Maddin on the Move – Q&A Series With Harvey Heller
With Maddin Hauser moving offices for the first time in 38 years, and on the cusp of the firm’s 100th anniversary, our attorneys reflect on our proud history, their professional journeys, and what the future holds for the firm and its clients.
Today, we chat with Harvey Heller, shareholder, who serves as managing director of the firm’s Executive Committee and chairman of our Defense and Insurance Coverage group.
Q: Tell me about your practice and how long you’ve been with Maddin Hauser. What attracted you to the firm, and what do you value or appreciate most about working at MH?
A: I joined the firm 46 years ago, in January 1978. At the time, I was the third attorney here, so I have had the opportunity to watch, participate in, and help lead the growth and development of the firm for almost half a century.
What attracted me to Maddin Hauser then is what still attracts talented lawyers to join us today. If you have an entrepreneurial mindset, if you want to develop a practice or add capabilities to the firm that will help us better serve our clients, you will receive unwavering support, encouragement, and the resources to make that happen. When I came here, the firm essentially handled business transactions. My practice focuses, as it did then, on professional liability defense, insurance coverage, and complex litigation. The firm understood the synergies that such work could offer our clients, and we have since become one of the premier practices in the state. That same dynamic has repeated itself over and over again, such that we now have 15 separate practice groups and a full suite of services we can provide business and individual clients.
Q: The firm launched an important initiative in 2023, The Maddin Hauser Way, which clearly defines everyone’s shared values and practices that are the foundation of the firm’s culture. Recognizing that all of them are vital, is there one that has more greatly influenced or impacted your practice?
A: I helped draft those, and each one speaks to a characteristic of the firm that is fundamental and deeply embedded in who we are, so asking me to pick one that means more than the others is like asking me to name my favorite child. That said, “Invest In Relationships” is really the defining feature of both how I practice law and how I try to live my life. The relationships we build with clients and colleagues, family and friends, those we work for, and those who work for us – these are the cornerstones of a fulfilling career and purposeful life. I am immensely grateful for the team we have assembled at Maddin Hauser, and I genuinely love working with them.
Q: The office move is coming up quickly. What aspect of this move are you most excited about?
A: What makes the new space special is that it is a product of everyone’s input; we wanted to incorporate all perspectives and priorities into the space. I believe it truly reflects our collective spirit. In fact, if there is one overarching theme to the new office, it is collegiality and togetherness. Instead of being spread out over three floors like we have been for the past 38 years, we will once again be all together on one floor. That means one breakroom where everyone, attorneys and staff, can gather and connect. It means more interactions in the hallways or knocks on office doors between people and practices that may have felt isolated or disconnected by being an elevator ride away. It means we have more opportunities to share thoughts and insights that can help each of us expand our skill sets and better serve our clients.
Even with the single floor, our new office provides us with plenty of room to grow and add more attorneys and practices. We designed it to be welcoming, not imposing, comfortable, but professional, and attractive but not ostentatious. When clients and other guests visit us, I think they will be greeted by a space that reflects who we are as a firm.
Q: Maddin Hauser will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. If you had a crystal ball, what would you see in the firm’s future?
A: I look at the firm’s evolution over the years as if it were concentric circles on the trunk of a tree. Each new ring builds upon and fits perfectly around the earlier ones, reflecting steady, deliberate, logical growth. In our case, that means adding attorneys and practices that represent a natural progression of our capabilities consistent with our brand, our values, and our desire to continually enhance our ability to serve our clients. That is the reason we are about to mark one century as a firm, and it is what I believe will drive us in the decades to come.