If there’s one thing keeping managing partners up at night, it’s the current political climate surrounding law firms.
A panel of New Jersey managing partners from large and small firms addressed that pressing topic at the Annual Meeting and Convention. In a troubling era when law firms face retribution from the Trump administration for their clientele and trial advocacy, former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino, of Lowenstein Sandler LLP, said it’s important for firms to avoid political “acts of pure symbolism.”
“We haven’t yet faced the predicament of having a client that will place us squarely in the crosshairs of the current administration. I’m expecting that day will come, and we will wrestle with that issue. But we have not stopped taking on maters where an individual needs assistance, especially in the pro bono area,” Porino said.
Marie L. Mathews, of Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC, is often asked what the firm has done differently under the current administration. The answer, she said, is “not much.”
“Every administration comes with a shift in priorities. The magnitude and the tenor of the shift might be different, but the fact that there are new and different priorities, that happens frequently,” Mathews said. “We are approaching it the same way we always have, which is to maintain a neutral tone and do what’s best in service of the clients.”
Former NJSBA Trustee Thomas P. Scrivo of O'Toole Scrivo LLC said it’s important to consider the role of law firms when confronting these issues.
“You go back to the core mission of the law firm which is to serve our clients,” Scrivo said. “This is one of those issues that can pull you away from the core mission and our core function.”