Oct. 16, 2014
Caldwell Leslie & Proctor PC
See more on Caldwell Leslie & Proctor PCLos Angeles | Litigation
Those overtures, no matter how sweet, seem to fall on deaf ears.
"We use the Nancy Reagan model," said founding partner Christopher G. Caldwell. "Just say no."
The lawyers at Caldwell Leslie, which was founded in 1988, have remained fiercely independent and singularly focused on building both the practice and the firm for more than 20 years.
"We're proud that we don't have any specialty other than our ability to litigate complicated and difficult cases," partner Michael J. Proctor said. "We all came here because we were looking for something different not just with the practice of law, but with the management of lawyers."
The nearly ubiquitous talk of "firm culture" in the legal industry can make talking about it seem like an exercise in self-congratulation - a fact not lost on Caldwell Leslie's partners - but they still can't stop extolling the importance of their values to the practice.
"All firms like to talk about firm culture but I really think our firm is different and that the culture is special," Caldwell said. "There are lots of unhappy lawyers out there practicing law and none of them are in our firm."
One thing that stands out is the firm's absolute commitment to a consensus-based model.
Partners at the firm talk about how the process of working out all differences to a point where everyone is comfortable moving forward might be considered old-fashioned, but they say it eliminates discord about the direction of the firm.
"From the outside it probably looks absurd at times," said partner Robyn C. Crowther. "But the idea of consensus - not majority rule - makes it so people aren't outvoted or marginalized in a way that alienates them."
While the firm has stuck to its roots by staying with a litigation-only model, its lawyers pride themselves on innovation.
"The autonomy is terrific and it attracts people with an entrepreneurial spirit," Crowther said. "We have everyone at the firm thinking about business development from very early on and since we have such a broad litigation practice, we can serve clients in an array of different ways."
That service starts with the type of lawyers at the firm, according to Proctor.
"We value traditional skills that make a good lawyer," he said. "Good writing, critical thinking, creativity - we don't focus on profits per partner, we focus on the bottom line and what it takes to win cases."
- Henry Meier
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