Nixon banks business despite bad economy

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Godfrey & Kahn attorney Timothy F. Nixon is all business when it comes to the recession.

With an extensive background in bankruptcy, the commercial lawyer has helped numerous retail, manufacturing and construction companies weather the ongoing financial downturn.

He has represented both debtors and creditors and has substantial experience in Wisconsin Chapter 128 Receiverships.

He also heads the firm’s Business Finance and Restructuring Practice Group out of Green Bay.

Beyond state borders, Nixon keeps his finger on the pulse of foreign markets. He has advised clients in Russia and Australia and represented a British bankruptcy trustee in administering assets in the U.S.

He invested time and banked some valuable responses in this week’s Asked & Answered.

Wisconsin Law Journal: If you could develop one CLE course for credit, what would it be about?

Timothy F. Nixon: “Best” Doesn’t Always Mean “Brightest”: Why Good Lawyers Aren’t Always Smart, Why Smart Lawyers Aren’t Always Good, And What You Need To Do To Be Both.

WLJ: What can you spend hours doing that isn’t law-related?

Nixon: Researching genealogy and history, and the related reading, writing and traveling.

WLJ: What is your favorite website and why?

Nixon: Boatnerd.com. I was a Great Lakes sailor before law school. This site is sort of the “Drudge Report” on what is going on so I can keep up with what my old comrades are doing.

WLJ: Which actor would play you in a movie and why?

Nixon: I’ve been mistaken for Pierce Brosnan in court. There’s a transcript out there to prove it!

WLJ: What is one thing attorneys should know that they won’t learn in law school?

Nixon: How to listen and hear what clients are saying and what is going on in a court room rather than be self-absorbed with what they are going to say or do next. It isn’t about you.

WLJ: What is the first concert you went to?

Nixon: Gordon Lightfoot in 1976 at the Cherry Dome in Traverse City, Mich.

WLJ: If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be and why?

Nixon: My dogs: They have great lives! They think they are people and my wife and children encourage them in that belief. They get treated better than I do.

WLJ: What is the hardest thing to tell a client?

Nixon: That the lifestyle and life to which they have become accustomed, needs to be “right-sized,” meaning down-sized.

WLJ: What is the one luxury item you cannot live without?

Nixon: My Packers tickets.

WLJ: If you were State Bar President for a day and could make one permanent change to the profession, what would it be?

Nixon: Require law students to have real lives, real jobs, and real experience before becoming lawyers.

Jack Zemlicka can be reached at [email protected].