In this episode, we sit down with Ronald Sarubbi, Partner and New York Office Managing Partner at Ashurst Perkins Coie, to explore his journey from banking into law, building a career in structured finance, and the lessons he has learned from almost three decades in the profession.
Ron’s route into law was far from conventional. Before entering private practice, he spent five years working in banking, gaining first-hand experience of finance and the capital markets while completing his law degree at night. That experience gave him an understanding of what it means to sit in the client’s seat — something that continues to shape the way he advises financial institutions today.
Over the course of his career, Ron has built a practice spanning structured finance, project finance and complex capital markets transactions, while also taking on increasingly significant leadership responsibilities. From Chair of the Financial Transactions practice to Managing Partner of the New York office, he reflects candidly on the challenge of balancing leadership with maintaining a successful practice and why taking opportunities to lead has taught him as much about people as it has about the business of law.
What stands out throughout the conversation is Ron’s approach to leadership. Rather than focusing on individual accolades, he speaks about being most proud of the success of the lawyers he has helped develop and the reputation he has built among the people around him. Kindness and empathy are central to his philosophy, with Ron viewing leadership as an opportunity to remove obstacles, empower others and help people achieve more than they might believe they are capable of.
The discussion also turns to what it takes to succeed as a junior lawyer. For Ron, technical ability is only part of the equation. By the time an associate reaches a leading global firm, they have already cleared a high bar academically and professionally. What can truly separate people, he argues, is tenacity and grit: the ability to keep performing through demanding periods, tight deadlines and the inevitable pressures of private practice.
A significant part of the conversation focuses on how finance and the legal profession are changing. Ron reflects on a career that has taken him from marking documents by hand and sending them by FedEx to working in an environment where transactions that once took weeks can now move in days. With AI accelerating that change further, he believes junior lawyers should actively develop their understanding of the technology and become comfortable using the tools that are likely to form an increasingly important part of their working lives.
Ron also reflects on the importance of relationships and responsiveness in a service profession. After decades of working with some clients, many of those relationships have developed into friendships, and he explains why judgement, trust and simply letting someone know that their problem is being dealt with remain enormously valuable, regardless of how sophisticated the technology becomes.
Alongside these broader themes, Ron discusses the evolution of structured finance, the increasing activity around energy, infrastructure and data centres, and his experience helping lead the integration of Ashurst and Perkins Coie. Throughout, his perspective remains grounded in the same principles: understanding your clients, investing in people, staying adaptable and being willing to take opportunities when they arise.
It is an engaging and candid conversation about structured finance, leadership, resilience and what it takes to build a successful and enduring legal career.
Watch the full episode.
