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Meet Our Senior Partner Irwin R. Gilbert

I had actually started off life intending to be an engineer. An engineer, his view of the universe is somewhat different. It tends to be analytical and methodical, logical and rational. My plans had to change, and so I chose law. And I brought those skills and that approach. And here’s how it works.

As a lawyer, we’re presented with a problem. And my favorite is when everyone says, there’s nothing that can be done, it’s hopeless. Those are the ones I want. We take those apart, like an engineer would take something apart. And we keep looking at the parts and turn them upside down or inside out, or whatever has to be done in order to figure out a solution to the problem. And we find that solution. That’s what engineers do. I’m a trial lawyer.

My favorite thing for me, maybe the second favorite thing in the world, is to stand up in a courtroom and in that opportunity, my favorite is trying cases in front of juries. You have to be able to explain things in a way that makes sense. Where people from different walks of life who’ve never met you before, don’t know whether they should trust you or just like you and have no idea of the laws that might apply to the case. You have to be able to explain it to them. That’s the art of persuasion. That’s what gives me the greatest pleasure.

Conrad Scherer is a remarkable firm with a 45-year history. Their accomplishments have been extraordinary. But what’s most appealing to me? I like difficult, complicated cases, challenging cases where we have an opportunity to achieve remarkable things. Conrad Scherer is the place to do that. People ask me why at this stage of my career, after practicing law for 41 years, why would I join a new firm? And the answer is, I’d walk miles for the opportunity to work with Bill Scherer. He’s fearless. Fearlessness is not a common quality that you find in people, not even lawyers. When Bill is confronted with a challenge, but an opportunity to do the right thing. He’s fearless in pursuing it.