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Amundsen Davis LLC
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, 2015
Why did you decide to enter the legal profession?
When I was younger, I had dreams of being a sports agent and realized a law degree would help with contract negotiations. As I got older, I became more interested in the financial markets and business world, and decided to pursue the legal profession to counsel businesses and help them achieve their desired results.
If you hadn’t pursued a legal career, what would you be doing?
I have always been drawn to the energy in the startup and venture capital space. I have taken an entrepreneurial approach to building my practice, and I could see myself applying that mindset as a founder or working with a venture capital fund in some capacity.
Who has inspired you in your career?
When I was with the Indiana Securities Division, Commissioner Alex Glass emphasized outside-the-box thinking and that the answer to a question should never be “that’s the way it’s always been done.” At Amundsen Davis, John Tanselle helped me shift from my role as a regulator to private practice.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Our oldest son’s name is Theodore (Theo) and my wife and I wanted a Teddy Roosevelt quote for his room. One quote of his always stuck with me, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” It emphasizes not only the mental attitude needed to achieve your goals, but also that you’re only halfway there with attitude. You also need execution.
What makes a good lawyer/judge?
To distill it down to one word, I would say “responsive.” We all have large workloads, but responsiveness is critical to success. That does not just mean responsive to your clients but to everyone you deal with, including the attorneys at your firm, opposing counsel, support staff and regulators. Responsiveness can reduce any risk of miscommunication and ultimately lead to more expedient results.
Tell us about a “lesson learned” moment you’ve had in your career.
I reviewed securities offerings for the State of Indiana and would often make comments about a state-specific disclosure needed for the prospectus. Issuer’s counsel would always push back stating that the offering documents had already been printed, which sounded like a minor issue to me as a regulator. It wasn’t until I went into private practice that I understood the costs of reprinting financial documents.
Tell us something surprising about you.
I am fiercely competitive and really good at bar-style games. My best game is Pop-A-Shot and I cannot walk by a bar or arcade without playing at least one round.
What is something you wish people knew about lawyers?
While entertaining, the TV show “Suits” is not an accurate depiction of life as a lawyer. We spend much more time reading and typing than the attorneys on that show.
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