Paul Fires, Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby

Paul Fires, Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby

Fires, co-chair of Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby's workers' compensation practice group and one of the co-founding partners of the firm, has taken it upon himself during his career to mentor every associate, no matter which office or area of practice they are in. While offering his time to give advice and feedback to associates, he also presents a yearly CLE titled “Creating Your Five Year Plan.” 

An associate from the firm's Harrisburg office said, “Paul not only teaches you about the practice of law, but also about the business and relationship aspects, which will enable you to become a great attorney.”

He has always been proactive to mentor the associates on building relationships within the firm for cross-marketing purposes, and outside of the firm with clients, judges and other attorneys. He is described as being ”approachable and a team player when it comes to sharing successes. He always looks at each opportunity from a team approach, not just his own perspective and what would benefit him. He always makes sure the team succeeds.”

Why is mentorship important in the legal profession?

When you mentor you teach and when you teach you learn. The ground game is always changing for even the most seasoned lawyers. Developing information and then synthesizing it to provide the best advice is key to all strong client relationships. On a fundamental level, clients expect meaningful succession strategies for their legal teams, making it unthinkable not to mentor younger lawyers. Mentorship must include training in analysis, communication, counseling, advocacy, branding and business management, to name a few important areas.

Ultimately, mentorship validates the achievements of the senior attorney and allows these achievements to be passed to the younger attorney in due course. For the younger attorney, mentorship empowers the individual to develop and flourish with a personal style of practice, and to reach still higher levels of success.

Who mentored you as you built your career?

My most influential mentor was our founding partner Peter Weber, who always mentored by example. Peter showed everyone how to become and remain an ethical advocate, with the ability to cut to the heart of an issue while sweeping away extraneous detail. It is also fair to say that I have had dozens of direct and indirect mentors consisting of senior partners, associates, staff, clients, co-counsel, opponents, people I liked and—without a doubt—people I did not care for. Individuals from every life experience display many styles and methods, allowing you to learn from those worthy of emulation while at the same time, teaching you all-important lessons of what not to do.

What's one piece of advice you would give to a young lawyer in today's rapidly changing profession?

Figure out the client's current and changing needs, and learn how to satisfy them.