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Ice Miller LLP
Ryan Poor says that labor and employment law, the primary focus of his practice, is “a mile wide and 2 miles deep.” On any given day he might be asked to field calls from clients with employment questions, assist with an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection, draft an employment agreement, put together a position statement, conduct a mediation, or any of a long list of other tasks. “It’s a practice that touches on almost every other practice area — litigation, corporate, regulatory, tax, government affairs, benefits, estates and many others,” Poor said. Though he says most of what he does isn’t flashy, he finds fulfillment whether he’s helping clients find a difficult answer or untangling an issue with a 10-minute phone call. “I love helping clients solve difficult issues, and when that happens it always feels like an accomplishment,” he said.
Givebacks: board member, incoming chair of governance committee, YMCA of Greater Indianapolis; member, past president, Wabash College Phi Gamma Delta Association; past president, chair of human resources committee, Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center; former chair of the engagement working group for the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative; past board member, Community Centers of Indianapolis Inc.
First job: “Pouring concrete with my dad, who was an elementary school principal and poured concrete in the summer.”
Mentors: “In every job I’ve had there’s been someone,” Poor said. “Each taught me something different, like the value of hard work, not quitting (especially when things are tough), doing your absolute best the first time, the importance of relationships and credibility, and making priorities and sticking to them.”
Advice: He recommends shadowing a lawyer for a day or clerking in a law office. “If you want to see what lawyers really do every day, as opposed to what you see TV lawyers do every day, you have to get that experience,” Poor said. “Law school won’t teach you that.”
Favorite de-stressors: cooking, being outside, family time, working in the yard or garden and listening to music•
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