Susan J. Harriman

For Harriman, there are no "small" cases or trials.

"I approach each trial the same way," said the Keker & Van Nest LLP partner. "I don't go without having read every single exhibit, every single deposition ? the good, the bad, the ugly ? I want to be prepared for it all."

Based in San Francisco, Harriman is known for her ability to break down the most complex legal issues into very precise slices, making the case easier for a judge and jury to digest. Preparation is the key ? not just for her, but for her team as well, she said.

"It doesn't matter whether or not an exhibit is going to be used at trial, I want to know what's out there. And that's the way I prepare my team," she said.

She gives her attorneys a preview of her opening argument early in the trial preparation process, making sure everyone is on the same page.

"Just to let the team know what I plan on getting in," she said, "so that they'll know what I'm going to need for the trial."

That level of preparation serves her well not just at trial but at every stage leading up to trial. She won a summary judgment motion for a chain of luxury health clubs that was sued by plaintiffs who claimed in a class action that the clubs' lower pricing policy for younger members was discriminatory.

She won the case at summary judgment and that decision was affirmed on appeal. That court ruled in December that not only was the clubs' discount pricing for "young professionals" between the ages of 18 and 29 non-discriminatory, it was good public policy.

Harriman produced expert evidence that younger people earned less than their older counterparts and therefore could not as easily afford a membership at the health clubs.

"The Young Professional discount increases access of 18- to 29-year-olds to worthy facilities and activities promoting physical fitness, including swimming, basketball, squash, tennis, and the like," the appellate judges wrote in their decision.

Before every trial, at some point, Harriman says she asks herself if all the work is worth it.

But then there comes that point in every case, whether at trial, or after the case is over where a feeling sweeps over her.

"I'd do this for free," she says.

-Tim O'Connor