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J.S. Held Acquires Clark Seif Clark, Strengthening West Coast Capabilities for Environmental Claims, Disputes, and Catastrophe Response
Read MorePublished: February 2024
The industries we serve have changed dramatically over the last 50 years, and J.S. Held has had to adapt every step of the way. It’s been a journey from small company to international firm, but pushing forward and innovating has, and still does, keep us growing and improving as an organization.
When I first joined J.S. Held, we had about 200 U.S. based employees, in addition to a few in Canada, and three different practice areas – whereas today, we have almost 1,900 contributors in about 15 different global jurisdictions, across more than a dozen practices. I love that no matter how much we grow, we continue to adapt to the clients we serve and the jurisdictions we operate in. Through our growth and partnerships, we have expanded into new geographies; provided expertise on some of the most crucial, high-profile events in recent history; and even consulted on world-changing matters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
These days, we work in some highly regulated environments and must be sensitive to the different dynamics that drive people and businesses. Legal, regulatory, compliance, and privacy requirements differ in several of the locations we serve. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies in the European Union and represents some of the strongest privacy and security laws in the world. Comparably, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) applies in California and gives consumers more control over the personal information that businesses collect about them. While conceptually similar, there are nuances in both that require different approaches to ensure compliance.
It is an exciting challenge to stay current, knowledgeable, and keenly aware of what is happening in the industries and geographies where we operate. We are also sensitive to different cultural norms and customs, and are conscious of how we message things to our clients and colleagues in one part of the world versus how we should approach the same topics in another area. Having respectful, direct, real-time, and transparent communications with our stakeholders is the gold standard, helping us to continue to bring diverse thought processes and different perspectives to the company. We encourage our teams to contribute at the highest levels, bringing innovative thoughts and viewpoints to complex problems.
The dynamics may have shifted over time, but every day brings new opportunities and we need to remain in a state of continuous improvement. Since we recognize that there are always chances for advancement, J.S. Held’s focus has long been – and will continue to be – the development of our people, so they remain challenged, engaged, and committed to our mission. When professionally minded and ambitious experts get together, take on challenges together, hone their expertise together, succeed together, and mentor up-and-coming experts, it produces a winning cycle for all.
It’s also been our goal to create an organization that makes its contributors feel safe and valued. That may sound simple though those terms mean different things to different people. That’s an environment that only a special place, a special group of people, and a special culture can make you feel, and the components that come together to produce that feeling are going to contribute substantially to our success going forward.
We will continue to change and evolve to respond to the world we operate in and the clients we serve, and our organization will support its greatest asset, its people, to help them develop and grow in the directions they want to grow at J.S. Held. There is no “one size fits all” approach, and we remain sensitive and committed to meeting the needs of our employees and our clients. I cherish our continued spirit of nimbleness and entrepreneurship across our firm, and look forward to what comes next.
View more stories about our journey from foundation to future and the entrepreneurial experts who continue to shape the trajectory of J.S. Held.
Monica Christopher, Chief Marketing Officer for J.S. Held, discusses how our company, Marketing Department, and the J.S. Held brand have transformed and the challenges we’ve navigated along the way. ...
Robbie Brannon and Max Flynn, Senior Executive Vice Presidents & Division Leaders for Financial Investigations at J.S. Held, discuss the formation and evolution of one of our newest, largest, and fastest growing business units....
David Held, Chief Strategy Officer at J.S. Held, discusses the growth of our firm and how expansions and new directions in business have shaped unique strategic approaches for establishing and broadening our position in the...