Profile: Carolyn Johnsen: Top 5 Finalist for 'Woman of the Year' Award

7.10.09

by Dawn Gilbertson
AZ Magazine

Carolyn Johnsen Stands Out in the Courtroom, and not just for her legal prowess in big bankruptcy cases like that of real-estate lender Mortgages Ltd. The 53-year-old partner at Jennings, Strouss & Salmon eschews dark staid suits for bright, flashy outfits. She recently added matching pens from a collection that her husband, a fellow attorney, started for her.

"I think everything should have a sequin on it," Johnsen said. "I've kind of always tried to set the scene."

Johnsen also has set the standard for women in her profession, rising from an entry-level attorney at Jennings, Strouss to its only female equity partner. She chairs its business bankruptcy and reorganization practice, overseeing a team of 10 attorney and as many as a dozen cases at a time. Many of them, like Mortgages Ltd., are ultra complex.

The lender's bankruptcy was the largest Arizona bankruptcy of 2008. The company's meltdown stalled progress on some of the Valley's biggest commercial real-estate projects and ensnarled thousands of investors who helped finance developer loans.

Johnsen's life is a juggling act, with an early wake-up call well known by colleagues and clients alike. Johnsen goes to bed by 9:30 p.m. and usually gets up at 2:30 a.m. to wade through e-mails, draft case documents and other things she has little time for in the office.

"I just find I really need the quiet time," she said.

Until the Mortgages Ltd. case, she also used the early-morning hours for homework. She is studying online for a master's degree in military history from Norwich University in Vermont. She suspended her enrollment until the case is over, likely in the fall.

She has had a lifelong interest in the topic and figures the classes might help her figure out the next phase of her career. "My problem is I don't know what I want to be when I grow up," she said.

She also sees herself getting more involved, as a board member, with community organizations that could use her turnaround skills.

Outside of work, Johnsen and her husband enjoy antiquing, golf and politics.

Where Do You Get Your Drive? I always want to see what's around the next corner. I'm a very curious person who always wants to learn something new, to strive a little bit harder to get to the next level.

What's the Proudest Moment in Your Career? That's hard to say. I've had moments in my career where I felt like I absolutely made the best argument, I absolutely did the right thing and represented the client. It may not have been pretty. It may not have been the most artful, but we did the right thing. I'm a big believer in that. Always do the right thing.

I Wouldn't Be Successful Without: My dad, who was always a huge inspiration in my life. My second fill-in-the-blank would be my husband, Rick, who I think has taught me how to think and reason.

Advice for Other Women: You must get a mentor. If you talk to women our age, the thing that we miss the most, there were not really any women mentors. What happens now even with these young kids is they don't realize how much they really need to kind of listen to what we've done and what we've gone through. I would give anything to have had a women mentor just to kind of help me through a few things.