Employee Spotlight 2023: Meet Managing Partner, Dan Powell
Continuing with our Employee Spotlight series, we sat down with managing partner Dan Powell to get to know him better and learn what Minc Law’s core values of professionalism, compassion and empathy, loyalty, and results look like in the context of his leadership at the firm.
Meet Dan: a Husband, Father, & Seasoned Litigator
Dan is a Cleveland native who boasts a stellar track record of victories as both a trial attorney and innovative online problem solver. He has practiced law for over 17 years, six of which have been with Minc Law. Dan understands that each client’s situation and each issue is unique and takes great pride in developing and implementing customized strategies to achieve their goals.
Outside of the firm, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, watching and attending sporting events with friends, and working on DIY, home-improvement projects. He is an active board member of a non-profit community-based youth soccer travel club and also volunteers with various youth sports programs in the Great Cleveland area.
What Minc Law Team Members Have to Say About Dan
“Dan is always there to hear out a strange or difficult lead and offer suggestions to the whole intake team hitting the ground with their feet running and handling each day with professionalism and loyalty.” – Darcy Buxton, Paralegal and Intake Manager
“Dan has shown loyalty, professionalism and empathy and results this quarter. He has been asked to step up even more as a leader in the firm and hasn’t shied away from this new responsibility. He has gone above and beyond to provide thoughtful mentorship on several occasions.” – Dorrian Horsey, Attorney
Get to Know Dan
How Did You Adjust Professionally During the Pandemic?
Adjusting to the virtual practice of law has been a challenge but resulted in a more efficient product being delivered to the client. Specifically, I think that the pandemic taught the practice that not everything needs to be face-to-face.
This is an evolution that has taken place during the course of my seventeen-plus year career in law, where I’ve been around long enough to remember when we received postcards in the mail for hearing dates. Everything used to be live and in person, and it took time out of your day to travel to the courthouse and wait for the judge to be available.
During the pandemic, as much as people hated feeling isolated and disconnected, it taught us different ways to connect – personally and professionally. Now, holding depositions via Zoom is probably just as common as holding them in person. Court hearings are held remotely. Even Zoom trials are becoming more commonplace. The switch to utilizing various technologies to connect has enabled us to focus, first and foremost, on providing exceptional services to the client while cutting down on services, travel, and tasks that aren’t as client-focused.
It reminds me of the late 2000s when we had one of the first Apple desktop computers and I hopped on a FaceTime call with my father and family in North Carolina. It felt, to some degree, that we had actually visited them. It was a feeling that you did not get over the phone. In our practice, meeting with clients and being able to look them in the eye is especially important and integral for providing comprehensive, compassionate, and effective legal representation.
What Else Would You Do For a Career If You Weren’t Pursuing Law?
I’m a big DIY guy so I at least like to imagine that I would be building or designing something. I really enjoy immersing myself in projects and like seeing the final product once I’m done.
My answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” would have been an architect. I wanted to design and build things but once I had a hard look at the nitty gritty of that and that it’s not all drawing pictures and actually involves a lot of math, I never pursued it further. However, I do enjoy building things and working on home improvement projects. I like to do as much of it as I can myself and I get a sense of relaxation when doing it.
When you have a job that is fast-paced and involves dealing with urgent and sensitive matters, the idea of being able to work on something that has a start and end, is very clear, and comes together into a final product, gives me a sense of stress release and helps slow me down.
What is the First Thing You Do Every Morning?
The unfortunate reality is that I wake up and I check my email pretty much almost before I’m out of bed. It is incredibly unhealthy and I wish I didn’t do it. There was a time in my career, before joining Minc Law, when I removed email from my phone so that I wouldn’t be tempted to do so.
With our practice, you are dealing with people in different time zones around the world who need to know right away if any issues arise with their internet-related matters, so you never know what you are going to wake up to with this job. You could have your whole day planned and then you wake up to find your case went in a different direction than anticipated, a client’s intimate content was posted to the internet, or an emergency consult is needed.
It can be difficult to plan your week because of it so I check my phone in the morning to be able to walk through the door and be ready to go. It is a desire to stay ahead of things and the fact that my mind turns on before I wake up, so I am already subconsciously thinking about the day ahead.
What is Your Personal Motto?
Control what you can control. And the one thing that you can always control is your own effort. This ties into when my son was young and playing travel soccer. They were the worst team in the club and didn’t have a coach, so I took on a role as their coach. I tried to figure out how to coach them and emphasized that there will always be someone stronger, faster, and bigger. This is something that will always be out of your control. But what you can control is the effort you put into it every day.
Focusing on what you can control translates everywhere into my role at Minc Law. A judge or jury may make things difficult or a case may present unfavorable facts or circumstances. But if you put in your maximum effort then you won’t have regrets – as long as you give it your best.
What 3 Words Would You Use to Describe Yourself?
Direct, genuine, and protective. You tend to know where you stand with me. I am all of those traits to a fault.
What Motivates You to Excel at Your Job?
When I’m at work I stay motivated by the ability to obtain results that will have a material effect and change people’s lives for the better. I’m motivated because I want to be respected within my profession, respected by my colleagues, and appreciated by my clients.
I take on a heavy burden and a lot of responsibility when I take on a case, especially in our niche of law. It’s my job to take this burden and those problems off a client’s back and deal with the problem for them.
I also hate to fail or lose and have a strong competitive drive. At the end of the day, I want to be able to deliver good news to my client.
Schedule Your Defamation or Sextortion Consult With Dan Today
If you or your business is the target of an online attack such as internet defamation or sextortion, reach out to schedule your initial, no-obligation consultation with Dan by calling (216) 373-7706, speaking with a Chat representative, or filling out our online contact form.
If you are the target of sextortion and in need of consult now, we offer paid, emergency consults for $500 with one of our dedicated sextortion attorneys.
★★★★★
“Obtaining this legal representation saved our business. Minc Law represented and defended us against defamation so our customers didn’t have to. Minc Law gave us a voice and Daniel Powell made sure we were heard and considered in each part of the process. He also provided practical advice that helped us avoid a snowball effect, and added a human element while dealing with social media organizations.”JH
April 12, 2022
If you would like to join us on our journey to protect and restore 15,000 reputations by 2035, please make sure to head over to our Careers Center to explore open positions, understand the application and interviewing process, and learn more about our firm culture.
