As part of our celebration
for our 25 year sponsor firms, BBA Week will be running a series of
one on one interviews with Managing Partners of each of our 25 year sponsors.
This week, BBA Week spoke with Mintz
Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo Chairman R. Robert Popeo, about the evolution
of the firm in the past 25 years.
1) What are the most significant changes your firm has seen in the
past 25 years?
Like many law firms, Mintz Levin has grown significantly over the last 25
years. In addition to the firm’s geographic expansion, the firm has
established preeminent legal practices in the areas of life sciences,
communications, health care and energy and clean technology and white collar
crime. The firm’s historical strengths in corporate and securities,
litigation and public finance have provided a platform from which to build these
and other practices. In addition, as one of the first law firms to add a
government relations consultancy, Mintz Levin and ML Strategies have played a
significant role in shaping public policy at the state and federal level.
We have certainly seen many changes in the business environment in the Boston
area over the last 25 years. Consolidation, changes in the state and federal
regulatory landscape and rapidly changing technology have provided both
opportunities and challenges for law firms.
More specifically, the legal landscape in Boston has changed considerably in
the last 25 years. While several firms that many thought to be “institutions” no
longer exist, we have seen an influx of out-of-state firms who are attracted to
the city’s highly-skilled workforce and the area’s reputation for
innovation.
2) What 3 accomplishments in the past 25 years is your firm most
proud of?
One of the things the firm is most proud of is that despite its growth from 3
attorneys in 1934 to nearly 500 attorneys today, the culture of Mintz Levin has
not changed. The culture that embodied the firm’s founders,
civic-mindedness, a commitment to the community and an environment of inclusion,
is embedded in the firm’s core values.
One accomplishment that I think every Mintz Levin employee is proud of is the
firm’s pro bono program and, in particular, it’s signature Domestic Violence
Project. This project has allowed employees in every office, at every
level, to become involved in initiatives geared towards eradicating domestic
violence. In addition to providing much-needed legal remedies to victims,
the firm has played a prominent role in lobbying for legislation at the state
and federal levels affording greater protection for survivors of domestic
violence and sexual assault.
3) What value does your firm gain from being a Sponsor Firm of
the BBA?
The BBA has long provided Boston-areas attorneys with the opportunity to
advocate and assume leadership positions in programs and initiatives that have
an impact on our community and our profession. Mintz Levin currently has
more than a dozen attorneys serving on various BBA sections and in various roles
ranging from working on the Task Force on Environmental Sustainability, chairing
key committees within sections, serving on the BBA Council to volunteering to
mentor more junior attorneys. In addition to providing these attorneys,
particularly our younger attorneys, the opportunity to assume leadership
positions, the BBA provides an extraordinary opportunity for networking and
participating in a robust array of informal and formal educational programs.