Choosing
commerce
Loyola alums leverage law degrees to succeed in business
VERSATILE EDUCATION
O
ne day in 1988, then-real estate and sports lawyer
Andy Lansing (JD ’85) was sitting at his desk
at the Chicago firm of Nagelberg & Resnick—
“minding my own business,” he says—when
the phone rang. It was an acquaintance who worked at Levy
Restaurants, wondering if Lansing could recommend someone
to serve as the company’s general counsel.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)
Several lunches and much soul searching
later, Lansing found himself on the first step of his
impressive career with Levy. He’s now president
and chief executive officer of the company, which
operates restaurants and food-service locations
throughout the U.S. and internationally. And,
like the numerous other Loyola law alums who
have chosen careers in business, he says his law
education provided a solid foundation for the work
he’s doing today.
“It’s amazing how many of our alums in
business tell me that even though they’re not
practicing law, they feel the value of their legal
education every day,” says Dean David Yellen.
“Whether it’s negotiating a deal or analyzing
a problem their business is facing, they all say
the training they got at Loyola has helped them
immensely in their business lives.”
Opportunity knocks
Lansing’s path from full-time attorney to
corporate president and CEO took several stages.
He’d loved the work he was doing, and was at first
resistant to the idea of leaving a firm to become
corporate counsel. “But I think there’s a difference
between successful people and really successful
people; really successful people spot a huge
opportunity and grab it, knowing it might not
come around again,” he says. “I was 27 when I got
the offer, and knew that on paper I had no business
doing this job, but somebody believed that I could.”
“Fake it till you make it”was Lansing’s initial
game plan. On Lansing’s first day, Larry Levy, the
company’s founder and chair, asked Lansing if he
would apply for a trademark for Spiaggia, Levy’s
star restaurant in Chicago. “I said, ‘Absolutely,’ and
had no idea what to do,” Lansing remembers. “I
left work at 5 p.m., went straight to Loyola’s Law
Library, and started pulling out trademark books.
This doing things on the fly went on for a period of
time; a year later, my knees finally unbuckled.”
By that time, Lansing’s multiple talents and
leadership skills had been confirmed. Larry Levy
soon asked him to oversee purchasing, human
resources, and other support services, naming him
executive vice president and general counsel, with
less emphasis on legal work.
“It was another moment of truth—did I
want to stop practicing law exclusively?—but I
Levy Restaurants President
and CEO Andy Lansing
shows off his magic mojo at
Chicago’s Spiaggia restaurant.
A lifelong amateur magician,
Lansing uses his craft to
inspire and motivate during
conferences and presentations.
»
“SOMANY LEGAL ISSUES
ARE BUSINESS ISSUES
AND SOMANY BUSINESS
ISSUES ARE LEGAL ISSUES.
BEING ABLE TO CROSS
OVER COMFORTABLY IS A
WONDERFUL GIFT.”
—A N DY L A N S I N G ( J D ’ 8 5 )
SPRING 2012
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LOYOLA LAW
