Tanisha Little ’97 doesn’t do well with down time. “It bores me. I like to go, go, go and be right in the thick of things,” she says. So the energetic political science major decided in junior high school that she wanted to become a corporate lawyer.

Currently a junior attorney with the New York City law firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, Little delights in the fast-paced environment, where she is often required to make on-the-spot decisions, snap assessments or analyses, or provide quick answers to unexpected questions from clients. “Because of the way this job works,” she says, “you can’t sit back and reflect for long.” That’s just the way she likes it, and her high-quality work and enthusiasm have already reaped rewards—for both Little and her clients.

Last January, the 27-year-old Little, whose performance while collaborating with partners and associates on other cases had not gone unnoticed, was offered an opportunity that comes only rarely to a junior associate. She was selected to be lead attorney for a $928 million public offering of capital securities for a well-known international bank.

When asked how she reacted to being given the job, Little answered: “I was a little shocked. I thought, ‘This is a really big deal.’ But I was also very excited.” Although a little nervous about the case, she said, “Once I started, that all sort of melted away, and it was great.”

Engrossed in an assignment that required an infallible sense of timing and judgment, Little worked 12- to 14-hour days throughout January, drafting and assembling about 50 weighty documents in preparation for closing the deal. Having collaborated earlier with associates and partners on a similar transaction with the same client, she was familiar with the material and was also able to quiz her colleagues if necessary. Of the vast amount of money concerned, she said, “I tried not to look too hard at the dollar amounts because that can just bury you.”

In August, Little concluded another, similar deal, this time a smaller one, involving, instead of 36 million shares, only 20 million. These days, she says, with the economy on a roller-coaster, life is a little slower in the corporate area, and so she works an average of 10 hours a day—leaving more time for downhill skiing, whacking the occasional bucket of balls on the driving range, or cooking gourmet meals for friends.

Little’s success as a lawyer is due, she says, in large part to her association with two institutions: the McDonald’s franchise one block from her home in Springfield, Mass., where she worked part time when in high school; and Swarthmore.

She credits McDonald’s with teaching her how to interact with others. “People tend to look down on McDonald’s workers,” she says, “but it’s really good experience. I gained a lot of customer service skills there. As a lawyer, you’re in a service industry, and you definitely need to be able to give clients what they want. And it’s not just a case of satisfying their legal requirements.”

Of Swarthmore, Little says: “That was really where I learned to use and fine-tune the assets I’m using now, the intellectual curiosity, the need to question everything, and the analytical skills. The challenges of Swarthmore more than prepared me for law school. I am the poster child for Swarthmore. I love the school.”

Currently, Little is strengthening her attachment to Swarthmore by serving as a member of the College’s Board of Managers, something she has dreamed of doing already as a student. As she enters the second year of her four-year term, she enjoys experiencing the College from a different perspective from that of a student, seeing how Swarthmore operates, and interacting with the other Managers—“amazing people,” she says.

Yet, they are no more amazing than Little herself. Her ability to speak clearly and articulately on the phone to satisfy her legal clients was developed, she says, while serving “drive-through” customers via a loud speaker coming out of Ronald McDonald’s head.

—Carol Brévart-Demm