In the first-ever, face-to-face episode, Mirena invites business and legal mogul Keith Givens of The Cochran Firm to The Heart of Law. While he calls himself "a custodian of the brand of Johnnie Cochran," faithfully overseeing the 50-year-old Cochran dynasty, Keith is no slouch himself. With a master’s degree in Psychology and another graduate degree in Business from Georgia Tech, his aptitude did not go unnoticed by a professor who corralled him into pursuing law despite his disinterest in the field. Who would have thought a gigantic, old oak tree would pave the way for his accidental success as a plaintiff lawyer?
After four decades of making history with his friends Jack Smith and Johnnie Cochran, they turn the legal world upside-down and inside-out, helping hundreds of clients and winning billions of dollars in settlements. Throughout the show, we listen to Keith paying extraordinary homage to the superstar litigator, Johnnie Cochran. While Keith walks us through Johnnie's fame and courageous battle against cancer, we find ourselves shocked at the otherworldly work ethic of a genius who refused to let death overcome his mission. Keith says, “ … [Johnnie is] our greatest asset and ally.” During the deep dive, our astute host asks Keith to describe the delicate balance between the business of law and the practice of law. We have to agree with Mirena; Keith makes it all look effortless—even after he says, "It's very hard to run 42 law firms in a way that they're all kind of humming together.” After all, who else can say they head 42 successful firms? Meanwhile, even as he talks about the joys of running the conglomeration with his sons (and a few other family members), Keith keenly gives sage advice on risk measurement and management, superior research and preparation, and not having an aversion to courtroom losses. Steadily providing credit to the brand and reputation of his progenitor, Keith gives five core values (or the 5 “C’s”) he fiercely upholds at The Cochran Firm: Commitment, Client-Focused, Compassion, Competence, and Community.
As Keith consistently understates his role in the Cochran empire—recalling Johnnie’s humility, motivation, compassion, focus, and dedication to family—we cannot help but admire our modest herald who refuses to call attention to himself. Perhaps, even if he doesn’t care to admit it, he has all these splendid qualities himself. As far as we know, like the old oak tree that marked his journey into law, Keith Givens stands stalwart and steadfast “providing tremendous shade” and deeply rooted into our American way of life.
EPISODE SURVEY
[00:03:09] Humble beginnings and a serendipitous journey to law
[00:12:52] Keith’s friendship and partnership with Johnnie Cochran
[00:35:37] The future of the Cochran firm
[00:40:50] Navigating the balance between litigation and business
[00:54:25] Working as a lawyer alongside two sons
[01:12:32] The five core values of success for trial lawyers
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