NOMIN Dashnyam: The Youngest Partner at MahoneyLiotta Law Firm in Mongolia
Interviewed and photographed by Batzul Gerelsaikhan
We are proud to interview Ms. Nomin Dashnyam (Hobby: 1996-2006) who just became the youngest partner at the MahoneyLiotta law firm in Mongolia. We sat down with her to ask about her career development and her future plans. We would also like to thank Nomin and her firm for voluntary pro bono hours on helping us get legally registered as a non-profit organization this summer!
1. It is unbelievable that you are only 28 years old and became the youngest partner of one of the biggest law firms in Mongolia. Let’s start the interview with a fun question: Can you please explain yourself in 3 words?
I would like to describe myself as “Disciplined, dedicated and loyal.” But my colleagues had other things to say when I asked them to describe me, which were: serious and stressed.
2. After Hobby School, which University did you go to?
When we finished high school, I remember thinking that kids of our generation did not have many options in terms of career path. The only options that I thought were available to us were: lawyers, accountants, economists or doctors. So I weighed my strengths (comprehension skills, the ability of not getting bored after reading thousands of pages of legalese etc) and weaknesses (chemistry, biology, and fear of blood, etc.), and decided to go with law. Since I was planning to practice law in Mongolia, I decided to do my undergraduate degree in Mongolia and therefore applied to the National University of Mongolia (“NUM”).
After graduating from NUM, I started to practice law, but I also started to have this fear that I might be missing something when I advise my clients. For example, I would review a NY law or English-law-governed document from a Mongolian law perspective and often make statements such as “This concept does not exist in Mongolia.” But what if such concept or something similar did exist in Mongolia and I was not able to identify it because I was not trained in common law principles? Does that mean I am being an ineffective counsel? This and other fears made me decide to apply to and enroll at the James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona (“UA Law”) from which I was awarded J.D. degree. The reason I enrolled in a J.D. program, and not a LLM program, was instead of taking a cursory overview of the U.S. legal system, I wanted to go through the same legal training that all law students in the US go through and acquire skills which would enable me to take a comparative look at civil law and common law principles.
There are many reasons why I decided to study at UA Law, but the main reason was because of its advanced JD program. This program allowed me to skip the second year of law school, and go directly from completing the traditional first-year curriculum to the third year of law school.
3. And how did you become the youngest partner?
When I first applied to NUM, I was planning to become a prosecutor. But here I am working at a corporate law firm and thoroughly enjoying my work. This just shows that life doesn’t always turn out the way you planned it when you were 16 and that is OK.
I started my legal career by interning at the Mongolia office of an international firm and then joined MahoneyLiotta in 2012. My career path is same as any other lawyer - I started off as an intern, then became an associate, got promoted to senior associate and finally made partner.
“...my plan for the next decade is to broaden my focus to determine how I can become a positive influence on people around me and Mongolia’s society in general.”
4. As a young partner, what does your typical week look like?
It really depends. I basically plan my schedule around client deadlines. This means that some weeks I work around 60 hours and some days I get to go home for dinner.
The first thing I do when I wake up is to check my emails. Then I try to make a mental note of things that I need to do for the day, which ranges from writing emails, attending meetings and/or simply catching up with friends and family.
5. Can you tell us the difference between your firm and other law firms in Mongolia? Who are your biggest clients?
We put over 20 years of continuous and on-the-ground legal experience in Mongolia to work for our select group of clients in industry sectors including but not limited to metals and mining, energy, commercial and investment banking. Our clients include leading multinational companies in the energy, mining and financial services sectors.
I also think that our firm being an amalgamation of some of the most experienced legal service providers and specialists from Mongolia and abroad, which gives us a unique edge over the other firms in Mongolia – we are able to understand what foreign investors look for when investing in Mongolia, which in turn allows us to provide tailored, reliable, experienced and ethical advices to our clients.
“I would highly recommend to anyone to spend few hours each week focusing on yourself and your mental wellbeing. ”
6. If you hadn’t become a lawyer, what would you be doing?
Hopefully working as a Librarian, maybe?
I actually took a year off during college, because I was extremely sure that I was not meant to be a lawyer. I somehow convinced myself that I would be better off as a business major and spent a year taking business and marketing courses at a college in Mississippi! That one year in USA really helped me realize that my true calling was law and I never looked back. This is something that I always recommend people to do – if you are unsure about whether you are on the right path in terms of major, career, etc., take some time off and see if you miss the path that you were on. If you do not miss it, then it is time for you to look for something new.
7. How do you spend your free time? Do you have any advice on time-management for our readers?
I truly enjoy working so I feel somewhat lost when I get free time. When I was younger, I only had one hobby which was to read. I still enjoy reading, but when you spend the whole week reading hundreds of pages of legal documents for work, sometimes the last thing you want to do is to read. With that being said, I am now in the process of finding a new hobby – hopefully something that would help me get out of the office more often and be more physically active.
One thing I try to do every week is to spend some time alone and organize my thoughts. This helps me calm myself down after a hectic week, stay focused and get energized. I would highly recommend to anyone to spend few hours each week focusing on yourself and your mental wellbeing.
8. Can you tell me about the last 3 books you’ve finished reading?
Finished reading: China Rich Girlfriend (Kevin wan), American Gods (Neil Gaiman), The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court (Jeffrey Toobin)
Currently reading: The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm and Mindful in a Fast-Paced World (Haemin Sunim), The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations (John McCain and Marker Salter), To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
9. In 10 years, Nomin Dashnyam would be doing….?
I haven’t really planned my life that far ahead, but one thing I am sure about is I will still be practicing law. For the past decade, I had a very narrow focus which was my own personal and career development. Therefore, with the risk of sounding vague, my plan for the next decade is to broaden my focus to determine how I can become a positive influence on people around me and Mongolia’s society in general. The reason for my vagueness is that I have so many ideas spinning around in my head and none of them are ripe for sharing. Maybe ask me in a year’s time and I would have much clearer answer?
“If you are unsure about whether you are on the right path in terms of major, career, etc., take some time off and see if you miss the path that you were on. If you don’t miss it, then it is time for you to look for something new.”