Lexington, KY - You might call Kennedy Helm and Ken Sagan a couple of "lifers." Helm, who is stepping down as chairman of the board at the Stites & Harbison law firm, has been practicing law there for 37 years - the entire length of his legal career. Sagan, who will succeed Helm as chair at the Lexington firm's annual meeting in January, has also practiced law only at Stites & Harbison and for 29 years.
"It's a great firm with great people to work with. It's a hard-working group but very collegial," said Sagan in a recent interview with Business Lexington. "Folks have a real sense of belonging to the firm. We have a lot of lawyers and staff who have been here a long time, and that's good."
Sagan is in the final stages of a 16-month transitional period, during which he worked closely with Helm to map the future of the firm, which is one of the largest in the region with 245 attorneys. A law firm consultant recommended it be done that way.
So Sagan has been getting up to speed, shadowing Helm, visiting the firm's eight offices in five states, getting to know key staff members and familiarizing himself with the issues and "what is going right and what could be improved upon," explained Sagan.
As managing partner, Sagan will travel regularly to all of the offices. The firm's management committee consists of six attorneys from various offices, and they meet monthly at a different office.
"What I think is unique is the large amount of interaction among offices. It's important for all of our attorneys to perform at a high level, but if they need help, they should have the confidence that they can go anywhere in the firm to get it," said Sagan, who expects the same high-quality work at either the home office or any branch office. "Part of our culture is to know each other and to interact regularly," he added.
Stites & Harbison traces its history to 1832 and is one of the oldest law firms in the nation. It is well known for three areas of the law. One is litigation, especially large and complex cases. Another is large, multi-state or multi-property transactional work, and a third involves regulatory matters, which include dealing with governmental agencies and taxes.
Stites & Harbison has more than doubled in size in the past 15 years. In addition to Lexington, the firm keeps offices in Frankfort and Louisville in Kentucky and in nearby Jeffersonville, Ind., as well as in Atlanta, Ga.; Nashville, Tenn.; Franklin, Tenn.; and Alexandria, Va. The goal is to add more.
"Yes, that continues to be our strategy. We're looking to grow. We've had some success as the result of our growth and new markets," said Sagan.
Sagan was asked how he expects to put his own stamp on the Stites & Harbison law firm and admits to having a "to do" list, which he is currently prioritizing.
"I suppose that as I work through that list, either I will put my stamp on the firm or not," he said with a chuckle. "What I hope to do is to come out in January and get started."
At various times over the past year and a half, members of the firm have asked Sagan what they can expect from him when he becomes chairman in January, and he answered in a rather forthright manner.
"Well, you'd better buckle up. You're going to get a lot of action," he said he told them.
Sagan was asked what he thinks makes a first-rate, large law practice. He claims it's about two things in particular.
"One is talent," he said. "We have had and still do have many prominent lawyers who are recognized as leaders in their fields. ... We need very bright, hard-working lawyers at all levels of our firm - the most senior and junior people. We like to hire the best and the brightest and then do our best to turn them into great lawyers."
Sagan said the second piece is client services. Clients should have high expectations that the firm will take their issues seriously and work hard at them.
"We will think very hard about what is in their best interests and deliver outstanding service," he said.
Due to the economy, said Sagan, clients are much more cost-conscious and concerned about the value they're getting. A lot of companies are not making the risk investment they would in a stronger economy. They may not be making any acquisitions now or at least not as many as they did in the past.
The law profession is and always has been quite competitive. There are tens of thousands of lawyers practicing in the United States, and the playing field will only get "flatter," Sagan said.
"We're competing with firms from other states and other countries," he said. "Like most businesses, there is a lot of change and upheaval right now. So everyone will be trying to figure out what the effect will be."