W. Stephen Tierney

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Partner
Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Years in current role: 35 (43 total at Woods Oviatt)

What skills do you think are most crucial for new attorneys entering the field today?

The obvious answer is that you have to be smart, hardworking, organized, disciplined, personable, etc. Those are the building blocks for the not-so-obvious skills, the skills where you will make a real difference in representing your clients. Those not-so-obvious skills are the ability to internalize your clients’ problems and make them your problems. You need to understand the issues from the client’s perspective, then you can use the foundational skills, the building-block skills, to give the best advice to your clients. You have to be a problem solver for your clients. Some of the solutions are obvious but some are more intuitive, only discovered by listening to your clients and putting yourself in their shoes.

What’s one misconception people often have about your area of law?

I am a commercial real estate and bank attorney. Sounds pretty boring, right? Well, if you do it right, you will find that the pace of your practice is fast and furious, not boring and slow. You will have to juggle dozens of files, all with deadlines and each with particular twists and turns that challenge your legal skills, your organizational skills, your people skills and most of all your ability to spot the issues and address them quickly and expertly so that you get the best result for the client. You do that day after day, year after year, and you build a practice and a reputation, and the work becomes more interesting, more sophisticated and more challenging. And you are always learning more about the law, the clients and yourself.

How does the Rochester community influence your work or professional philosophy?

First, Rochester is a great place to live and bring up a family. My wife and I have three daughters (and one son-in-law) who we love to be with. My law firm, Woods Oviatt, has always been family oriented and I have found the entire Rochester community, the attorneys, the clients, the workforce at large, to have the same philosophy of work and life balance. The collegiality in the legal community is exceptional. The greater Rochester area, with the great medical systems, the great higher education opportunities, the Finger Lakes, Lake Ontario, the minor league sports franchises, all create a great place to live and work. I grew up in Rochester and always knew that I would move back after law school to be with my parents, my sisters, their families, and to have my own family.

This profile is part of our Real Estate Law Power List for 2025. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at rbj.net.