Blog — Around the water cooler

Each week we will pose these three questions to different lawyers in the legal community.This week we talk with Matt Miller, who has been practicing since 1996. He is a partner at Much Shelist, and describes his practice as litigation and general business counseling.

What do you find the most interesting about your practice?

The clients. I really enjoy working with clients, and getting to know them and their businesses. As lawyers, we have the unique opportunity to meet people involved in all aspects of business and life, and to learn about their lives and their business ventures.

Every day truly is a school day, and that’s because our clients present us with new and interesting challenges all the time. To me, this is what makes the practice interesting — working closely with and getting to know the people behind the names on a case caption or behind the deals, and identifying and solving their problems. I am fortunate to have a diverse practice that spans litigation and general business counseling, and each client that comes to me for advice has their own issues or goals that they need addressed, and it is the clients and the issues they present that make my practice interesting.

What makes a good lawyer?

There is no one size fits all, that’s for sure. There are a lot of good lawyers, with their own unique talents. There are some obvious qualities that all good lawyers share — honesty and integrity of course come to mind. Less obvious but equally important would be passion and vision.

I think a good lawyer has to be passionate about the law and their clients. As lawyers, we work long and hard hours, and if you are passionate about what you are doing, all of that hard work will translate into good work. I think if you observe other lawyers, you will see that the best lawyers are also the most passionate. A good lawyer also needs vision, and what I mean is that a good lawyer should be able to understand the bigger picture for the client. Instead of simply completing the task at hand, a good lawyer thinks and plans ahead, and gains a broader understanding of the client’s goals and expectations. Understanding that the job of a lawyer is not simply about finishing the next brief or putting together the next contract–that is a hallmark of a good lawyer.

What is the biggest legal news right now, and what is its impact?

In my view, the biggest legal news right now would be the mortgage crisis. I don’t think we have seen the full impact from the mortgage problems, but already there are a tremendous number of foreclosures and it is harder for people to obtain home loans and we’ve all read about the high-profile problems faced by some very well-known companies.

As the problems continue to unfold, lawyers will play an important role in litigating the cases that undoubtedly will be filed, in negotiating and documenting deals to avoid further loan defaults and foreclosures, and, I think, in drafting legislation and changing laws to help prevent a similar meltdown from occurring in the future. I don’t think we yet know the full impact of the mortgage crisis, but it will be profound and it likely will change the mortgage industry.