DB in The Indiana Lawyer

I was recently interviewed for The Indiana Lawyer in regards to opening the new firm. They did a nice little piece that really captures the entrepreneurial essence of what we are doing, and I thought I would share it.

I enjoyed the interview process, and the article was well-written. Dave Stafford did a great job. I believe it’s theme confirms our notion that the legal industry is going through a tumultuous transition period. The world around us has changed, but many attorneys and firms fail to innovate and keep up with those they represent. It is hard to turn an old, wooden ship on a dime, and that is why we felt the need to form this firm, and why others are doing the same. Innovation happens in small labs, where turning on a dime is not such a painful undertaking.  Below is an excerpt from the article. You can catch the whole piece here.

Densborn Blachly LLP formed when former Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP partners Don Densborn and David Blachly joined with sole practitioner Jarod Brown to open an office on the north side of Indianapolis. Densborn said the practice will be positioned to serve small to mid-sized companies with business, real estate and financial transactions.

As the three talked for more than two years about the prospect of starting a firm, discretion was paramount, Densborn said. “We were circumspect about not talking to clients or employees about our intentions until we had permission to do so.

“Once we announced to the firm what our intentions were, it could not have gone better,” he said. “I have nothing but kind words for the way the transition was carried off.”

Densborn believes every client with an active matter followed Blachly and him to the new firm. Clay Barnes, CEO of Materials Processing Inc., said the choice was clear when he learned Densborn was forming his own firm. Materials Processing employs more than 450 people in plants in Indiana, Texas and Mexico, and has had a relationship with Densborn for 17 years.

“Taft is a fine law firm, but when it comes to who I want at point, it’s Don,” Barnes said, noting Densborn’s connections to niche attorneys at Taft and elsewhere when the need arises. “We get the best of both worlds, basically.”

Blachly and Densborn have worked together off and on since 1990, when Densborn hired Blachly at former Indianapolis law firm Johnson Smith LLP.

The new firm’s mission statement took just two drafts to write, Densborn said, and recalls some of the early Johnson Smith ethos. “The basic tenets of it, Dave Blachly and I have been talking about for more than 10 years,” he said. One of those tenets: “To provide a platform for talented lawyers, not just to ply their skills, but to self-actualize personally and professionally.” The goal is to attract talented lawyers, on their terms, to do the work they do best, Densborn said.

The firm settled on space with room to grow in the Parkwood office complex on East 96th Street.

“There’s a lot of talent out there,” Densborn said, noting the firm hopes to hire soon or find partnership arrangements.