Firm Culture
The Harris Beach culture is a shared set of values and beliefs that shape the behavior of the organization and its people. It defines who we are and where we are going. Our firm culture has allowed us to be successful for over 165 years, and it is integral to continuing our success for the next 165 years.
COMMITMENT TO OUR MISSION, VALUES, AND CLIENTS
Our firm’s shared mission statement is “Creating Client Solutions that Exceed Expectations”. Our shared values are integrity, respect, teamwork, ingenuity, and inclusion. In everything we do, we are committed to these guiding principles:
Inclusion and Diversity
Harris Beach makes inclusion and diversity a priority. We believe the different perspectives of our diverse people strengthen our organization and our work. We strive for inclusion and diversity within the ranks of our attorneys and staff, as well as among our vendors and the clients we support.
Balance in Life
Our attorneys and staff have an unwavering work ethic. We work hard to provide the best solutions – legal and non-legal consulting – for our clients. At the same time, our personal relationships are of paramount importance to us, and provide crucial support for our individual and collective success. Harris Beach strives to allow each of us to find our own balance in life and to provide flexibility to make that balance achievable. We believe a healthy perspective demands taking our work, but not always ourselves, seriously.
Community
Each of us belongs to a community outside Harris Beach. We believe that being a good citizen means giving something back to the communities in which we live and work. Our attorneys and staff get involved in their communities – both personally and through the firm’s activities.
Change
Recognizing we live in a dynamic world, we embrace change as an opportunity to grow and continually look at ourselves and our organization to ensure we are evolving and actively participating in shaping the world around us.
The Harris Beach culture is a shared set of values and beliefs that shape the behavior of the organization and its people. It defines who we are and where we are going.
HARRIS BEACH VALUES
Harris Beach believes in solutions. Through the strategic application of our resources, relationships, and legal expertise, we build the right team to get the job done for our clients – efficiently and cost-effectively. We take pride in crafting innovative, holistic and practical solutions to our clients’ pressing challenges.
Every person at Harris Beach is committed to being accessible, productive, responsive and technologically sophisticated to provide the utmost value to our clients. We stand behind our mission: “Creating Client Solutions that Exceed Expectations.”
Integrity
Honesty, sincerity, openness and fairness are the building blocks of integrity. By embracing these values and holding ourselves to the highest levels of personal and professional behavior in all our relationships, we have earned the trust and respect to become a firm our clients rely upon as a trusted ally.
Respect
Our culture of understanding, compassion and respect for each other naturally carries through to our relationships with our clients. Harris Beach believes in the fundamental dignity of each individual and every employee is valued for his or her unique experiences and perspectives. The rich diversity of our workforce, which reflects the communities we serve, enhances our work environment and the legal solutions we provide our clients. We listen to others and are responsive when others need assistance.
Teamwork
We value the unique skills of each individual at Harris Beach and strategically leverage our broad knowledge base to build dedicated, interdisciplinary, problem-solving teams that are greater than the sum of their parts. Bringing our best team thinking to bear for our clients allows us to understand and anticipate their challenges, and provide breakthrough solutions.
Ingenuity
Applied ingenuity is the impetus of our success at Harris Beach. We value and reward creativity and innovation, and provide our professionals with an entrepreneurial yet collegial atmosphere where we take our work, but not necessarily ourselves, seriously. This environment gives rise to the free flow of ideas which we transform into forward thinking client solutions.
Inclusion
Harris Beach recognizes everyone has a right to be included. By respecting and embracing our differences, we create an environment that optimizes our talent and promotes fresh thinking and innovative solutions that exceed client expectations. Sharing experiences from our diverse backgrounds increases the quality of everyone’s contributions, enhancing the services we provide.
Since our founding in 1856, Harris Beach has grown to be among the country’s top law firms, as ranked by The National Law Journal.
From the earliest years, we have been on the cutting edge of the law. At the turn of the 20th century, we helped guide the expansion of the railway system throughout New York state. We were there to help one of our clients secure the patent for a novel photo-imaging system that many thought would never catch on, but became an international leader in photocopying systems. Before the rest of the country focused on health care reform, we were helping our clients design a community system that resulted in costs dramatically below the national average.
Our law firm remains at the forefront of issues facing businesses in the 21st century, whether it’s competing in the global marketplace, protecting innovations, helping organizations manage cyberattacks or meeting the demands of complying with the Affordable Care Act. Above all, we understand and match our clients’ needs to move faster, think more creatively and develop new business models to achieve sustainable growth.
EDWARD HARRIS
Edward Harris caught the attention of Rochester, New York attorney, Henry Ives, shortly after he and his family arrived in Rochester from England in 1850. Based on the recommendation of a friend, who was impressed with Edward Harris’ work ethic and enthusiasm, Henry Ives hired the young man as a clerk for $1 a week. Edward took an immediate interest in his mentor’s profession. At the age of 21, he was admitted to practice law based on his apprenticeship with Henry Ives and became a named partner of Ives & Harris, as was the custom of the time. Edward quickly established himself in the legal community when he won a case on appeal in 1860 with a one-page brief filed on behalf of his clients. At issue was a negligence claim filed by individuals who shipped goods along the Erie Canal against the contractor responsible for maintaining the canal’s towpath. The case helped to establish Edward as strong advocate of those who were conducting commerce on one of New York state’s most important business transportation routes. In 1871, Henry Ives passed away and Edward kept the Ives name in place until 1884 when he invited his son, Albert, to join him in the practice. The father and son team changed the name of the firm to Harris and Harris. A well-recognized lawyer among the banking community, Edward was elected a trustee of Rochester Savings Bank in 1879, a predecessor to the Royal Bank of Scotland. In 1892, he handled the incorporation of Security Trust Company, a predecessor of Bank of America through acquisitions. Edward served on a number of professional and community organizations, including as the fourth president of the Monroe County Bar Association in 1897. In 1911, Edward Harris, who was known as the “Dean of the Rochester Bar,” passed away. In a show of respect for his contributions to the legal community, the courts closed for one day.