Our Values
We value winning. In litigation there are winners and losers, and we do not sleep well when we lose. When clients hire trial lawyers, they do not want someone to “handle” their cases; they want someone to win them. They want someone who hates losing at least as much as they love winning. Ours is a very competitive business. Winning one lawsuit is only an intermediate goal. The ultimate goal is satisfying clients and winning the opportunity to try more of their cases. The job can be hard, frustrating. Not wearing a necktie helps. But ten boxes of documents to review are still ten boxes of documents to review. Work might bring us to the office on a weekend; but the need for “face time” never will. Writing a summary judgment motion can keep us late; putting its exhibits together can take the rest of the night. Finishing it feels great. Winning it feels better.
We value ethics. In fighting hard and winning for our clients, we play by the rules. Credibility is our stock in trade. We are proud of our record but prouder still of how we win and our good name. We don’t hide documents; we don’t mis-cite cases; we don’t mislead; we don’t twist the truth. Some have called it “winning the hard way.” We call it “winning the right way.” We believe it is the only way.
We value excellence. We pride ourselves on our written work. First and foremost, we are trial lawyers, but we recognize that our clients are best served if a case can be won without a trial. Many cases that do go to trial are won before the jury is even seated—by motions to dismiss, summary judgment motions or other motions that shape the way the case is presented. We believe motions should be won on the papers before the hearing. We balance excellence with cost-effectiveness, knowing that our briefs are a means to an end, not an end in themselves.
We value each other. We consider it our good fortune to work with lawyers whom we not only respect professionally, but enjoy as colleagues and friends. We unwind on Fridays with beer, food and music chosen through hallway chatter. We don’t care for bureaucracy. Orderly chaos suits us better. Running an idea by a partner does not require the equivalent of arranging a Papal audience.
We value diversity. Diversity means a lot of different things to many people. To us it means more than recruiting and retaining lawyers of every race, sex and national origin. It also means having many types of people -- different educational and occupational backgrounds; different perspectives; and different personalities, including some who might not fit in elsewhere. Yes, we've won awards for diversity, but what counts at the end of the day is that diversity makes us better trial lawyers.
We value teamwork. Our firm was built on supporting each other. It is commonplace for partners and associates to brainstorm, ask for exemplars and suggestions, hand briefs to a fresh pair of eyes for comment, and help out in mock trials. One measure of our esprit de corps is our willingness to stay late voluntarily to help others. We do so because others have stayed to help us. Here you won’t find possessive attitudes toward clients, cases, briefs, associates, staff or other firm resources. Ego considerations will not compromise the goal of providing the highest quality legal work. When we win, we recognize the victory belongs to more than the team in court. We announce the victory on the intercom. The members of the trial team send e-mails to the entire firm acknowledging by name everyone who contributed, including staff. Taking individual credit for a win is not what we’re about. We do acknowledge superstars, but that is not a status that is cultivated or pursued. It is simply conferred by peers who recognize consistently great lawyering.
We value substance over surface. We were the first firm to discard the notion that dress equals success. We did that more than 20 years ago. We know that a litigator’s best work isn’t dependent upon the suits he or she wears. We believe lawyers work best — and are most creative — when they are at ease in their environment and not distracted by the restrictions of formality. We also believe it helps foster teamwork among partners, associates and staff. Of course, we respect the conventions of proper dress in court; every lawyer has a suit hanging behind his or her door in case an emergency arises.
We value the future of the firm. We want to continue to enhance our image as informal, collegial, diverse, hard-working, incisive, original, aggressive and principled lawyers. To continue recruiting the best talent; to deliver outstanding quality at a reasonable cost; and to win. First, last and always, to win. To think of each new case as if it were the first one we had in 1986: on this case depends our entire reputation; we have no laurels on which to rest.