Top Lawyers: Abraham Cohn On The 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law
An Interview With Chere Estrin
Be Honest. It would be cliché to invoke the adage of it requiring a lifetime to build a reputation but only a moment to destroy it, but it is important nevertheless to remember this principle. Lawyers have unfortunately developed a bad reputation (perhaps with some justification), but clients, in the end, go with the lawyer that they can trust. Always ask yourself, am I being honest? Fair? Moral? If you do not believe you are acting with integrity, your clients will not either and your reputation (and your career with it), will tank.
The legal field is known to be extremely competitive. Lawyers are often smart, ambitious, and highly educated. That being said, what does it take to stand out and become a “Top Lawyer” in your specific field of law? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law”, we are talking to top lawyers who share what it takes to excel and stand out in your industry.
As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Abraham Cohn.
Abraham Cohn is managing partner of Cohn legal, PLLC, a boutique IP Law Firm. Mr. Cohn’s principal areas of concentration include intellectual property protection, trademark disputes, licensing, counseling involving brands, designs, technology, web, content and persona rights, and strategic commercial transactions including manufacture, supply, distribution, logistics and services agreements.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. What is the “backstory” that brought you to this particular career path in Law? Did you want to be an attorney “when you grew up”?
It seems silly to admit this on paper, but I grew up reading and in love with John Grisham novels and have always wanted to be a lawyer. What is fascinating about the Law is that it requires not only an understanding of the text, but also a pragmatic and people-oriented strategic perspective on how the Law affects individuals and businesses in real life. Being a lawyer means being an advisor and trusted counselor.
Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?
Predominantly, I am an Intellectual Property attorney specializing in trademark and copyright law. Specifically, I work with individuals and business owners in protecting their existing names/logos/slogans and for newly emerging startups and entrepreneurs, I help my clients properly conceptualize and develop new IP so that it is protectable and (hopefully) valuable. I also have a large Internet-Practice where we focus on Digital Millennial Copyright Act (DMCA ) takedowns, enabling individuals to report and takedown infringing material on Youtube, Amazon, Alibaba etc.
You are a successful attorney. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? What unique qualities do you have that others may not? Can you please share a story or example for each?
This is a challenging question but if I had to select three traits, they must include:
- Optimism
- Perseverance
- Discipline
I frankly believe these qualities to be important in any business (and certainly for any business owner) but lawyers in particular must master these traits to be successful. I am not sure if I have any unique qualities that other lawyers do not but I do possess a deep understanding of the importance of these qualities and the imperative of deploying them to achieve success. Rather than citing one story for each trait, consider the immense amount of work involved in onboarding a new client that does not already understand the law and explaining to them how a complex set of rules applies to their circumstances.
The lawyer must first work hard and patiently to gain access to this potential client (whether through direct or referral marketing), then communicate to the client why the lawyer would be a good fit, and then have the discipline to onboard the client and perform the legal work excellently so the client achieves the outcome he/she desires and feels confident in recommending the lawyer to friends and colleagues. If the lawyer does this correctly, this process will feel like natural and seamless but in reality, a tremendous amount of thought and effort must go into making this a success.
Do you think you have had luck in your success? Can you explain what you mean?
I am not so sure that “luck” is quite the right word in as much as I believe that success is an inevitability, after enough attempts are made. So, a “random” success might very well appear to be a matter of luck but in reality, I think it is simply the case that enough effort has been exerted (even in a superficially indirect manner) to have caused the fortuitus outcome.
Do you think where you went to school has any bearing on your success? How important is it for a lawyer to go to a top-tier school?
Well, perhaps. Depending on the type of law the prospective lawyer would like to pursue and whether he intends on working for a large or small firm, the law school he attends may certainly play a large role in his career path. If the student wishes to work in Big-Law, it really is important to attend as prestigious of a law school as possible to maximize the chances of working at the larger firms which only accept students from top law schools. I attended Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School which is quite a good school (although not an Ivy league school) because of its focus on intellectual property law. If the student does not desire to work at a Big-Law firm, I would advise going to a less “impressive” law school which offers scholarship opportunities.
Based on the lessons you have learned from your experience, if you could go back in time and speak to your twenty-year-old self, what would you say? Would you do anything differently?
Looking back, I would push my younger self to develop language skills in Mandarin. This is an incredibly important language and one which I think will be increasingly important for lawyers to speak as globalization moves forward.
This is not easy work. What is your primary motivation and drive behind the work that you do?
Lawyers must love what they do; otherwise, the work will feel burdensome and challenging to get through. I personally enjoy working through complex problems and feel privileged to help businesses grow and surmount legal obstacles.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Undoubtedly, Crypto and NFT based projects are tremendously interesting and some of my favorite accounts. NFTs in particular represent groundbreaking law and poses unique and novel questions to basic tenants of intellectual property.
Where do you go from here? Where do you aim to be in the next chapter of your career?
My goal is to continue to build our law firm and onboard new clients with innovative ideas and business models. I take great pleasure in working with clients who are inspired by their ideas and passions, and I really consider myself lucky to be working with these cutting-edge companies.
