Christina L. Capobianco admits that as a kid she was difficult at times and liked to argue with people.

A headstrong child? Obstinate, perhaps? Maybe. But looking back on those days now, it may all have been part of her early career development as a future litigator.

“I feel like all little girls around the time that I was growing up, if they were like that, instead of being told, ‘Oh, you’re bossy,’ the nice way to say it was ‘You’d make a great lawyer,’” Christina said. “And so, at an early age, it got into my head that that was something I would be good at. So, I kind of knew from a very young age that this is the area that I wanted my career to go in.”

While growing up, Christina would sometimes accompany her mother to her job as a credit collector and often observe her mom having to contend with very challenging situations. She didn’t know it then, but in witnessing those moments, she was absorbing valuable lessons that would come to shape her future. Further career development if you will.

“My mother was a strong woman,” said Christina, a Philadelphia-based partner in Goldberg Segalla’s Civil Litigation and Trial practice group. “I think I learned a lot from her about having a backbone and being a strong person. I definitely think, especially as a woman in the legal field, that you do have to be a strong person, and you do have to push through some adverse situations.”

Since entering the legal profession two decades ago, Christina said female attorneys have come a long way. But, she said, work remains to ensure women are better represented.

“It’s not necessarily a man’s world anymore, but when I was a younger lawyer, I was entering rooms where there were only men, and I think having that strong personality that my mom instilled in me really helped me to advance in my career,” said Christina, herself the mother of two young children. “There were many times where I was the only female in the room and was mistaken for the court reporter. I was not given the respect that some of the male attorneys were given. I see that changing and I do see more female attorneys, and more females in higher places of power and places where they’re making the decisions. That’s great to see. But women aren’t quite yet well represented at the very top. And I think that’s kind of the next challenge.”

A trial-tested litigator with a record of success defending regional and national companies in complex matters, Christina specializes in representing transportation clients in claims involving personal injury, catastrophic loss and property damage. The vice chair of the firm’s Civil Litigation and Trial practice group, Christina also represents clients in the construction and insurance industries as well as public education.

“I really try to connect with my clients on a personal level. Sometimes that’s as simple as picking up a phone when it could be an e-mail. And sometimes that’s dinners and in-person meetings,” she said. “I pride myself on trying to make sure that clients are comfortable with me because I am handling things for them that are very important to their business and dealing with issues that have impacted and affected their lives. I try to make sure that I’m not just their lawyer but that I’ve connected with them on a personal level in addition to just giving them the legal advice that they need.”

Integral to doing so, Christina said, is a willingness to be both pragmatic and honest.

“Being practical is very important, especially in my type of law, because you’re often dealing with very complex issues and very technical issues which you have to distill down into a package that’s digestible to your client. That’s what they’re looking for us to do,” she said. “I often see reports and things people have done that are very, very long and very detailed, which is great. But lawyers really kind of just need to give their clients an answer and I try as best as I can to give them that. And sometimes that involves telling them things they don’t necessarily want to hear, or things that they’re disappointed to hear, but that they need to hear to get the best result. I try to be really frank and honest with my clients. I try to build trust with my clients so that when I do tell them something that is not necessarily the greatest news, they digest it better.”

Also helping Christina set her clients up for success is Goldberg Segalla’s vast resources, attorney experience and philosophy toward teamwork.

“Goldberg Segalla has a very collaborative atmosphere that sets us apart from other firms,” Christina said. “I really enjoy working with the people, not just in my office in Philadelphia, but across our footprint because I’ve found that there’s so many people and resources that can assist with cases if there’s something I haven’t handled before. There are so many attorneys across our footprint willing to give feedback and information. That collaborative approach is so important to servicing our clients appropriately because not everybody knows everything. But with the number of lawyers that we have here, there’s always somebody who knows something about the issue that you have. I really credit a lot of the success I’ve had over the years to being in such a supportive atmosphere.”