Defense Digest

A Special Message From the Chairman

By Robert J. Coleman, Esq.

My message has appeared in our publication from its inception. Certainly it has enabled me to highlight some of our firm's important initiatives and policies, but of even more importance, it afforded me an opportunity to introduce to all of our readers, both within and without the firm, the various personnel that have made our firm the biggest and best defense litigation firm in the country.

It may seem boastful to make such a comment, but please indulge me since this is my last occasion to address you, as I am stepping down as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer as well as a Shareholder at the end of this year. More than thirty-seven years have passed since I first came to what was then a small defense litigation firm of six lawyers and what is now a firm of some three hundred and fifty lawyers with multiple locations in five states.

Words cannot adequately express how much I have enjoyed and cherished my years at Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin. Having taken over as Managing Partner more than thirty years ago, I was indeed fortunate to have presided over a firm that I believe has left its footprint on the Risk Management and Insurance Industry as it continued to change and evolve in response to the many upheavals, both social and commercial, that have shaped and defined its recent history.

Allow me to thank our many clients for being so loyal, reasonable, and responsive over the years. We did not always see eye to eye on every issue, but we always respected each others’ opinions and started a realistic dialogue that is the envy of many. We may not have had the solution to every problem, but we knew how to address our differences in a constructive way and resolve them. Over the years, many of you have become friends and confidantes, but we still respected our professional obligations. Thank you so much for keeping us on our best behavior, cajoling us when necessary, and becoming our partners in the truest sense of the word.

To all of the attorneys and my other professional colleagues within the firm, I extend to you my heartfelt gratitude. The success of our firm has truly been a team effort, and I have always admired and cherished the enthusiasm, passion, discipline, and competency that you have exhibited over the years. More importantly, everyone in the firm has been so cooperative, friendly, and helpful and second-to-none when it came to supporting charitable causes. I have always been energized by the camaraderie and simple good old-fashioned values which I have seen displayed every day during my tenure. Everyone not only works well together, but they also respect each other and make our workplace a home away from home. Without question, our firm's success was brought about by each and every one of you.

Allow me to focus briefly on what I believe is my most important accomplishment. That is, paying attention to and immersing myself in the transfer of leadership to others in the firm. This process started six years ago, and the patience, dedication, and commitment of our senior executives has been a joy to me. We now have an Executive Committee of the Board of Directors which enjoys the trust and confidence of every man and woman in the firm. The Executive Committee, consisting of Phil Toran, Pete Miller, and Tom Brophy, makes the important decisions that affect all of us since they function as the governing committee of the firm between meetings of the Board of Directors.

Going forward, the Chairman of the Executive Committee will be Phil Toran. He has exceptional leadership ability and business judgment, which will be of great value to the Executive Committee whose prime function is to set compensation levels for all attorneys. He has the ability to energize people, and his intelligence and analytical mind enable him to overcome any obstacles.

Pete Miller, who has functioned as President since January of 1999, will be the Chairman of the Board and will continue as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for all administrative operations of the firm. In addition to being an outstanding lawyer, Pete has demonstrated that he is as trustworthy and as loyal a person as one would expect in a leader. He is competent, intelligent, disciplined, and has a penchant for always doing the right thing.

Our new President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm will be Tom Brophy, who started with us a paralegal while still a law student. In addition to being a Diplomat of the American Board of Trial Advocates, he excels at developing and implementing long-term strategies. He is looked to as a leader because he is so highly-focused and has a passion for getting things done. He is exceeded by none in his ability to analyze and solve any problem.

All three of these attorneys-all of whom are members of Best Lawyers in America-have served in various important administrative positions within the firm throughout their careers. How fortunate we are to have such outstanding lawyers who have the ability to function in senior management roles. They will all continue to run practice groups and interact with clients in addition to fulfilling their executive positions. Also, the three are very close friends, and it is a pleasure to see them interact. I have never witnessed any problem where the three of them did not comport themselves in a highly professional manner and, even where there were disagreements, to act as one after a course of action was decided upon.

Please know that it will be somewhat of a relief not to have the financial responsibility for the wonderful men and women, now almost nine hundred strong, who have made this firm function. It will be a welcome change to do all the things one has contemplated over a lifetime of resolutions but never found the opportunity to act on. Retirement has long beckoned but was always an illusive concept. Of course, there will always be a little piece of me that will remain embedded in the fabric of the firm. Over the many years, we have all celebrated, mourned, laughed, and cried many times together, and I look forward with great anticipation to returning to our annual shareholders meeting as a guest so that we can all continue to share the best of times that surely lie ahead.

It has been a distinguished honor to serve as the leader of this wonderful firm, and I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.