DelDuca of First Nationwide: Proud of a power project at Milbank

Name: Erika DelDuca Title: Vice President and Senior Counsel Company Name: First Nationwide Title Agency What year did you start your career in commercial real estate: 2003 Real Estate Associations/Organizations: member of Title Action Network and the ALTA Advocacy Center What recent project or transaction are you most proud of? While it is not a "recent" project, I am most proud of a power project I worked on as a young associate at Milbank. I was responsible for helping to build the Neptune Regional Transmission Cable, which was the second regional underground transmission cable in the N.Y. Metropolitan area. Not only was the real estate work for the project groundbreaking and a case of first impression, but the project greatly enhanced the local power and energy grid by bringing electrical service from N.J. to Long Island, N.Y. Since Neptune, there have been several other, similar, underwater power projects successfully completed based on its model. I also had the honor of working on several of those projects, but to be on the Neptune team was an accomplishment not only because of the project type, but also because of the level of trust and responsibility I was given in my role on the team. What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why? I was recently told by in-house counsel for a major developer that she admired me. It surprised me as she and I had only had a business relationship and we did not know much about each other beyond the transaction that we were working on together. I thanked her and asked what it was she admired. She responded that she had a toddler at home and had recently been trying to juggle her career and her family and was not sure if it could be done. I had mentioned on one of our calls for the transaction that my sons often went to a certain store for which she and I were chasing closing documents. She told me that when she heard I had young children at home and seemed so 'put together,' it made her feel like 'life was doable.' Having had the same feeling about women I have come across in my career, I was really glad I was able to reassure a younger female that a successful professional/personal juggle was indeed possible. Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career and why? The first partner at Milbank, Tweed who mentored me early in my legal career was a man who understood the work & life balance, as well as the ability to recognize a need versus a desire. He not only gave me a strong understanding of the law, but also taught me how to step back and evaluate the entirety of a transaction to see both its immediate and long-term ramifications and effects. What is the first thing you do when you arrive in the office in the morning? The first thing I do in the morning is to pop my laptop into my docking station and take a deep breath. What time management strategies do you find to be the most effective for you? I have learned that to have a successful career and home life I have to leverage my free time and to be flexible. In a client-driven profession it's also important to recognize that you must pre-set your own boundaries with regard to what is a reasonable from a client and what is a reasonable expectation from friends and/or family, who may not have the same career demands. What is the best advice you have received and who was it from? My Sensei continually reiterated the following quote from Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings: "Generally speaking, fixation and binding are to be avoided, in both the sword and the hand. Fixation is the way to death, fluidity is the way to life." Bruce Lee simplified it wonderfully when he said "Be water, my friend." List 3 women that you would like to have drinks / dinner with and where would you go? Margaret Thatcher- I would take her to Delmonico's Indira Gandhi- I would take her to Tamarind J.K. Rowling- I would take her to Diagon Alley of course What is your favorite quote? See above #4 I also live by the following Japanese proverb- "fall 7, rise 8." I do not believe it qualifies as a quote since its author & exact origin are unknown, but it is still a constant reminder that defeat is often something that is chosen by passive acceptance of a situation and the inability to be creative in an alternative or solution in order to overcome what is, in reality, simply an obstacle to ultimate success. What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be happy when I grew up. When I was very young I thought happiness meant being a veterinarian, then when I was a bit older I thought it meant being a professional baseball player (too bad I was born a woman!) and then I thought it was being an attorney. I have come to realize that being happy means making the most of my life as it currently exists by accepting the opportunities I have been given to leverage my intelligence and talents.