View RBJ Special Coverage: Harter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CELEBRATINGCELEBRATING 125 125YEARSYEARS PAGE 8 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / HARTER SECREST • CELEBRATING 125 YEARS JUNE 7, 2019 Harter Secrest & Emery LLP marks 125 years Harter Secrest & Emery Managing Partner Craig S. Wittlin, seated left, with the Management Committee, from left, Partner Thomas J. Hurley, Partner Jerauld E. Brydges, Partner Kelly A. Pronti and Partner Joseph G. Casion. Photo credit: Kate Melton represents a number of high-quality national private equity funds and startup venture capital funded com- Lockstep compensation system key to success panies across New York state, and that practice area is growing steadily. “Even though we’re headquartered in Rochester, BY BENNETT LOUDON The higher education practice represents nearly all The key to the longevity for Harter Secrest & Emery the private colleges in the Rochester area, in addition with a big base of operations in Buffalo as well, we LLP has been a concerted effort to maintain the cul- to another half dozen across the state, Wittlin says. are fast becoming a very nationally regarded, well-re- ture and values that have symbolized the firm since it “The firm has represented institutions of higher spected brand in the private equity and venture capital was founded in 1894. education for decades in the myriad areas of legal community,” Wittlin says. “I think we’ve done a very careful and deliberate complexity that are both unique to higher education The firm’s securities practice continues to grow job over five, six, seven generations of lawyers to hire and that are similar to other not-for-profit organiza- very dynamically and now represents about 16 publicly people who would be mindful of that culture and tions,” says partner Theresa A. Conroy, who leads the held companies, handling their securities work. mindful of that legacy and work hard to try to sustain higher education practice. The intellectual property litigation practice area has it,” says managing partner Craig S. Wittlin. “Where before attorneys in many practice groups been another strength for the firm over the past sev- The 125th anniversary is a milestone a lot of busi- somewhat independently provided legal services to eral years. And employee benefits is another signature nesses don’t get to, Wittlin notes. colleges and universities, over the course of the past practice area for the firm. “It has an awful lot to do with the people who came 15-plus years, we worked to create a comprehensive Many bigger law firms handle employee benefits coun- long before me and built the foundation and a firm and and interdisciplinary practice group to serve the legal seling as part of their M&A practice, where they advise a culture that was able to be sustained,” he says. needs of the higher education sector,” she says. companies on combining benefit plans for two merging “At the end of the day, our ability to stick around The firm’s government and internal investigations prac- companies. But those law firms often don’t also provide that long has been a function of having really good tice has also experienced significant growth. That practice everyday counseling on employee benefits issues. clients, really loyal clients, and being able to play a role area involves representing companies that are in regulated The collegial atmosphere that differentiates Harter in our communities,” Wittlin says. industries that are subject to government investigations. Secrest is largely a function of the firm’s “lockstep” Today, Harter Secrest has 16 practice groups and The private equity and venture capital practice has compensation structure. many more practice areas. become a signature area for the firm. Harter Secrest Continued on page 10 Ad concept by Patricia Epps Planting seeds for the future Helping clients open doors for over 100 years. Founded by two attorneys 125 years ago, Harter Secrest & Emery is now firmly rooted in five offices across New York State with nearly 130 attorneys serving clients across the country. This year, we proudly celebrate our past as we plant the seeds for our future, just as we did in 1894: by putting our clients’ interests first, caring for our colleagues, and serving our communities. hselaw.com | 585.232.6500 CELEBRATI NG 125 YEARS ROCHESTER | BUFFALO | ALBANY | CORNING | NEW YORK CITY 1600 Bausch & Lomb Place, Rochester, NY 14604-2711 Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. sowing seeds 125th.indd 1 5/29/19 11:34 AM PAGE 10 ROCHESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL / HARTER SECREST • CELEBRATING 125 YEARS JUNE 7, 2019 tracti ng new talent. For Wadsworth, the lockstep system was important From page 8 more because of the broader consequences than the “In our business, that means that our partners Partner Jeff rey A. Wadsworth joined Harter Secrest compensati on system itself. don’t get paid, at any level, based on how much aft er working at Gibson Dunn and Crutcher in Wash- “What I saw was a place where there was litt le business they originate, or how much business they ington, D.C. Wadsworth’s wife is from Rochester, and in-fi ghti ng, where there is a lot of collegiality,” Wad- control,” Witt lin says. when their son was about 6 months old they decided sworth says. “We share the pie very equally. That is a culture to move to Rochester to raise their family. “It wasn’t competi ti ve internally and there was a lot you would have seen very frequently in the 1940s “I was really struck in that fi rst interview with how of opportunity for the more junior lawyer to get into and ‘50s, and maybe into the ‘60s. But you see it very comfortable I felt talking to the people that were here. court, to have meaningful client interacti ons,” he says. infrequently now,” Witt lin says. And when I heard about the kind of work they were “We don’t have people looking over their shoul- Because everyone is getti ng paid the same, based doing, and that it was sophisti cated, that it was high- der worried that the person in the offi ce next to on their length of service at the fi rm, the att orneys end work that was interesti ng and with really good them is kind of coming aft er their clients or coming are cooperati ng and sharing opportuniti es and not clients I was even more intrigued,” Wadsworth says. aft er what they take home at the end of the year,” competi ng for clients. “This was a place that I could see myself coming Wadsworth says. While other fi rms are trying to decide how they will to and staying for the rest of my career, kind of laying “It’s a much more trusti ng place, and it’s a place divide revenue and who ought to get credit for par- down roots here in Rochester,” Wadsworth says. where we truly do respect everyone’s input and view- ti cular pieces of business, Harter Secrest lawyers are Julia E. Green, another Harter Secrest partner, is point on whatever we’re working on because we know discussing which partner or associate is best qualifi ed originally from Syracuse. She earned her undergrad- that it’s important to have everyone get that opportu- to handle a parti cular project. uate and law degrees in Boston, where she worked nity and to serve the clients’ needs,” he says. before coming to Harter Secrest. “It’s very simple. It’s very elegant and, for us, it works There is a defi nite sense of community and ti es to She joined the firm in 2006, working in environ- incredibly well. It drives everything we do,” he says. Rochester that permeates the fi rm. mental litigation, but she is now a higher educa- For clients, it means they get the best lawyer in the “Everybody here has made a conscious decision tion lawyer. fi rm for their needs. to raise their families, put down roots, in upstate New Partner Brian M. Feldman, a Rochester nati ve, also “What we hear … is that the kind of service that York,” Witt lin says. joined the fi rm in 2011, aft er he started a family. He they get from us feels very diff erent. They can tell that Most of their job candidates have a family con- had been living in Brooklyn and working as an assistant we are truly collaborati ng, that we are not inhibited in necti on to Rochester, Buff alo or a smaller community any way from saying, ‘Let me get my partner, or this U.S. Att orney in New York City. nearby, or they have a spouse who grew up in the associate, in this parti cular practi ce group, involved Feldman was impressed by the lockstep compensati on area, or they have some other connecti on, such as because he or she is the right expert to be dealing with system and the opportuniti es he’s been able to pursue. att ending college in the area. the problem,’ ” Witt lin says. “I’ve had the ability to have a very diverse practi ce Att orneys at Harter Secrest are encouraged to give The lockstep system has been a key factor in at- that I fi nd really sati sfying,” Feldman says. back to the community by off ering their pro- fessional skills to nonprofi t organizati ons. The fi rm has a committ ee that focuses on getti ng att orneys involved in community organizati ons, helping them to join boards in volunteer roles. “Some people are passionate about a cer- tain cause, so they’ll just fi nd it.