Dan Cotter is a member of Aronberg Goldgehn whose practice spans corporate transactions, governance, insurance regulation, privacy and cybersecurity. Over more than 30 years, he has worked in private practice and served as general counsel for a life insurance company. I spoke with him about building a practice across disciplines, earning a seat at the table when clients make decisions and staying curious as the law changes.
Your practice covers several areas that are often treated separately. What connects the work you do?
A client rarely comes in with a problem that fits neatly into one category. A company considering a transaction may also need to think about its governance, its regulatory obligations, its contracts and the information it holds. Those issues affect one another, and the advice is more useful when you can see the whole picture.
The common thread in my work is helping organizations make sound decisions and put structures in place that will hold up as the business changes. That takes legal knowledge, but it also takes time to understand how the organization actually operates.
You’ve worked both in private practice and as general counsel. How did the in-house experience change the way you advise clients?
In-house, you live with the decisions after the legal work is done. You see what it takes for people across a company to implement advice, manage a budget and keep the business moving. That experience made me more attentive to the practical consequences of what I recommend.
When a client calls, I want to understand the decision they need to make, the time they have to make it and who will be responsible for carrying it out. A technically correct answer is only useful if the client can act on it.
What does it take to build a lasting relationship with a business client?
You have to learn the business and keep learning it. The company’s priorities, people and risks will change. If you only pay attention when a matter lands on your desk, you miss the context that makes your advice valuable.
Trust also comes from being candid. Sometimes the most helpful thing I can do is explain where the uncertainty lies, what options are available and what each choice may mean. Clients need room to make informed decisions. They should know they can call me early, while there is still time to shape the outcome.
You advise companies on governance and organizational structure. What tends to get overlooked while a business is growing?
The arrangements that worked when a company was small do not always serve it well at the next stage. Decision-making authority may be unclear. Agreements may no longer reflect how the owners work together. A new product, market or acquisition can bring obligations the business has not had to address before.
It helps to revisit those foundations before there is a dispute or an urgent transaction. I like to ask clients where the business is headed and then look at whether its current structure will support that direction.
Privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are changing quickly. How do you help clients make decisions when the rules and technology keep moving?
I start with what the organization is doing today: what information it collects, who has access to it, which tools people are using and who is accountable for decisions. Broad policies have their place, but they need to connect to real operations.
Then we can identify the decisions that need attention now and set up a way to revisit them. No one can write a policy that anticipates every development. A company can, however, build habits of asking good questions, documenting choices and adjusting as it learns.
You also write, teach and take part in the legal profession beyond your client work. What does that add to your practice?
Writing or teaching forces me to work through an issue carefully enough to explain it to someone else. It also puts me in conversation with people who approach the same question from different perspectives. Both make me a better lawyer.
I’ve always been interested in the history and development of the law, not just the problems clients face right now. Making time for that broader view keeps the work engaging. It reminds me that learning is part of the job, however long you’ve been practicing.
What are you focused on building next?
I want to keep building a practice where clients can bring us complex questions early and get advice that accounts for the whole business. That means deepening relationships, working closely with colleagues whose experience complements mine and staying current as new risks emerge. I also want to keep contributing to the profession through writing, teaching and service. Those commitments take time, but they have shaped the lawyer I am. I expect they’ll continue to shape what I build next.
Learn more about Dan Cotter and his practice and connect with Dan on LinkedIn.
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