If Michael Prince had a nickname, it would probably be “Mr. Proactive.” Whether handling a case for external clients or representing other lawyers as Carrington Coleman’s Assistant General Counsel, he encourages everyone to share their most serious concerns up-front. This enables him to quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of their case.

In the professional liability, contract dispute, securities and environmental cases he handles, he is always a step ahead, recognizing potential land mines before others even suspect there’s a problem. Mike’s prescient abilities—the result of assiduous research and painstaking attention to detail—were first put into practice during his active duty service as a young naval intelligence officer, briefing and debriefing air crews before and after combat missions. That experience and the uncommon knowledge and judgment it instilled in him has been put to good use in the numerous cases he has handled for clients involved in aircraft accidents and other products liability claims.

His proactive approach is also evident in the CLE courses he teaches on ethics and best practices. In addition, he teaches that regular and frequent communication with clients should be mandatory, and applies it in his own practice. If anything changes in a case, if a new challenge by opposing counsel requires more work or additional resources are needed, he alerts clients immediately.

After all, as he tells his CLE students and law firm mentees: it’s their case, not yours; let them know what’s going on.