A quarterly newletter by the Boston Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators

October ALA’s Member Spotlight: Jonathan Bashein


Name:   Jonathan Bashein Jon Bashein
Firm:   Nixon Peabody
Email:   JBASHEIN@nixonpeabody.com
Education:   Bachelors Acc’t and economics Queens College, City Univ. of NY
Member of ALA since:   ‘84
Professional Experience:   80-84 Director of Support Services Skadden Arps NYC
    84-99 Exec. Dr. Peabody and Brown
    99- present   Boston office Admin. Nixon Peabody
     

Q.  How did you become interested in legal administration? 

A.  While I was the controller of an advertising agency, we were decreasing in size and subletting excess space to Skadden Arps. When our doors closed, I asked the Administrator at Skadden if he needed help.  He responded “How soon can you start?”   The four years I spent with Skadden was a tremendous growth period for them and I was given freedom and responsibility to learn as much as possible.

 

Q.  What are the biggest challenges facing legal administrators in the business today?

A.  Given the number of mergers and consolidations, I would guess the greatest challenge faced by legal administrators is to maintain their job and come out the winner in a merger. The second most important challenge, which hasn’t changed in many years, is to force out the less profitable work and encourage the atty’s to look for ever larger clients and continue to encourage the Partnership to utilize modern business practices.

 

Q.  Of what are you most proud?

A.  At this moment in time I am most proud to have designed and managed the project of building out our new offices, which the other 13 Nixon Peabody offices look at very jealously.  I am also proud to have become flexible enough in my old age to have been able to shift from an E.D. to the office manager of a merged office, successfully.

 

Q.  As an administrator, what impression do you like to leave on your staff?

A.  The most important impression I can leave with any staff employee is that what they do really counts and that they are appreciated.

 

Q.  What’s the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced personally or professionally?

A.  Losing all the Managers who worked with me exactly twelve months after the merger because everyone took the severance package but me. My next biggest challenge was to replace them all.

 

Q.  Who has been your mentor?

A.  The first Managing Partner who I worked with for a period of seven years ( we had much in common)

 

Q.  If you were not an administrator, what would you be doing? 

A.  If my voice were a little bit better, I would have loved to have been a Cantor!

 

Q.  Outside interests?

A.  Surviving bringing up and paying the education for five children

 

Q.  Advice to new administrators considering becoming involved in the profession?

A.  An in depth financial background along with a masters in psychology would be helpful. It’s also vitally important to make sure there is a fit with the Partnership before you accept the job.

 

 

 

 

Interview By: Trina Goodale, Legal Administrator, Goldberg &
Weigand LLP, Hyannis, MA