Zen & The Art of Legal Networking : Lawyers & Attorneys in an International Legal Network for Relationships & Referrals

Welcome to ILN-terviews, a series of profiles of ILN member firm attorneys, designed to give a unique insight into the lawyers who make up our Network.

For our latest interview, we chose ILN member, Jeff Shapiro of Arnstein & Lehr in Miami, Florida.

In one sentence, how would you describe your practice?
Multifaceted, with court litigation and arbitration involving diverse areas encompassing commercial disputes, IP and product liability with a focus on medical device and drugs.

Who would be your typical client?
Largely institutional, ranging in size from local companies to Fortune 100.

What would you like clients and potential clients to know about you?
The pursuit of excellence, responsiveness, with a mindset to think outside of the box in conjunction with the control of litigation expenses.

What has been your most challenging case? Why?
Impossible to pick one.

What has been your proudest moment as a lawyer?
There have been many, but if I had to choose one, it would have been a product liability case that was tried, and after my cross examination of the opposing expert was completed, the other side essentially "gave up." Why? Because it happens too rarely.

What do you do when you're not practicing law?
Family time and sports.

What would surprise people most about you?
That I'm not nearly as "conservative" as I sometimes seem, including a long history of playing the drums in a rock 'n roll band.

What has been your most memorable ILN experience?
The ongoing interaction with friends and colleagues from the ILN is what sets it apart.

What career would you have chosen if you weren't a lawyer?
Educator, sports coach.

If a movie were made out of your life, who would you want to play you?
Meryl Streep, she can play any role.  If not her, Clark Gable.

How would you like to be remembered?
Loving husband and father.

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Welcome to ILN-terviews, a series of profiles of ILN member firm attorneys, designed to give a unique insight into the lawyers who make up our Network.
For our latest interview, we chose ILN member, Johan Vanden Eynde of Vanden Eynde - Legal in Brussels, Belgium

In one sentence, how would you describe your practice?
That we are a group of lawyers who are proud to assist you when we take your case.

Who would be your typical client?
Essentially, we are acting for private (SME and larger companies) and public (ministries and public commercial companies) clients in the fields of business litigation and consultancy.  We also act for clients in administrative law, such as urban planning, public procurement and competition law. 

What would you like clients and potential clients to know about you?
That we take interest and care in their cases and that we will stand with them through difficulties.  Also, that their case is our challenge. 

What has been your most challenging case? Why?
Some years ago, we assisted a company in a very difficult situation with several procedures before the civil and administrative courts.  There were very important contestations in several fields of law.  Financially, it was a huge business contract for the client.  The firm stood with them during all of the processes, losing four cases in the first instance, but winning on appeal.  You can feel the trust that you build up and the tenacity needed in this profession. 

What has been your proudest moment as a lawyer?
Certainly when I won my first case before the Commission of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

What do you do when you're not practicing law?
Taking care of my family, trying to fish, reading the philosophers and writing articles and books about law!

What would surprise people most about you?
I don't know. Probably a lot of things of the common life, like cooking or doing sport.

What has been your most memorable ILN experience?
The repeated warm welcome at each meeting. 

What career would you have chosen if you weren't a lawyer?
Astronomer.
If a movie were made out of your life, who would you want to play you?
Somebody like Cary Grant.

How would you like to be remembered?
Will there be a remembering?

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Welcome to ILN-terviews, a series of profiles of ILN member firm attorneys, designed to give a unique insight into the lawyers who make up our Network.

For our latest interview, we chose ILN member, Bruce Feuchter of Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth in Newport Beach, California.

In one sentence, how would you describe your practice?
A flourishing emerging growth corporate securities practice, consisting of start-up to public companies, both medical device and technology companies.

Who would be your typical client?
Venture Capital-backed medical device companies with exciting technologies.

What would you like clients and potential clients to know about you?
I know their market, I understand their needs, and how to solve their problems.  I enjoy working with entrepreneurs.

What has been your most challenging case? Why?
The most challenging transaction that I have ever been the lead attorney for was the acquisition of an aerospace company back in 1991.  The company was into many defense programs, some of which were highly classified. Since they were classified, we could do no due diligence on those programs or even know about them.  An example of such a program was the exhaust system for the Stealth Fighter. The transaction required a layer of venture capital for equity, and three different levels of debt with four different lenders.  It was undertaken during the time of the great downsizing of the aerospace industry in Southern California.  Eleven years later, the business was sold, again a difficult transaction.  The result for the owners was a good return, not a great return. 

What has been your proudest moment as a lawyer?
On January 1, 1985, I became a shareholder in my law firm and on January 21, 1985, I became a father for the first time. What a change in life that time was.

What do you do when you're not practicing law?
I am only now learning golf, the children are now gone.  I ski a little each year, and I seem to go to a great number of charitable events.

What would surprise people most about you?
That after 30 years in Southern California, my passion is still skiing, not surfing.  I do not do it often, but a little snow cat skiing or a little helicopter skiing can make my year.

What has been your most memorable ILN experience?
I travel and visit members of the ILN in different places in the world; getting to know them fills me with wonder, finding how similar we are and how much we think alike on a number of topics.

What career would you have chosen if you weren't a lawyer?
A CEO of an energy efficiency company or an alternate energy company.
If a movie were made out of your life, who would you want to play you?
No idea today. Thirty years ago, I would have said Robert Redford and recently, I would have said Harrison Ford.

How would you like to be remembered?
As a person who was interested in so many different things. I like to think of myself as an interested and trusted advisor to many entrepreneurs.

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