In the Media

McGlinchey’s New California Leader On ‘Team-Oriented’ Style

July 12, 2024

As someone who has played team sports for a long time, Michelle M. McCliman said she will be taking a “team-oriented” approach to her new role as head of McGlinchey Stafford PLLC’s sole office in the Golden State. The firm announced last month that McCliman had been appointed managing member of its Irvine, California, office. McCliman first joined McGlinchey in May 2023 after a year and a half with California firm Severson & Werson. During her nearly 30 years as a litigator, McCliman has spent time with a wide range of firms, including a period managing her own firm.

“I’m incredibly humbled and honored to be chosen,” McCliman told Law360 Pulse. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at McGlinchey and I’m happy that they thought enough of me to put me in this position.”

A graduate of the University of California, Davis School of Law, McCliman has a diverse litigation practice that includes working with individuals, homeowners’ associations, and business and corporate clients on HOA and landlord-tenant matters, toxic torts, personal injury cases, employment matters and intellectual property disputes, among others.

“Michelle’s management style and litigation acumen make her an excellent candidate to lead our California operations,” managing member Michael Ferachi said in a statement. “We look forward to expanding our offerings on the West Coast with her leadership.”

McCliman spoke with Law360 Pulse about her leadership experience and style, the future of the Irvine office, and McGlinchey’s emphasis on female leadership.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

How does your previous experience managing your own firm help you as you step into this new leadership role?

It really does help. When you’re running your own firm, you’re doing everything ranging from HR to administrative work, billing and trying to practice law, all at the same time. I think I have learned some of the skills to balance all of those responsibilities while still having a productive practice.

What’s your leadership style?

My leadership style is a team-oriented one. I’ve played team sports for a long time and as a result, I value teamwork and input from others. I probably have learned just as much from my colleagues as much as they’ve learned from me.

Your appointment as Irvine’s managing partner marks the 10th office in McGlinchey’s portfolio that’s led by a woman. What does seeing so many women in positions of leadership mean to you?

It’s really awesome. You hear a lot about people trying to be diverse and saying that they have equal opportunities for all kinds of people including women. Here at McGlinchey, they don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk. It’s been really wonderful. I felt welcomed from the start and I’m pleasantly amazed, surprised and happy that they value all people here.

What kind of impact has the firm’s flexible work policy had on its attorneys in California?

It really helps a lot of our attorneys. Many of them live 20, 30 minutes away from the office. If you’re commuting that amount of time every day, you’re losing that time that could be used to work on other obligations.

I just recently rescued a puppy and it’s hard to leave the puppy alone for long periods of time. It really helps that I can adjust my work schedule and work from home when I need to so that I can attend to things I might have to do at home while also getting my work done.

It also helps with talent recruitment because everyone is now used to hybrid policies and having the flexibility to work from home. We touch base with everybody, whether they’re at home or in the office.

What’s the strategic plan going forward for the Irvine office?

What I’d like to do is see if we can become more of a resource for clients of our other offices, letting them know that we have this wonderful office. Right now we do financial services work and litigation/trials work and we’d like to expand into other areas such as labor and employment and intellectual property.

We have a diverse range of really quality attorneys in this office and we can use them to keep growing it and making it a big part of the McGlinchey team.

What are you looking for when it comes to prospective new hires?

We’re looking for someone who will fit within our team and culture. Our litigation team has weekly meetings and sometimes one person might be swamped with multiple cases while another could have had all their cases go dormant. We reach out to each other and talk about what’s going on in our cases. There’s none of this “Oh, I’m too busy, I don’t want to help out and you’re on your own” kind of stuff.

We’re not in silos or left on our own. We’re here for each other, whether it’s in Irvine, Seattle, Baton Rouge or any of the other offices.

This article was published on Law360 Pulse on July 12, 2024, and is reprinted with permission.