(upbeat music) - We're joined once again.

It's been a while, but he is back by popular demand.

He's Scott Kobler, and he's a partner at a great law firm, McCarter & English, and also the chair of NJ PBS, our longtime partners in public broadcasting.

Scott, good to see you - Steve, good to see you too.

- You've been in the field of law for a few years.

Do you admit that counselor?

- I do.

I concede.

- Okay, 2025 and forward, compare the practice of law, leading in the practice of law today versus just say 10 years ago.

Please, Scott.

- So, Steve, you know that when it comes to leadership and the practice of law, we'll be full of platitudes today and probably generalizations too.

And you know that the practice of law can vary from being in a big law firm such as mine to being on the bench, to being in public interest, to being a public defender or a prosecutor.

Obviously, the pandemic has changed the playing field, technology has changed the playing field.

There's a lot of introduction of the concept, and I think to a great fault of artificial intelligence, I started practicing before there were fax machines, when there were just memory typewriters before there were computers, before there were things like this.

And so I think that the practice of law has changed because of the expectations of people entering this, the word "boundaries".

The fact that when I started to practice, Steve, and I'm in the transactional side, that if you wanted a prospectus printed, you went to the printer and you stayed all night.

Now everything is done on a desktop.

Now things are sent electronically.

Now correspondence can occur in the middle of the night.

And I'm not sure that's entirely a bad thing because it used to be when I began practicing that everything would get backed up.

Now things can be addressed and dispensed with.

- Hmm.

And also, I was remiss, let me disclose that McCarter & English is an underwriter of some of our public affairs programming, particularly State of Affairs.

Let me try this, Scott.

What I'm really curious about when it comes to you and other lawyers who, beyond your practicing law at a major firm, make a commitment to be engaged, involved, and be a leader in the not-for-profit community.

For you, it's the arts.

For you, it's public broadcasting.

Where does that come from?

- Well, I think that's a question that might take eight to 10 hours- (Steve laughs) You know, because it's in our DNA.

I Counsel people who want to get involved that they should align themselves with something about which they feel passionate.

They also should feel a little uncomfortable, maybe be outside of their usual wheelhouse.

I've had the great luxury of being in a firm that has been supportive of, and that a great platform for a public service.

It's interesting when people speak about a dedication to public service as a, you know, 100% public interest lawyer.

That there are so many ways in so many sectors of the law where given your expertise, given your relationships, given your passion, where you can make a difference.

And I have to say whether it was something that comes from the way I was raised or the support of my wife or it's been long standing and it's been a pleasure.

Actually, Steve, I would tell him that while some might think I'm credentialed on the professional side and have accomplished great things, I think I'm defined, my life is better defined by what I've done on the public side.

- Let me also be clear with that, Scott Kobler, very engaged not only in public broadcast NJ PBS and previously New Jersey Network before it evolved to be NJ PBS under the umbrella of the WNET group, very engaged in NJPAC.

Actually saw a good friend and colleague John Schreiber yesterday at an event down there at NJPAC.

We love NJPAC.

And also the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra where you've been elected as a life trustee.

Question.

- Right, right.

- Younger lawyers coming into the profession, Scott, do you have to teach coach, motivate, cajole, what for them to understand that there is a side outside of bringing in money to the law firm?

Listen, if we didn't bring in money, we wouldn't be able to do what we do.

But along those lines, the whole question of community involvement, making a difference outside of making money in the law, is it more challenging with younger lawyers?

I know it's a loaded of question.

- I don't think it is.

I will tell you, I am extraordinarily optimistic from what I see at our firm and from their colleagues whom I get a chance to meet.

There's so much pro bono work being done.

I've often felt that my skillset has been more aligned with the board work and other charitable work that I do, more so than pro bono representation.

Just not in my area of expertise, I don't think I would necessarily be that effective.

But that doesn't mean that I haven't on the pro bono side, done a considerable amount of corporate work on behalf of nonprofit clients in addition to the time I spend as a board member.

But I am very excited.

I am encouraged by the interests and attitudes of the young people who I see in our firm.

- Question.

I do a fair amount of outside of my broadcast work, and I know you know I do a fair amount of coaching in the field of leadership and communication.

Our mutual colleague, Neal Shapiro, the president of WNET group, and I have a whole range of conversations about leading and just leading, just leading, right?

Question.

When it comes to developing business development skills, leadership skills, Osmosis Training, what?

Does it just happen?

Go ahead.

- So I think the best leaders are, are leaders by example, leaders who approach things from, I'm gonna say this, a parental perspective.

When I mentor, my expectation is that I want my daughter to be treated with the same dignity and civility that I would be treating someone who's working for me.

I recognize that you need to share that you are not always right, that there is a latitude to have someone speak truth to power, that there are certain things that I can impart, Steve.

I think that one of the great parables of leadership is do no harm.

That you really want to advance whatever the enterprise might be, that clients are looking for value.

They're not looking to be spoken down to, they don't need to know the sources of a house closing, going back to the Magna Carta.

They want you to be effective, they want you to be effective in executing.

They view law often on the private side as a commodity.

And it isn't.

It's like working with a physician.

You're selling your collective expertise.

But when you get out of law school, you don't have the benefit of the years of residency and fellowship training that a physician might, it's an apprentice's profession and you are sometimes dealing with extraordinarily bright individuals.

They have to learn to be relatable to clients.

They have to learn how to be efficient, but they also can't be given serial mind-numbing exercises for the sake of doing work.

And I felt that our firm in particular has been pretty good over the years or the decades that I've watched it in trying to keep people, bring people along with the balance of teaching them.

And then personally, I feel as if you have to share.

And so I've have a group of folks who've worked around me for a long period of time, and I think, Steve, the underlying value for me is being a parent.

You want to see your children do well.

- How dare we think of leadership as parenting?

Which I often do.

No, they're not children.

We get that.

But taking that approach is a very healthy one.

- You love you love them like that.

So there you go.

- Yes, not that they do what... Nevermind.

That's another story.

- That's another session.

- That's another one.

Scott Kobler, I want to make it clear, not only is he a partner at McCarter & English, but the chair of NJ PBS, the Public Television Station, Public Television Network, part of the WNET group in New Jersey.

Thank you, Scott, for not just the work you're doing in law, but thank you for being the chair of our board.

Thank you.

- Steve, I do want to go on the record so that while I'm here to, again, thank you for telling the stories of New Jersey.

I think it's a state of over 9 million people with no commercial television.

My line is always, "but for us," and people like Steve Adubato we wouldn't have the unifying feeling that we get from PBS.

- That's kind of you Scott.

But as you well know, it is our team that makes that happen.

- It's a village.

- It does.

She was right.

That's Scott Kobler.

See you next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by New Jersey Children’s Foundation.

Valley Bank.

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.

Seton Hall University.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

PSEG Foundation.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

Johnson & Johnson.

And by The Adler Aphasia Center.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by New Jersey Monthly.

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