Randi Kochman, Co-Managing Shareholder, Cole Schotz P.C.

In an interview with Invest:, Randi Kochman, co-managing shareholder of Cole Schotz P.C., said that the firm’s primary focus has been on a period of remarkable and strategic expansion. “The more you grow, it’s like a snowball. It begets more work organically,” Kochman said, highlighting the firm’s jump from 170 to 220 attorneys in a single year as it approaches its 100-year anniversary.

What changes and milestones over the past year have most impacted Cole Schotz, and how have they shaped your operations and growth trajectory?

2025 has been a landmark year for us, marked by significant and often unexpected growth. Our strategic plan promises to yield positive results. We’ve strengthened our corporate department by adding 10 new attorneys in the past eight months and expanded our physical presence with new offices in D.C. and Miami within the last six months. Our white-collar practice has also seen considerable growth, tripling its attorney count from one to three.

This growth naturally generates more work. Our large and expanding intellectual property litigation practice in Dallas greatly benefits from its connection to D.C., where the Patent and Trademark Office is located. We now have litigators across D.C., New York, New Jersey, and Dallas. To support the predominantly contingency-based litigation in this field, we retained a litigation funder, which has allowed us to pursue even more complex cases. The firm’s rapid expansion is evident in our attorney numbers, growing from approximately 170 lawyers a year ago to approximately 220 today. While some of this growth was unforeseen, it was not accidental. As we approach our 100th anniversary in 2026, our hiring strategy continues to focus on bringing in attorneys for existing work, rather than solely for the sake of expansion.

Given New Jersey’s diverse economy and the current uncertainty, what role do law firms play in helping businesses remain resilient?

The thing about a good law firm is that it’s proactive, not necessarily reactive. To be successful in law, especially in areas like estate planning, you have to be good at looking ahead and finding creative solutions. It’s not just about knowing the rules; it’s about seeing what’s coming, whether it’s shifts in the economy, politics, or even new tech like AI. When legal professionals think outside the box, they can offer fresh ideas and help clients adjust to whatever comes next. Take an employment lawyer, for example; they might suggest different ways to staff a business, helping owners handle tricky situations while staying in charge. This kind of forward-thinking and imaginative approach is key to staying ahead in any field and becoming a master of your craft.

How are you incorporating new legal technologies and AI into your firm’s standards and practices?

We’re still assessing. We are not rushing to do anything at this point. We still use AI modestly to help us, but it is not a substitute for human lawyers on any level. We have an expert committee made up of technical people like our CIO and other administrators and lawyers with technological expertise. At some point, when we feel comfortable with this new technology, recommendations will be made by them on how we use these tools as a firm to serve our clients most efficiently.

As a long-time leader in employment law, what recent workplace regulation changes are having the greatest impact on your clients in 2025?

In the employment sector, several key areas demand attention. New Jersey’s recent legislation on temporary workers significantly impacts some businesses. The ongoing scrutiny of independent contractors versus employees remains a critical concern for all employers.  Restrictive covenants remain at the forefront as states and federal agencies continue to introduce legislation in this area. Conversely, hybrid work schedules, a prominent topic from 2020 to 2024, have largely been resolved by companies, and discussions around them have subsided to some degree.

With the shift in C-level executives as many retire and new leaders take their place, how are you leveraging this change in the executive landscape?

We currently have 370 employees in this firm and 235 lawyers. We also initiated leadership training for many of our lawyers, because we found that completing law school and passing the bar doesn’t necessarily guarantee leadership skills. We’ve provided a series of leadership training seminars. The most in-demand session I have found in the firm is the one we provide on understanding multi-generations in the workplace. Everyone brings a different perspective on how to work, how they communicate, and what they expect, whether they are baby boomers, millennials, or Gen Z. 

When it comes to the next three to five years, what do you consider to be your top priorities that will continue this growth mode?

We have four goals in our plan. The first is elevating our regional and national profile with enhanced practice depth. We used to be a local firm, but now we have more lawyers outside of New Jersey than within the state. The second is deepening our relationships with existing clients and attracting new clients. The third is investing in talent and reinforcing a high-performance culture. The fourth is continuing to generate superior financial results for our people and investing in management and infrastructure. We’ve done well, even during the pandemic, and part of this is because we are a full-service firm. When one area may slow down, another will inevitably pick up. Right now, real estate work is slower due to higher interest rates and uncertainty, but corporate, litigation, and bankruptcy work is in high demand. 

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