Steven E. Cole

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Managing Partner, Adams Leclair LLP

Years in current role: 7 (16 as Partner)

What professional accomplishment have you been most proud of this year?

My colleagues and I successfully defended a preliminary injunction motion sought against a former mid-level manager of a large, publicly traded company who sought to leave and work for a competitor. Our firm successfully defeated the attempts for injunctive relief based on a non-compete agreement our client had signed. The court ruled that the non-compete was likely unenforceable as overbroad and denied the request for injunction. While I regularly represent employers and employees in disputes involving the enforceability of restrictive covenants, this case stood out because the defendant was a single mother who would have been severely impacted by an adverse ruling.

What do you think the biggest change in the legal industry will be over the next 3-5 years?

Clients should expect that law firms harness technology and artificial intelligence to promote efficiency and lower costs for many of the tasks performed by lawyers and other legal professionals and staff. The law firms that fully utilize these tools will have a great advantage in the quality and efficiency of representation. Those that don’t will have trouble competing either on quality or cost.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the end of next year?

Adams Leclair will be moving to new space in the Legacy Tower and significantly increasing our office footprint. We have added two new attorneys this year and have two more set to begin with us next year. I hope that we will be able to hire additional attorneys so that our practice will continue to grow, and permit us to develop additional legal talent. I believe that we offer great opportunities for attorney growth at Adams Leclair. I hope that we can keep the momentum going in 2024 through additional quality hiring and mentorship.

This profile is part of our Power 50 Law list for 2023. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at nydailyrecord.com.