By Christine DeRosa | ·
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| Steven Poulathas |
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| Jordan LaVine |
East Coast law firm Flaster Greenberg PC's board of directors has unanimously reelected its co-managing shareholders to a second four-year term.
Steven Poulathas and Jordan LaVine, who have served as co-managing shareholders of the firm since 2021, will begin their second term on Jan. 1, Flaster Greenberg said Tuesday.
LaVine, who has been a shareholder since 2006, told Law360 Pulse on Wednesday that both he and Poulathas were pleased that the board felt they had done a good enough job in their first term to merit serving a second stint.
"Steve and I have been at the firm a long time, and we hold the firm and its success and well-being very close to our hearts," LaVine said. "The recognition that our board of directors, which is made up of a diverse group of shareholders, felt we had done a good job and that the firm was moving in the right direction, I think was very gratifying for us."
Poulathas, who has worked at Flaster Greenberg since 2008 and was elected to shareholder in 2012, added that it was a wonderful feeling to have a confirmation of the confidence that the board has in them both.
"At the same time, humbly, the last four years have been great, both working with Jordan and the firm has done wonderful," Poulathas said. "We're also motivated and excited for the next four years."
LaVine said that before the duo took on the co-managing shareholder role, Flaster Greenberg had only ever had a single managing shareholder. He added that he thinks there was some question whether the new structure would work, and they've found that it has worked really well.
Both attorneys have been able to share the management responsibilities while maintaining their very busy practices. LaVine is a trademark and copyright attorney while Poulathas is a corporate tax attorney.
Poulathas and LaVine's first four years as leaders were marked by Flaster Greenberg's 50th anniversary, the addition of 24 attorneys and the expansion of the firm's practice areas and industries, according to the firm.
In June, the firm launched a sports law practice group, bringing together attorneys already representing athletes, teams and other sports-related clients, including in labor and employment, intellectual property, corporate law and litigation.
Two months earlier, Flaster Greenberg launched its art industry group, bringing together its litigation, transportation and insurance law talent to help clients find good service providers, create contractual agreements, select insurance policies and determine coverage for incidents.
The group can also take legal action against insurance companies or individuals responsible for art damage, loss or theft. It's led by Pennsylvania-based shareholders Christopher J. Merrick and Jay M. Levin and counsel Terri Ackerman.
The firm has additionally invested in its information technology infrastructure and in 2023 hired Gene Goroschko to the new role of chief information officer.
Reflecting on their first four years as Flaster Greenberg's leaders, LaVine and Poulathas said they're proud of the firm's growth in strategic areas combined with their ability to maintain the culture of the firm.
Many firms have a tendency to lose their positive culture when they grow, LaVine said, something he thinks Flaster Greenberg hasn't fallen victim to.
"But for us, being a midsized firm even with the growth we've had, it's very important to us that we are maintaining the kind of camaraderie and collaboration that we think is unique to midsized law firms," LaVine said.
Poulathas added that with the significant interest the firm has had from laterals, it's been able to be selective and identify individuals who are a good fit with its positive culture, which he called Flaster Greenberg's "secret recipe" for success.
As for what the firm's leaders are looking forward to working on during their next term, Poulathas said technology is a big part of it. Currently, the firm is upgrading its tech tools and systems with the goal of making the employee experience and client experience as efficient and precise as possible.
AI is also on their radar. At the firm's upcoming annual retreat, there will be a segment dedicated to AI to see how the firm can advance and use it in an ethical way, both to serve clients and make its attorneys' lives more efficient.
The duo also has a continued focus on diversity and has reenergized the diversity committee.
"Even though we have two middle-aged white guys as co-managing shareholders, we're really proud that we have significant representation of women on our board of directors," LaVine said. "We also have significant female leadership on our administrative management team. ... The only male on our administrative management team is our chief information officer."
Poulathas and LaVine also encouraged the firm to launch a women's advisory group, which includes women attorneys from various practice areas who can counsel and support women business owners and C-suite professionals, Flaster Greenberg said.
Flaster Greenberg is a full-service firm with offices in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida.
--Additional reporting by Emma Cueto and Andrea Keckley. Editing by Marygrace Anderson.
