On the Rise: Lara Shortz Elevated to Office Manager Partner for Westwood Firm

For attorney Lara Shortz, her newest assignment may be one of the most rewarding – albeit challenging – of her career. In September, she was named office managing partner at the Westwood office of Michelman & Robinson.

“Our firm is very intentional with succession planning. It was an ongoing conversation over the years as I’ve worked my way up to this role,” said Shortz.

Prior to her current leadership position, she ran the firm’s labor and employment practice group and was a firm recruiting partner. She described her elevation to office managing partner as a natural progression that matched her strong desire to work with attorneys and staff in the office on professional development while also being involved in the community through work with current clients, business development and philanthropic endeavors. She has worked at Michelman & Robinson for 15 years.

The firm is focused on commercial business needs such as litigation, intellectual property, corporate issues, and labor and employment. It provides a holistic approach for companies that require many different needs. Shortz remains a practicing attorney who engages with clients, although she noted that certain responsibilities were shifted to allow her the bandwidth to take on the added work connecting with clients and serving as a resource to attorneys in her office.

The Westwood office has an extra layer of importance for the mid-size firm because it was its first office and many of the firm’s administrative employees that handle accounting, marketing, operations and the executive management team reside locally. Michelman & Robinson operates seven offices across the country in New York, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Irvine and Los Angeles. The local office employs 36 attorneys, including 14 partners, and has a total of 67 employees.

“We’re always looking to grow thoughtfully in our practice areas and provide the best service to our clients,” said Shortz. “There is an entrepreneurial spirit in the office that permeates every level.”

To support growth, the firm provides training opportunities and career development for employees at all levels. Shortz noted that her legal assistant started as a receptionist. For attorneys, it means instituting a plan to ensure that associates begin to think like partners and understand how the business works. That process starts with new hires: In September, three attorneys joined the firm in Los Angeles fresh out of law school. They will develop legal skills through a full trial advocacy training program, but will also learn how to efficiently and effectively settle cases – many eventually settle, since trials can lead to higher risk and costs.

Growth Outlook
Although there was speculation that companies would leave Southern California post-COVID-19, and there have been some high-profile companies that have done just that, there are still a plethora of businesses that remain in Los Angeles that support the local economy and need legal support. In terms of the practice areas with high demand, she noted that employment is always a hot-button area and there can be significant litigation even when cases settle. Alternatively, high interest rates have softened the real estate and corporate work related to transactions, but that work has been picking up recently.

Moreover, upcoming global sporting events in Los Angeles will provide a boost to the hospitality industry. As a labor and employment attorney, Shortz sees firsthand how changing regulations impact the hospitality industry, which frequently rely on legal support for compliance and labor disputes.

“In terms of our local economy, hospitality is a big part of the lifeblood of this city and it’s going to become more important with these events coming. We see it with the infrastructure too and the real estate practice area,” she said.

Community Involvement
While Shortz is excited for upcoming events and excited to be involved through partnerships with organizations such as the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, she and the firm are also looking at ways to support the local community through philanthropic endeavors.

Michelman & Robinson works closely with Angel City Sports and supports Ronald McDonald House, which will soon open a new location in Westwood close to the firm’s office. “We have a robust pro-bono program at the firm and work with organizations that have a large presence or are based in Los Angeles,” said Shortz. Angel City Sports is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides adaptive sports opportunities for people with physical disabilities or visual impairments. It organizes about 250 clinics per year across 25 sports. Ronald McDonald House is building a large new facility in Westwood to serve families and children who are receiving treatment at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, or other westside medical facilities, and the firm plans to work with them on events and activities when it opens.

Ultimately for Shortz, growing and elevating her role at the firm shows no signs of slowing. “Culture is a big piece of our firm – it’s one of the reasons that I’ve been here for so long.” she said.

-David Nusbaum