News + Events
San Diego managing partner on the continued importance of personal contact
The Daily Transcript
May 6, 2010
San Diego managing partner Mike Whitton was profiled by San Diego’s The Daily Transcript in a May 6 article titled “Real estate lawyer notes continued importance of personal contact.”
From May 3-7, the paper highlighted Law Week with a weeklong series honoring the business of law. Coverage included attorney profiles, such as Whitton’s, Q&As with San Diego legal experts, and stories on important issues like patent reform, bankruptcy, employment law and corporate litigation.
According to Whitton’s article, the biggest shift he has seen in the legal industry over the past several years doesn’t involve legislation or litigation, but rather technology. “There’s a 3-to-1 ratio of secretaries, instantaneous email, and everything is a lot quicker,” he said. “As a result, clients expect things quicker, which brings benefits and negatives. It’s a benefit to get resolution, but the next generation practicing needs to remember that it’s still a service business.”
“I try to instill in my associates: pick up the phone, have a meeting with a client,” Whitton continued. “You can’t always answer questions by e-mail, especially giving legal advice. If you pick up the phone, you realize the question they’re asking in the e-mail isn’t actually it; if you drill down, you find they may have a very different question.”
Whitton also stated in the article that he enjoys the constantly evolving nature of law. “One of the things that interest me is how dynamic law is and that it’s always changing,” he said. “I’m always learning something new and different and getting outside my comfort zone.”