Lee Hoffman Discusses Shaping the Firm's Future Leaders with Law360
Pullman & Comley's chair Lee Hoffman was interviewed for a Law360 article, “Pullman & Comley Chair On Shaping Firm's Future Leaders,” where he reflects on his leadership priorities and the challenges of guiding a law firm in today’s unpredictable landscape. Nearly three years into his tenure, Lee has focused on developing future leaders and attorney mentorship, managing regulatory uncertainty and balancing his legal practice with firm leadership.
Lee discusses his commitment to fostering a culture where emerging leaders are trusted and given the opportunity to grow. He emphasized that Pullman values potential and performance over titles. “If you show an aptitude for a job and can do it, people want you to do that job,” he said. He also highlighted the importance of a range of perspectives. "You have to surround yourself with a really good leadership team, and you have to make sure that you've got diversity of thought and viewpoint. You need to involve the next generation of lawyers, much like the firm's leaders involved me. I had someone give me a piece of advice that really stuck with me over the years: Once you're older than 40, if you don't have a mentor that's under 35 you're missing out. You need to have somebody of a generation younger than you to let you know what's going on and where you're screwing up. I found that to be incredibly critical to me," he noted.
He continues, “The joy of this job is finding the next leaders of the firm and of the profession. I’m watching the next generation of lawyers at this firm, and I’m thrilled about where we’re headed." Lee credits earlier firm leaders for modeling this mindset and stressed that it’s now a guiding principle: “Just because you have a certain job title doesn’t mean that you're limited to just that. We really do try to train up the next generation of leadership."
Lee emphasizes that leadership during uncertain times, responding to shifting regulations and evolving market conditions—requires adaptability and collaboration. He advises leaders to rely on clear values when making decisions and emphasizes the importance of leaning on colleagues for support and guidance during tough situations.
To read the full article, please visit Law360 website.