Strategic thinking helps Flowers deliver for clients

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Christopher Flowers views himself as a partner with the businesses he works with. An attorney in the contract/commercial litigation practice of Godfrey & Kahn in Milwaukee, his client work requires tactical thinking.

“I enjoy being a business partner for a company,” he said. “The work requires you to wear two hats and you need to think a little more sophisticated and strategically.”

Flowers focuses on litigation and commercial disputes with a focus on lender-related cases. He has a mix of consistent clients along with some he may work with only once.

“Having regular clients is a real testament to that dual role you play — helping with business issues and legal ones,” Flowers said. “You help businesses navigate tough waters and help them get the best deal possible.”

One of the challenges working in litigation is finding middle ground in a dispute and keeping expectations in check, he added.

In addition to litigation work, Flowers also handles some general commercial and bank transactions.

He didn’t start college with the intent of going to law school, but stints as a legislative fellow in the New York Senate and as an intern at the New York State Assembly while at the University of Albany changed his mind.

“I learned a lot about the legal profession and what it meant to be an attorney from the people I worked with,” he said. “I had a lot of great mentors who helped me through the process of how and when to apply to law school.”

Flowers is grateful for that help and looks to give back through his pro bono work with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp., which helps male and female business owners gain access to financing as well as provide education on financial and business topics.

“It’s very enjoyable to help entrepreneurs work through some of their legal and business issues,” said Flowers, who received the 2016 Small Business Association’s Wisconsin Small Business Legal Champion Award.

Youth mentorship is another key focus for Flowers, who co-founded the mentor group Man-Up at Howard University in Washington, D.C., which is now a university student-retention program.

“I’ve had some great mentors and want to pass on to others what I’ve learned,” he said.

Wisconsin Law Journal: What makes your work important to you?
Christopher Flowers: Becoming an expert in my practice is important not only to deliver sophisticated legal services to Godfrey & Kahn’s clients, but also to provide these services to the small business clients I assist on behalf of Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. I am a firm believer that small businesses become big businesses with the proper professional support and access to resources.

WLJ: Who is your hero in the legal field?
Flowers: To me, the NAACP legal team that prevailed in the landmark decision Brown v. Board of Education is the epitome of fine lawyering. Justice Marshall attracted much of the attention as the director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and rightfully so, but the lawyers that litigated that case were some of the greatest legal minds of their time.

WLJ: What do you do outside of work to deal with stress from the office?
Flowers: I like to cook to decompress from the workweek. If I am not up for cooking, a very close second in my book is watching a Redbox movie with my wife. We both missed out on a lot of movies during law school.

WLJ: What’s one thing many people get wrong about what you do?
Flowers: One misconception that I encounter is the perceived dichotomy between entrepreneurs and corporate employees. I grew up working in a family owned small business so entrepreneurship has always been an attitude and a mentality. While there are obvious differences between working in big law and running a small business, I feel equally responsible for developing my practice much in the same way that a business owner is responsible for growing his or her small business.

WLJ: What’s your favorite memory from law school?
Flowers: My favorite memory from law school is graduating, believe it or not. Having dropped out of college twice, just getting accepted into law school was considered by many to be an impossible feat. Walking across the stage at graduation meant that I had followed my crazy plan — that is, going from a college dropout to a lawyer — through to completion.

WLJ: Is there a certain case that stands out to you?
Flowers: Aside from the cases that directly impact my day-to-day practice, I am very interested in the voting rights and gerrymandering cases moving through the state and federal courts. The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court permitting states to draw (and re-draw) districts based on total population, as opposed to total registered voters, is an important one.