Thursday, December 5, 2024

Van Cott & Talamante, PLLC: Good Listening Builds Relationships

Van Cott & Talamante
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Ryan Talamante, partner of Van Cott & Talamante, PLLC says, “Joyce and I have more than 50 years of combined experience in practicing law.”

The firm, which was founded in 1989 – then called Glover & Van Cott – was joined by Talamante in 1993. In 2010, he and his partner, Joyce N. Van Cott, renamed the firm Van Cott & Talamante, PLLC.

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Today, the firm employs associates Justin N. Redman and Jordan C. Redman, both graduates of Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. In addition, Michael R. Glover and Dari S. Hing, who co-founded the predecessor firm with Van Cott, are now of counsel to the firm. Van Cott & Talamante handle complex business and commercial matters, and all types of civil litigation in federal and state courts.

Van Cott attended Whittier College in California, and received her Bachelor of Arts in political economy in 1979. She graduated from Whittier College School of Law in the top 10 percent of her class in 1982. In 1985, she was admitted to practice in Arizona and California.

Talamante received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Arizona State University in 1990 and graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law in May 1993.

RELATIONSHIP-DRIVEN

The firm embraces a business philosophy that the best way to practice law is to forge a solid and productive relationship with clients. “We start each relationship by being good listeners so that we clearly understand the nature of every matter and appreciate the needs and goals of each client. From there we build a collaborative work environment so clients can meaningfully participate in case planning and strategy and that includes establishing a clear budget for the case and a detailed case timeline and a setting of realistic goals to mark the progress of the matter,” Van Cott says.

Client education is a priority and clients stay involved throughout the course of the matter so that adjustments can be made at each stage and the client feels like he or she has a say in how the case progresses to the solution. Talamante says, “We hear sometimes about clients at other firms who feel as if they are not involved, and that their attorneys are making all the decisions. We make sure that never happens at our firm. We educate and advise each client so that they can make informed decisions based on what is best for them.”

Maintaining healthy relationships outside the workplace is important to each partner. Talamante says, “With us, it’s family first. Our community activities are focused on our kids and their schools.” Van Cott has been active in the Girl Scouts since her daughter, Courtney, was a child. Talamante has two boys (Jacob and Andrew) who love baseball. He has been a volunteer coach for many years and has been an active member of the board of directors of the local Little League in downtown Phoenix for the past decade.

A FIRM OF THE TIMES

The firm embraces technology and the rapidly evolving world of social media, which have had a profound effect not only on the law, but on how attorneys and clients interact with each other.

They evaluate the latest trends in technology and selectively adopt those devices and processes that they believe will really improve their ability to deliver quality legal services. Talamante says, “Keeping up with that change is vital to a successful law firm. What we have done and what we will continue to do is stay ahead of the curve in terms of technology and law firm management. But it’s not so much about being an early adopter of the latest technology. I think the clients are more concerned with the bottom line than they are about hiring a trendsetter. Through selective implementation and use of technology, we provide clients with a better service.”

Regardless of the advances in technology, the practice of law for Van Cott and Talamante remains a personal matter of building relationships with people. Van Cott says, “For me the best part of practicing law is working closely with business clients and individual people to provide for their legal needs and to find solutions for their legal problems. I like being a problem solver. I like working with people to chart a path through and beyond things which sometimes seem to a client to be difficult or insurmountable. The services we render are aimed toward alleviating and solving client problems and that’s where I get the most enjoyment out of the law.”

Van Cott knew that she wanted to be a problem solver as an attorney from an early age. Her great-grandfather was a well respected attorney in Marshall town, Iowa in the early 1900s. She never met him, but her family often spoke highly of him. She was impressed that he helped people through very tough times, often receiving bushels of potatoes or sacks of grain as payment because people didn’t have any money. “I was very impressed by his dedication to serving others even when it meant financial hardship for him and his family. I grew up thinking of the law as an honorable profession dedicated to helping people in need no matter what the circumstances. I still think that way and it drives my sense of purpose and dedication to the practice of law,” she says.

Talamante enjoys analytical problem solving, case analysis and formulating arguments with logical reasoning. But, he says, “I think that the heart of being a lawyer is being able to help people. Taking real world problems and getting just remedies through the legal system. That’s not always a straightforward path, but I certainly enjoy the challenge of that and helping others reach the desired outcome.”

That attitude sums up the culture of the firm. Van Cott says, “We work hard for our clients every day and we carefully train and mentor each member of the firm including associates, paralegals and staff members. We view everyone in our firm as important and everyone has a role critical to our clients and the cost-effective way of handling our cases. We are fortunate to have a remarkably compatible and talented group of people. Most of us have been together for a very long time. We enjoy each other’s company and we all contribute to the success of our case.”

Talamante says, “A lot of thought goes into determining when to bring on someone new and we deliberate quite extensively in the selection process. Through that process, we have assembled a fantastic team of attorneys and support staff. We have two associates that are both very bright and have a work ethic that cannot be matched. They also just happen to be twin brothers. We initially hired Justin in late 2010. It quickly became evident that Justin was not only the type of lawyer we wanted working at the firm, but he was the type of person we enjoyed spending time with. In fact, we joked about cloning him when we needed to hire another associate. Not knowing Justin had a twin brother, we asked him if he knew of anyone to recommend for the job. Enter Jordan Redman. They have both been a great fit for the firm.”

For more information visit, http://www.vancotttalamante.com/

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