Q&A with Cohen Seglias’ Three New Construction Partners
Daniel Fierstein, Kathleen Morley, and Jackson Nichols were recently promoted to the firm’s partnership. Our newsletter team sat down with them to discuss their practices.
Q: Tell us a little about your practice and the services that you provide to your clients.
Dan: I devote most of my practice to the firm’s construction industry clients. Often, that means getting involved at the end of the project life cycle—prosecuting and/or defending claims relating to contract balance, scope disputes, and delay/acceleration/labor inefficiency. I also help my clients at earlier stages of a construction project, including contract review and formation and day-to-day project management. That can mean helping clients send the right letters and notices during the project to get out in front of issues before they become problematic and boil over at the end.
Kathleen: I have represented contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and other industry members in construction-related disputes and litigation for over a decade. I counsel clients on all aspects of construction and contract law, and help them navigate day-to-day issues and ongoing projects. In addition, I have substantial experience prosecuting and defending major construction disputes and complex matters both in court and in alternative resolution forums.
Jackson: My practice is a mix of construction law and commercial litigation. For more than a decade, I have helped business owners navigate all of the challenges that come with being a successful company (and there are many). I like to think of my practice as problem-solving that sometimes requires litigation, although there are often other ways to resolve disputes such as mediation, alternative dispute resolution, or a strategic dialogue with other parties. For my contractor clients, I help them plan ahead for contract disputes or claims on projects, and I draw on my extensive experience in pursuing and defending mechanics’ liens, bond claims, or breach of contract lawsuits to achieve the best outcome for their company.
Q: How did you get started in your career, and what first drew you to Cohen Seglias?
Dan: If I’m being honest—now there’s a reassuring opener from a lawyer!—what first drew me to Cohen Seglias was that it had a “careers” link on its website and a point of contact for human resources (backstory: I began my third year of law school at the height of the Great Recession in 2008 when law firms across the country were cutting jobs, and I sent cover letters and resumes everywhere I could). It was the second and third things that hooked me once I got my foot in the door: the people and the culture.
Kathleen: I came to Cohen Seglias straight out of law school and was first drawn to the people. We have top-notch attorneys and staff who provide first-rate services to clients and are a pleasure to work with on a daily basis. The firm also has a very collegial, supportive, and entrepreneurial environment, which drew me to it and has kept me here over the years. In addition, my father worked in the construction industry for more than 40 years so I had natural ties and connections to the industry at the time I started my career.
Jackson: I was previously with a litigation firm that merged with Cohen Seglias and opened our current DC office. My DC colleagues and I instantly found a welcome home here, and we’ve enjoyed an unmatched level of collegiality, professionalism, and comradery since joining the firm (notwithstanding the occasional disagreement over the DC-Philly sports rivalry). There are great lawyers and professionals here and I have enjoyed getting to know them on a personal level as well.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your practice?
Dan: I most enjoy teaching my clients tools they can use to improve their next project. That tends to happen naturally through the dispute resolution process. In some ways, working through a construction dispute is a case study that presents an opportunity for our clients to learn about what worked well on a project and what could use improvement on the next one to minimize risk and maximize profit.
Kathleen: I most enjoy helping clients solve problems and better protect themselves and their businesses. I also enjoy tackling the unique challenges each case presents and coming up with strategies and solutions that are specifically tailored to an individual client’s particular needs and circumstances. Getting the opportunity to constantly push myself to further develop skills in a complex, sophisticated area of the law is something I find to be enjoyable and rewarding.
Jackson: I always enjoy meeting new people and learning about what motivates them—what brought them to the industry? How do they run their business? What challenges do they see on the horizon? Construction is a tough business, and companies have to be creative and resilient to survive. Learning about how my clients adapt to new challenges, and helping them overcome those challenges, is a daily source of inspiration to me and helps me to focus on their needs.
Q: What made you stay and grow here? What is it that you like about the firm?
Dan: Again, for me, it is all about the people and culture. From day one, I have been surrounded by lawyers and administrative staff who genuinely care about and support each other professionally and personally. That environment has made showing up, working hard, and working together all the more fulfilling. The culture has kept me here too. The firm is entrepreneurial at heart and supportive of associate growth; both of which have exposed me to top-quality mentorship and opportunities to learn and improve as a marketer of the firm’s services.
Kathleen: Mostly, it is my colleagues and the overall culture of the firm. I have grown tremendously as a lawyer since I started with the firm and I always have felt supported and encouraged. I have received invaluable mentorship and been provided with countless opportunities for growth and development from the time I was a first-year associate. Perhaps most of all, the firm is made up of great people who like and respect one another and who make the firm an exceptional place to work and a hard place to leave.
Jackson: I joined the firm in 2015 and I immediately found it to be a fantastic place to learn and grow as an attorney. The firm has a culture that is unreservedly passionate about getting great results for our clients, while also maintaining very high standards for our work. Younger attorneys find themselves set up to succeed because of the attention they are given by even the most senior attorneys at the firm. And more experienced attorneys are able to thrive in an environment that emphasizes growth and business development in addition to exceptional legal work.
