I definitely recommend reading a book titled “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman. I read this a few years ago, and it discusses the way we make decisions and offers insight into how we can better control our impulses so that we arrive at the best decision possible.
A highly sought-after litigator who consistently delivers outstanding results for his clients, Patrick Andrew Fleming has had a long and successful legal career. Patrick Andrew Fleming, Chicago attorney, is capable of providing a great deal of expertise in some of the most complicated of legal matters, including partnership disputes, commercial litigation, real estate litigation, government contract disputes, partnership disputes, arbitration and more. As a partner with Novack and Macey, Mr. Fleming has helped shape the firm’s reputation as one of the most aggressive and knowledgeable firms in the Chicago area.
With the efforts of Patrick Andrew Fleming, Novack and Macey has become one of the most respected firms in the area, owing in part to the reputation the firm has garnered for its sharp focus on litigation. This focus is intentional, as Novack and Macey has stated that it believes the best way to serve its clients is to offer services related solely to its strengths. Mr. Fleming, along with many of the other attorneys who are a part of Novack and Macey, is an aggressive litigator who understands how to achieve the best possible results for the clients he represents. Over the course of his incredibly successful career practicing law, Mr. Fleming has achieved multi-million dollar judgments for clients while also defending clients against similarly sizable claims.
Where did the idea for Novack and Macey come from?
Through Novack and Macey, we aim to provide specialized legal services that achieve the best possible outcome for our clients. We see a great deal of law firms that provide a vast array of legal services but cannot claim to be specialists in any one of the services they offer. We strive to ensure that when a client is in need of litigation, they can turn to us to get the results they are looking for.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
It varies day by day, as there are some days that I am needed in court and there are other days that I have consultations scheduled with clients. Any time that I am not meeting face-to-face with a client or representing a client in court, I am usually working on a specific case or preparing for an upcoming negotiation, hearing or trial. It is very challenging, but it is also very rewarding.
How do you bring ideas to life?
We meet with other attorneys in the firm on a regular basis to discuss the cases that we are working on with each other. This sort of collaboration happens frequently, as it is vital to listen to other perspectives and to understand the full range of legal options that may be available in a certain case.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
When we founded Novack and Macey, we did not see a lot of firms that were specifically focused on providing a certain type of legal service, but now other firms are beginning to follow our lead and are working solely on cases that are related to their area of expertise. Clients are going to be able to get better representation in this way.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I believe that thorough preparation is the best way to achieve success in any endeavor. I work very hard to ensure that I have done all that I can to prepare for the legal matters in which I am representing a client.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
I have always known that I wanted to work as an attorney, and the whole of my professional experience has always been related to the legal field. As a result, I have had a very enjoyable employment history and was more than adequately prepared to practice law when I became an attorney.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I am very happy with the way our practice has grown and the successes we have achieved for our clients, so there is not anything I would do differently.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I am in a near-constant state of analysis when it comes to working on legal matters. I am always considering all of the options we have available to us and working to ensure we have positioned our clients for success in litigation.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
All we have had to do is to provide the best representation possible. As our reputation has grown over the years, so too has the demand for our services. We simply focus solely on the results that we deliver for our clients, and the rest sorts itself out.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I am proud to say that I have not had to deal with failure as an entrepreneur, and through my commitment to preparation I do not believe this will ever be an issue in the future.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Our business has been successful because we only provide services in which we can truly claim to be experts. As an entrepreneur, I would advise others to pursue business opportunities in which their expertise can create separation from any competitors.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I surprised my daughter a few weekends ago and allowed her to choose whatever activities she wanted as long as she could successfully argue that they had some educational merit.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
We have one program that we had specifically developed for our firm that makes it incredibly simple to keep our cases organized.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I definitely recommend reading a book titled “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman. I read this a few years ago, and it discusses the way we make decisions and offers insight into how we can better control our impulses so that we arrive at the best decision possible.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
I have been following Lawrence Lessig a lot lately, and I really like his take on law and its influence on creativity. I do not always agree with what he has to say, but he does offer some very thoughtful insights.
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Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.