Without sharing anything confidential, can you please share your most successful “war story”? Can you share the funniest?
This is an excellent topic. Very often, legal battles are won before they ever make it to the courtroom and thus, bluffing, as a strategy plays a critical role in the outcome of a dispute. A client of mine with a legitimate right to a trademark was opposed in the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) by a large corporation. Clearly, the purpose of the opposition was to bully my client into submission. After quite a few months and many hours of negotiation where we communicated (perhaps with a bit of exaggeration) my client’s ability to muster the resources to sustain a long and bloody lawsuit, the corporation finally withdrew their opposition proceeding. This was a tremendous victory and allowed my client to keep its trademark. I can’t say there are too many humorous stories to share although a client once offered to pay us in marijuana to which we politely decline.
Ok, fantastic. Let’s now shift to discussing some advice for aspiring lawyers. Do you work remotely? Onsite? Or Hybrid? What do you think will be the future of how law offices operate? What do you prefer? Can you please explain what you mean?
Aspiring lawyers must understand that the legal industry is shifting from in person to digital engagement. While a few of our clients still prefer to come into our physical office for consultations/meetings, by and large, our practice has become digital and nearly all meetings now take place over zoom. Personally, I rather enjoy the flexibility which is afforded to digital practices although it is of course still nice to have a physical office to go to every day.
How has the legal world changed since COVID? How do you think it might change in the near future? Can you explain what you mean?
Covid has changed everything. Undoubtedly, the most important change our practice has experienced is the degree to which meetings and even litigious exchanges (like Depositions) are now digital. People have simply decided, irrespective to the current low-risk profile of Covid, to work digitally. I think this trend will only increase and more and more, the business of “being a lawyer” will move to the internet.
We often hear about the importance of networking and getting referrals. Is this still true today? Has the nature of networking changed or has its importance changed? Can you explain what you mean?
Networking, certainly to generate referrals, is just as important as ever (although not necessarily in-person networking). People want to work with colleagues and friends that they feel comfortable with, and a referral is the best way to bridge the gap between stranger and trusted advisor. Ultimately, networking makes the job of obtaining new clients easier and should not be ignored as an important business development strategy.
Based on your experience, how can attorneys effectively leverage social media to build their practice?
Social media is critical for any aspiring lawyer looking to build a digital business. It is important for lawyers to take advantage of large social media platforms, namely, Instagram, to get their message out. Our law firm’s Instagram account has roughly 10k followers and while this is not an astronomical number relative to other accounts, it is quite large for the legal industry. Lawyers must do whatever they can to connect with prospective clients and communicate their expertise.
Excellent. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law?” Please share a story or an example for each.
1. Care about your Clients. It’s easy to take for granted that your client has selected you to represent him. Don’t. Your client has placed his trust in you and it is your moral imperative to do your absolute best in whatever you have been hired to do. Of course, you can only do your absolute best if you really do care about your client. At Cohn legal, PLLC, we regularly speak to and strategize with our clients. Our law firm takes great pride in our ability to meet our clients’ needs and we work hard to provide our clients with an experience that matches their expectations. We continuously check in with our clients and ask what’s on their mind. What are they worried about? What makes them excited? What are their goals for the next 3 months, 6 months, 12 months etc. By understanding our clients, we are better equipped to serve them.
2. Work Smarter and Harder. There seems to be an emerging misconception in certain circles that one should aspire to “work smarter, nor harder”. I am deeply skeptical of this directive and would instead encourage lawyers to work smarter and harder. There are no shortcuts and lawyers must put in the work to be successful. Legal work is hard enough without having to worry about the business consideration of developing a thriving practice and one should not delude oneself into thinking that a 4-hour workweek will suffice.
3. Be Proactive. This is important in terms of one’s legal work and in regards to building a book of business. Momentum unfortunately works against, rather than in favor of the lawyer, and it is therefore incumbent upon each attorney to “make it happen.” This means always taking a proactive stance in all legal and business matters. We constantly think about how to get our name out there and make a lasting impression on both existing and prospective clients.
4. Stay Educated. The legal industry is dynamic and in constant flux and what you learned in law school may not apply today. Our firm strives to stay current with emerging legal trends and in our understanding of how new technological changes interplay with old legal frameworks. Clients want you to understand their unique situation and this will certainly require continuous education.
5. Be Honest. It would be cliché to invoke the adage of it requiring a lifetime to build a reputation but only a moment to destroy it, but it is important nevertheless to remember this principle. Lawyers have unfortunately developed a bad reputation (perhaps with some justification), but clients, in the end, go with the lawyer that they can trust. Always ask yourself, am I being honest? Fair? Moral? If you do not believe you are acting with integrity, your clients will not either and your reputation (and your career with it), will tank.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this. :-)
This one is easy ☺. I am deeply inspired by Elon Musk and his ambitious and virtue-infused push to reform what he considers to be a social media platoform gone astray. I would love to learn about what drives him and his mindset for success.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!
