Rob Morris Honored with ALM's 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
Pullman & Comley Tax attorney D. Robert Morris has been selected as ALM's 2025 Lifetime Achievement award winner, an honor that recognizes a legal professional who has made a lasting and significant impact on the New England legal community across any practice area or sector.
In a Q&A with ALM. Rob shared insights into the personal motivations and professional experiences that have shaped his distinguished 50-year legal career. “First, my father was a ‘country lawyer,’ with his office in a rural area of approximately 5,000 people. I saw how important the services he provided were to his clients, and how well respected he was in the community for doing that. Secondly, I wanted a career where I could work with individuals and have a direct impact on their lives, which certainly is the case in our practice.” Throughout the course of his career, Rob has worked with closely held corporations and individuals on structuring and implementing business transactions, sales and investments and counseling on succession, tax and estate planning - playing an integral role in helping clients achieve their business and personal goals.
In addition to his contributions as a tax and business attorney throughout his career, Rob has been a leader in the legal and business community, notably serving as chairman of Pullman & Comley from 1993 to 2013. When asked what qualities a lawyer should possess to become an successful and effective leader, Rob said "I learned that the most important thing for a leader is communicating with those who he or she leads. As they say, you can’t be a leader without followers. That takes a great deal of time, and particularly face time. However, having said that, one cannot manage by consensus. That results in obtaining the easiest, but rarely the best result. A leader must make what the leader believes is the best decision for the issue at hand, based on experience and all necessary input from those you lead, and then explain the “why” to those who disagree. To do this, a leader must walk the fine line between complete self-confidence and an awareness that input from others is needed."
Read the full article at www.Law.com.