John Tishler
Consultant
Meet John Tishler
John Tishler has had a career spanning more than thirty years working in private practice representing companies encountering financial distress, either as debtor or creditor. He also served his law firm on its board of directors, compensation committee and ultimately as chairman of the law firm, directing its strategy and interacting with key clients of the firm. John has now retired from the day-to-day practice of law, but still enjoys mentoring lawyers on how to get work, or how to improve their business development skills that they already have. He also can give advice about law firm advancement and compensation processes.
What excites you about working with lawyers and law firms?
It’s personally gratifying to watch lawyers who were unsure whether they could develop business become more and more confident of their abilities while simultaneously growing their careers and practices to heights they could not have imagined before.
What advice would you give to an associate who’s about to make partner?
It’s imperative to start cultivating relationships–from college, law school, your place of worship, prior work experiences, family friends–and turning those “friend” contacts into business contacts. Start setting aside at least 30 minutes a week to start thinking about people who might be starting points for work.
Give an example of someone whose career path you changed.
I worked with a client who was in his mid-forties who was not yet a partner and had never developed business. After working with him for about a half year, he became a partner, and began to develop his own book of business. His entire outlook on life changed. He was confident, proud of his accomplishments, and it touched all areas of his life–business and personal.
How does your past experience help you in your job?
Having formerly been the chairman of a large law firm, I have seen many successful, and some not-so-successful lawyers and have taken those lessons to heart. I have learned so much from watching others and my former role gave me a ringside seat to watch how they operated and how some things were successful and some were not. I also have the advantage to understanding what the managers of a law practice want to see from their lawyers and how to climb the ladder of success in a law firm.
Describe a unique moment in your career.
I worked in a relatively small market, but had been fortunate to forge relationships with a larger international financial institution in New York and represented them in one case. A larger retailer in one of the major cities in the U.S. filed bankruptcy; our firm had been approached by a local lender to represent them in the case. I took a shot and called my New York client and was blown away when they told me they wanted to hire our law firm, outside the major money centers, to represent them on more than $3 billion in debt. It was the engagement of a lifetime.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I paid part of my way through college on a football scholarship even though I never played a single moment of football.
Education
University of Tennessee College of Law (J.D., with honors, 1988)
Editor in Chief, Tennessee Law Review
Vanderbilt University (B.A., 1980)
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