Bob Lawson joined BKD as the firm's first general counsel May 11. Lawson handles legal matters for the Springfield-based accounting firm, which now operates 32 offices in 12 states.
Q: What is your professional background?
A: I was in private practice for almost 25 years, and the last 15 of those, I practiced in Springfield. I concentrated my practice primarily in commercial and employment law, and I spent the bulk of my time in Springfield with what is now Husch Blackwell Sanders. In 2007, when (Greene County) Circuit Judge Miles Sweeney retired, Gov. Blunt appointed me circuit court judge, and I served in that capacity until Jan. 1, 2009. At that time, I engaged in discussions with BKD.
Q: How did you get connected with BKD?
A: When I was with Blackwell Sanders, we worked in the same building - Hammons Tower - so during the years, I got to know the folks who worked at BKD. When I became available for employment after Jan. 1, discussions started. BKD is a large corporation, and I think they had considered adding corporate counsel to their staff in the last few years. Then when I became available, that issue came back to the forefront. I think that with my background in corporate commercial matters and my judicial experience, they felt like I was, thankfully, a good fit for them.
Q: How does your past experience, specifically as a judge, help you in this job?
A: The biggest benefit of being a circuit judge was from the decision-making standpoint. As a judge you make decisions every day, so you build the ability over time to assimilate information, analyze facts and make a decision. It certainly improved my decision-making skills.
Q: What types of law does your new job cover?
A: I'm dealing with myriad issues from contract disputes to real property issues involving leases, personnel and employment issues. A lot of it is typical corporate risk-management issues - if a problem develops, I'll be brought in. I may not be the sole decision-maker, but I'm a resource. Those things are what I'm typically seeing at this time. They've never had general counsel before, so this is still an evolving position with BKD. I'm sure it will continue to evolve and broaden.
Q: Were you surprised the firm hadn't had general counsel in the past?
A: In a sense I was surprised. ... I know they've grown in the last couple of years, and they got to a stage in their history where, talking to other similar-size firms in the country, they feel like there would be a cost benefit to have someone in house, rather than outsourcing everything. Obviously, I'm not knowledgeable in all aspects of law, so I'll still utilize outside help to look at issues such as intellectual property, patent matters and trademarks. I'll coordinate and be involved, but I'll rely on outside counsel for that.
