Neal L. Slifkin

Partner. Harris Beach PLLC

Years in current role: 22

What has been your biggest success over the past year?

I handled a week-long arbitration of a commercial dispute for a new client and the result greatly exceeded the client’s expectations. The client was thrilled with the result.

What are your expectations for the rest of this year?

I hope that work and life continue to return to pre-pandemic norms. I am looking forward to in-person meetings, activities and social events. The pandemic changed the way we do business, and while some changes, such as video conferencing and video court appearances, are an improvement, I do miss participating in the full range of in-person activities that I previously attended.

What advice would you give someone starting an intellectual property practice right now?

I am a firm believer that intellectual property attorneys should be experienced in all aspects of intellectual property law. Some intellectual property attorneys choose to specialize, but I recommend that new IP attorneys gain broad experience in all types of IP work so that clients can turn to them for all of their IP needs.