Foley partners Louis Lehot and Andre Thiollier have built legal careers shaped by early exposure to the profession, international experience, and a shared belief that successful client service is rooted in relationships.
In a recent conversation with Neil Taylor and Greta Propp from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, Lehot and Thiollier reflected on the experiences that shaped their careers, the value of working across borders, and why relationships continue to matter in an increasingly technology-driven legal profession.
Career paths are not always straight
Lehot knew early that he wanted to become a lawyer, viewing the profession as a way to make an impact. Before law school, he worked on international transactions and privatizations in Europe, experiences that showed him how lawyers help clients navigate important business decisions.
Thiollier, a fourth-generation lawyer, began working in a law firm while attending law school in Brazil. Being in both the classroom and the office helped him understand how legal concepts are applied in real client situations.
For Thiollier, career growth often came from being asked to take on something new. He described it as a “plateau game”: learning something, getting comfortable, and then having to stretch again. Those moments helped him build confidence and shape his practice.
International experience offers important lessons
Both Lehot and Thiollier spoke about the value of working across countries and cultures. For Lehot, international work showed that law is not only about documents and deals — it is also about understanding culture, communication, and context. People may use the same words but mean different things, making cultural awareness an important part of advising clients effectively.
He also encouraged lawyers considering time abroad to think carefully about “re-entry” and how they will translate that experience when returning to a domestic market.
Thiollier said moving from Brazil to the United States required him to “climb the ladder again” in a new legal market. That transition reinforced the importance of persistence, humility, and a willingness to keep learning as one’s career path evolves.
Relationships are central to client service
“This is a service business and a relationship business,” Lehot said. For him, great lawyers do more than provide strong legal work. They make clients feel supported, especially during difficult moments. He said great lawyers make clients feel “covered, comforted, and thought about.”
That mindset informs how he approaches relationship building. Lehot described making regular calls with “no agenda” as a way to stay connected, support people, and invest in relationships before there is a specific need.
Thiollier similarly emphasized that client service is ultimately about people. Lawyers may formally represent companies, but the work itself centers on helping people solve problems, make decisions, and navigate challenges. Trust, responsiveness, expertise, and clear communication are central to that work.
AI is changing the work, but human judgment still matters
Lehot encouraged young lawyers to become “masters of the technology” while continuing to develop the communication skills and judgment that clients value.
“I think AI is going to allow young lawyers to have more client contact because there is going to be less need to do what I’ll call grunt work that kept lawyers in the background. They’re now much more in the foreground.”
Thiollier said AI can increase efficiency, but lawyers still need to understand the substance of the work. Technology may help produce an answer, but young lawyers must learn why that answer is correct, how it applies, and how to communicate it clearly to clients.
Advice for young lawyers
Lehot encouraged young lawyers to make time for people. Meeting peers, staying in touch, and building relationships over time can shape a career in ways that are not always obvious at the beginning.
Thiollier encouraged young lawyers to keep learning and to expect moments when they will need to grow into a new level of responsibility. Each stage of a career brings new challenges, and those challenges are part of developing confidence, resilience, and judgment.
Across the conversation, Lehot and Thiollier returned to a consistent theme: meaningful careers are built through experience, adaptability, and relationships. While technology will continue to transform how lawyers work, they emphasized that successful client service remains rooted in trust, sound judgment, clear communication, and human connection.
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