Coburn & Greenbaum PLLC

THE ART OF ADVOCACY
We are advocates. We are trial lawyers and we do not apologize for this phrase. The art we practice is an integral part of the process of dispute resolution in the United States, and we are devoted to it. A number of us teach advocacy to law students and fellow lawyers in a variety of contexts. The study and practice of advocacy presents the diligent, interested lawyer with a learning curve that is always rising. We seek continual improvement of our skills, seeking always to avoid that most deadly sin of the trial lawyer: arrogance.

OUR APPROACH TO EACH OTHER
We are committed to maintaining a humanistic, mutually supportive interpersonal environment for all of our human capital, not just our lawyers. We strive to treat each other with respect, patience and warmth. We value one another's opinions and strive for internal consensus. We value all forms of diversity - including diversity of background and diversity of viewpoint - since diverse perspectives are conducive to good decisionmaking. We do not have an institutional political orientation. Every person at this firm has value, and we work hard to make sure they feel valued. We structure ourselves internally in a manner that sends this message in an unambiguous way. We discourage hierarchical thinking. We do not reward a "kiss up, kick down" methodology of interacting with colleagues. We do not encourage or reward "face time" in the office. We work hard because it is a necessity that we do so, and, frankly, because it is deeply rewarding. Our work environment is informal and unpretentious. People work better when they are comfortable and when they feel that their own characteristics and preferences are met with acceptance rather than rigid judgment. We encourage part-time, flex-time, work-at-home and other alternative work arrangements that enrich personal lives, work lives and improve service to clients. We do not adhere to a traditional partner-associate dichotomy. We encourage, facilitate and promote a wide spectrum of pro bono activity, and do not impose sub rosa penalties, financial or otherwise, upon colleagues who engage in it.