Thomas Ostrowski

Partner-in-Charge, Cleveland, Tucker Ellis LLP

Education: Juris doctor, Cleveland State University Law School; bachelor’s degree in history, SUNY Buffalo

What Success Looks Like to Me: The most successful people, in my eyes, are the ones who can balance the often impossible balancing act of a career and family. There is never enough time, so how one uses the time is the key. 

What I Look for in a Leader: Successful leaders need to be trusted, empathetic and collaborative. They must be listeners. 

An Important Lesson I Learned: As a young attorney, I met a nun at a lunch event. She asked me to tell her about myself. As I began to speak, she stopped me and said she didn’t want to hear about what firm I worked at, or what kind of work I did. She wanted to know about me, my family and life overall. I appreciate that approach to this day. When talking to people, no matter the position, I always try to find out something about them that has nothing to do with their job or company but instead what they are passionate about.