Editor’s note
This article is brought to you by Kean Miller.
When a small group of Baton Rouge lawyers decided to start their own law practice in 1983, they had many goals in mind. They wanted to serve customers to the best of their ability, but knew that to do so they needed to create an environment that was collaborative, inclusive, respectful and team-oriented.
As it celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, those values still drive Kean Miller. What began as a Baton Rouge law firm with one office and a dozen attorneys has grown into one of the largest in the region, with 190 attorneys in eight offices across Louisiana and Texas. It has also used a smart growth plan to expand its areas of operation into offshore energy, taxation, trade disputes, renewable energy and carbon sequestration, privacy and security, bankruptcy and settlement, labor and employment, and more.
“The law firm has always focused on the relationship between lawyers, employees and clients. We have not been directed or directed by strong personalities who insist on doing things their way,” said Blane Clark, a partner in Kean Miller’s Baton Rouge office who joined the firm in 1984. “We were always lucky that our partners took an organizational view with them. You are not there for yourself. They want to serve their customers and make Kean Miller better.”
Many attorneys and other employees have worked at Kean Miller for years because of the supportive atmosphere. Chauvin Kean, a partner in Kean Miller’s New Orleans office whose grandfather co-founded the company, said the company always looks for people who are willing to make long-term commitments to the organization, its customers, and people during hiring and interviews her colleagues.
“We’re always looking for longevity rather than a quick fix,” Kean said. “We are not looking for someone who can only do the work tomorrow. We want them to do the work here in 10, 15 or 30 years. We spend most of our time here in the office with people, so it’s so important that we like and respect each other.”
Kean Miller’s founding partners included Charles McCowan, Jr., Ben Miller, Jr., Robert Hawthorne, Jr., and William D’Armond.
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Kean Miller’s growth over the past four decades has occurred with a strong emphasis on diversity. Linda Perez Clark, the firm’s managing partner, said that for most prospective attorney hires, at least 30% of all job applicants must be from diverse backgrounds for the firm to retain its Mansfield certification, an honor bestowed upon a select group of law firms in the United States across the country that demonstrate a genuine commitment to diversity in the legal profession. Additionally, 45% of Kean Miller’s attorneys are women, making the firm an industry leader in ensuring they have an equal opportunity to succeed in the legal arena.
“Diversity is something you have to constantly and consciously work towards,” said Perez Clark. “It can’t be ambitious. When you say you welcome and desire diversity, you need to work toward that as well. You need to take steps to make it easier. Fortunately, this is part of the structure of our company.”
One of those steps is the Kean Miller Connection, a program where college students from all backgrounds spend a day at the firm to learn about the job responsibilities of a lawyer and how they should prepare if they want to work in the legal profession . Perez Clark said the program was imbued with the message that the profession is open to all.
Participants in the 2022 Kean Miller Connection program included the law firms of Victor Suane, Jr., Melissa Hemmans, Angela Adolph, Jessica Engler, Bryant Bremer, Tammy Scelfo, Erin Lutkewitte Kilgore, Michael deBarros, Pam Mascari, and Linda Perez Clark.
Photo provided
“Kean Miller has always been progressive and entrepreneurial, and I think people see that when they work with us,” said Perez Clark. “I think that has contributed a lot to the success of the company. It starts at the senior level by also setting the tone for an inclusive work environment that recognizes the contributions of everyone, from attorneys and support staff to office service center staff, paralegals, paralegals and others, who together provide infinite value to clients. There is no doubt that our success rests on the contributions of everyone.”
Clark said that when he reflects on the company’s success, what he’s most proud of is how many of their customers have grown as well. Many corporate clients started out as small businesses that expanded and became national corporations. Kean Miller has also been heavily involved in many of the industrial plants, refineries, LNG plants and pipelines that have opened in Louisiana over the past 40 years, all of which have played a role in the state’s economic development.
“We have honed our own skills over 40 years and I am truly proud that we never rest on our laurels and always look for ways to meet all of a client’s legal needs,” said Clark. “We’re still processing small transactions, but now we can also process billion-dollar transactions in multiple states. It’s a different level of sophistication today than it was 40 years ago. We always push ourselves. Now that we have multiple offices in multiple states, we have even more expertise among the attorneys because we have talent in multiple locations.”
As Kean Miller executives look to the next 40 years and beyond, they will continue to use an existing intelligent growth plan to ensure that as the company expands its staff and services, it does so in a purposeful and purposeful manner, while it takes customers.
“I think you’ll see that the firm remains willing to make changes and be flexible,” Clark said. “I want us to continue to be a great place to work for attorneys and staff. The practice of law is a demanding career, which is why being in a supportive environment with professional management is so important. This is fundamental to us and I think it will continue to help us do great things in the future.”
A Louisiana native, Perez Clark said one of her greatest hopes is that Kean Miller continues to work on projects that help improve the region through business growth.
“When I think about the future, I can’t help but think about Louisiana and Texas at the same time because we’ve kept pace with the industrial growth of the region,” she said. “My hope and vision is that the work we do for clients will continue to strengthen the region’s economy.”
In his office, Kean keeps a memento that once belonged to his grandfather – a plaque made of wooden children’s block letters that read “Kean’s Kindergarten”. His grandfather’s peers gave it to him as a joke as he was much older than his other partners when they opened Kean Miller. Four decades later, it serves as a reminder of the values and philosophies that must be upheld every day.
“I think he would be surprised by the amount of technology we’re using,” Kean said. “He would say that the phones have too many buttons. But I also think he would be very proud of what everyone has achieved.”
Kean Miller has Louisiana offices in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, New Orleans and Shreveport, and Texas offices in Houston and The Woodlands. Visit www.keanmiller.com for more information. LA-23-14791
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