Whether it’s romping around the pasture with horses or steering a real estate deal with nearly two dozen different parties, King & Spalding partner Kristina Kopf Thomas likes to get dirty with the messy details.

A Palo Alto, Calif., native, Thomas spent much of her childhood outdoors, sailing on San Francisco Bay or riding horses. Even now, “in my deep, dark fantasy world, I train horses,” she says. She abandoned that dream after realizing the field’s career opportunities are limited.