He is now specializing in public policy as it relates to health care in a job that involves a lot of events, meetings, lunches, dinners, and political fundraisers. It also requires an in-depth knowledge of health care law and policy, which he continues to study.

The government relations part of his position involves coordinating the interaction with elected officials and the government regarding health care policy, legislation and regulatory matters. The community relations end of the job involves coordinating community outreach projects, mentoring programs, school based clinics and senior centers. There are approximately twelve people who now report to him.

In the future, Roberts may move into the senior management of Mount Sinai. Another possibility would be to move into a more senior-level position in external relations. "I'll be here for the foreseeable future," he said. He is in a position much coveted by other lawyers, as evidenced by the file he keeps with all of the resumes and letters that people have sent him wanting career advice. He actively maintains the file and tries to hook people up as often as he can.

Roberts' advice to lawyers on how to develop contacts: Don't forget the people you knew before practicing law-keep up with them. "It's important to know as many people as possible," he said. Also, make time to get out of the firm-the most tempting thing is "to have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the firm," which is not conducive to making any outside connections.

Roberts has already in fact become a true external relations expert; his personal computerized Rolodex now contains 1,042 names. He keeps in touch with people he knows from college and law school on a regular basis and also still plays on the Davis Polk & Wardwell basketball team.

At the end of our interview, Roberts is off to yet another political event. At 8:00 p.m., his day is far from over. As we walk down Park Avenue, he points to a building that is involved in a controversy with the hospital. Despite the late hour, his enthusiasm for his job and his role in balancing the needs of the hospital and those of the surrounding community is apparent.