Darrick McDuffie, the recently announced office managing partner of Constangy’s Atlanta office, was profiled in a Q&A by Law360 Pulse discussing his new role.
“I would begin by saying I'm humbled and honored to serve in this new capacity,” McDuffie said in response to his goals as leader in Atlanta. “In terms of what I hope to accomplish in this role is really to continue the good work of our Atlanta office and our entire firm, to continue our culture of excellence and firm-first leadership that is the hallmark of our firm.”
He elaborated on Constangy’s culture in Atlanta and throughout its footprint, emphasizing collegiality, teamwork, client commitment and a devotion to providing top-notch legal services with a focus on client goals, efficiency and common sense. “We work hard to stay ahead of the trends in our practice areas, and we're always prepared to be creative in our legal advice and strategy as needed when working with our clients in these areas,” he said.
Asked about Atlanta’s competitive and active market for legal talent, McDuffie shared the importance of making it clear to lawyers and staff that leadership is here to provide the support to them to be as successful as they can be in their careers. He also discussed the firm’s and his personal approach to mentorship and retention, including mentoring programs for lateral attorneys to ensure they feel welcome and part of the firm culture, programs for associates to learn the “nuts and bolts of legal writing,” and a program to help attorneys develop their client development skills.
In terms of competition for clients in the market, McDuffie emphasized the importance of bringing ahigh level of service to the client as a team. “We don't simply take direction and execute on tasks. We partner with our clients in learning their business and learning what keeps them up at night,” McDuffie said. “We make sure that we're not only responding when they let us know that they have needs, but we're staying ahead of their needs by pointing out and directing them on trends that are on the horizon and letting them know that we are prepared to help them meet those challenges in the future.”
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