HowWeThink

The Greek word "hero" has been said to mean literally "protector" "defender" or "guardian," but
has also come to symbolize any activity characterized by courage and the will for self-sacrifice
for some greater good, including moral excellence.

We became lawyers to obtain justice for our clients or to defend them at their most difficult
moments, when they are faced with the biggest challenges of their lives. We have found that all
too often those goals are irrelevant to the discussion in law firms. In a collective 50 years of time
in large law firms we never saw "courage" or "self-sacrifice" rewarded, or, for that matter, heard
the words uttered. Yet, they are the attributes often most required to take on difficult but
important causes and to defend and represent people who face institutions with limitless
resources.

Understanding that the chief concern of most lawyers today seems to be risk-free maximization
of their income, often at the the cost of their clients, we have rejected that model and we started
this firm to do something different; to apply the skills we have acquired over these many years, in
large firms and small, in courtrooms all over this country and elsewhere to achieving our clients'
goals through true partnerships with them. To emphasize-- not billable hours or realization
rates--but success and achievement of our clients' goals, in the face of risk, uncertainty and
difficulty. To reward lawyers in our firm who seek out challenges-even impossible tasks-- and who
are thinking about our clients' problems 24/7 because they want to win for them, not lawyers who
increase the size of the clients' bills through inefficiency. To reward sacrifice, agility,
selflessness, and courage rather than greed or short-term financial reward. To focus more on
winning victories for our clients than maximizing firm profits; to be successful when our clients
are successful. To achieve what some say the ancient Greeks defined as true happiness, "the
full use of one's powers along lines of excellence." In short, the heroic practice of law.