Page 12 - Dallas Vol 5 No 4

In my true
heart of hearts, I’d be
a beer brewer.
I’ve always
wanted to do
that.
If I hit the lottery tomorrow, I’d retire, move to east Texas and brew beer.”
Clouse, cofounder of Clouse Brown PLLC, represents senior-level and C-suite executives, business owners, physicians and corporations in com-
plex employment litigation, arbitration and negotiations. He has 29 years of experience.
Becoming an attorney did not occur to him until he attended college. He was an Account- ing major at the University of North Dakota where he became friends with his business law professor who suggested that he consider going to law school.
“I really just fell into it. Growing up, I didn’t have any aspirations to become a lawyer. I only applied to one law school. If I got in, great. If not, I was going to be a CPA. Fortunately, I got into Tulane Law School in New Orleans and the whole experience was fantastic. As a young associate, I also got lucky to have a mentor who told me he was going to make me a “labor and employment lawyer.” he says.
A FOCUS ON SENIOR EXECUTIVES
Clouse enjoys working with senior-level executives and business owners in a wide variety of industries. “We have clients across the board, across the country. I enjoy work- ing with senior executives. You work with one person who can make decisions quickly. ere are no committees. Senior execs tend to be far more decisive. ey can make decisions at the drop of a hat,” he says.
His approach with clients is to be very di- rect and candid about what they need to do, traits that have developed over time working within a well-de ned and challenging legal niche. Clouse says that some attorneys auto- matically “start throwing gorilla dust” at each other, but his approach is o en far less con- frontational and more successful in the long run. “I just pick up the phone, call opposing counsel and try to have a conversation. I can generally see a path to resolution and then I try to work with opposing counsel to get the case resolved in a way where nobody is made to look bad. is approach can quickly and e ciently resolve disputes which might oth- erwise take 2-3 years to litigate or arbitrate.”
Clouse only takes cases he believes in. “You have to routinely assess whether people are credible and determine whether certain facts make sense. When something doesn’t make sense and the other side can’t give you any rea- sonable explanation as to why certain events took place, that suggests the facts are just as my client says they are and that our rm is a good t for that client. We work only with the people and companies we want to represent.”
His personal edge in working with clients and handling cases in the courtroom or across the negotiating table is his “gut instinct.” “I can size up an employment case or situation
very quickly and give you clear insight into what we need to do – how to get from point A to point B.” he says.
ADAPTING TO CHANGING LEGAL ENVIRONMENTS
Clouse keeps his rm up-to-date and in tune with current trends and changes that will have a signi cant e ect on the law and his present and future clients. For example, he notes that the “Me Too” movement is clearly having an impact on the work environment and workplace law. He does not foresee that movement retreating any time soon.
He also foresees continued expansion of
ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · DALLAS· VOL. 5 NO. 4 12