Wilson Center Invites Alumnus Joey Smith ‘65 to Speak on Leadership
by: J.B. Potter ‘11
Alumnus Julius “Joey” Smith ‘65 spoke on his time at Williams Mullen law firm, which he helped
On Wednesday, March 24th, the Wilson Center sponsored a lecture by Julious “Joey” P. Smith, Jr. ’65, entitled “Building and Maintaining a Successful Law Firm.” As the title of the talk suggests, Mr. Smith spoke about his experiences in the field of law. For over forty years, he has worked at Williams Mullen, a Richmond-based law firm. During that time, Mr. Smith has helped turn Williams Mullen into third largest law firm in Richmond and in Virginia. He stepped aside as the CEO of the firm at the end of 2009.
Williams Mullen was founded in Richmond in 1909. In 1968, when Mr. Smith graduated from the University of Virginia’s School of Law and joined Williams Mullen, the firm had only fifteen lawyers. The firm’s growth stagnated until the early 1980s, when Mr. Smith became one of the firm’s managing partners. Under his leadership, Williams Mullen expanded dramatically. Today it boasts some 300 lawyers, and has offices in Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and London. Mr. Smith attributed this growth and success to several factors, factors which he discussed during his speech.
Mr. Smith emphasized that goods lawyers have specific character traits. “A good lawyer is driven and competitive,” he said, “and is successful at what he does.” In the context of Williams Mullen, Mr. Smith noted the importance of mergers with other law firms. Mergers made Williams Mullen more versatile through the acquisition of diverse and talented lawyers. However, in order to ensure any firm’s success, leaders in a law firm must put this newly acquired talent to good use. This means utilizing a solid business plan, having a clearly defined mission statement, and leading by example. “Leadership is not a spectator’s sport,” said Mr. Smith. As such, leaders in law firms must be people-oriented, and seek to forge relationships with employees and clients that are based on mutual respect and trust. In other words, managing partners of law firms must be, rather than act like, the boss, regardless of circumstances. For instance, in these difficult economic times, it is vital that law firms not lose sight of long-term goals. Indeed, such goals are conducive to success because they make managing partners focus on forming a cohesive unit, a solid group of lawyers that can work well together to achieve positive results. In this regard, optimism is one of the keys to a successful law firm.
Mr. Smith’s presentation underscored the importance of pragmatism. For lawyers, being pragmatic not only means remaining accountable, but humble and dedicated as well. As Mr. Smith said, “There is no substitute for hard work.”
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