Rogers Attorney Determines Golf a Sport for All Reasons

The tranquility of a golf course can make a swift antidote for tensions roused in the courtroom, said Rogers attorney Andrew R. Miller.

Miller, a member of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 class in 2003, co-founded a law firm in the mid-nineties that has grown to encompass 11 lawyers and a large support staff.

Along the way, he determined the game of golf to be a great vehicle for networking, building relationships with clients and for diffusing conflicts stirred in court with other attorneys.

“Life happens so quickly now, you don’t get to slow down and have conversation,” said Miller, 48. “Golf is a convenient excuse to interact with others. And it’s a great opportunity for lawyers to spend time together. Our job requires us to be adverse, and the courtroom can be contentious.”

Born in Augsburg, Germany, the son of a career Army officer, Miller initially aspired to work in law enforcement, and completed a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1987 at the University of Arkansas. He met his wife Kellie there, and continued on to earn his juris doctorate in 1991.

While serving as chief deputy prosecutor in Benton County, he came to love the courtroom arena.

“I’m a big believer in juries,” Miller said. “Generally, 12 people in a courtroom can come to a reasonable conclusion, even if they’re not reasonable people.”

In 1995, Miller opened a law firm in Rogers with Sean Keith. He initially focused on criminal law, though half of his case load has since broadened to encompass civil matters.

A quarter of his cases are in Missouri courts. Often he is called upon by high-profile individuals to represent them in delicate legal matters.

Keith, Miller, Butler, Schneider & Pawlik PLLC now includes 11 attorneys with diverse specialties — they handle matters ranging from product liability, personal injury and estate planning, as well as employment, civil, domestic and criminal law. Partner Sean Keith deemed Miller the firm’s consensus builder.

“Our multiple partners have egos of different sizes, some pretty big, and Drew finds consensus in making important decisions for the firm,” Keith said. “He’s also been a proponent of growth and not afraid to take risks.”

The mid-nineties in Northwest Arkansas was an ideal time to open a firm, Miller said.

“The economy was on a slow growth path then,” he said. “We’ve since done well in marketing our reputation in northwest Arkansas.”

Outsourcing the firm’s marketing was key, and much of the advertising outreach is internet-based.

Miller maintained a lead role in many administrative, personnel and financial matters, but in more recent years the firm uses partner meetings to address administrative matters. This somewhat frees Miller for his devotion to the athletic endeavors of his daughters, ages 11, 15 and 20.

He coaches his middle daughter’s club soccer team, a premier league team that competes in cities such as Shreveport, Memphis and Baton Rouge. He conducts three training sessions a week from late July through January. The commitment is 15 to 20 hours per week.

“I’ve been coaching 11 years, since the 15-year-old was age 4,” said Miller, who holds a D license through the Arkansas State Soccer Association. “I’m a creature of habit, doing the same thing but hopefully more efficiently.”

Any free time remaining on Miller’s schedule is absorbed by Rotary Club and continuing legal education. The firm uses the state’s annual bar meeting in Hot Springs as an opportunity for team building, and a four-member team from the firm recently made a showing at the Benton County Bar Association Golf Tournament. These are stellar occasions for lawyers to demonstrate to each other that legal tactics aren’t personal, he said.

“For younger lawyers it can seem personal, but as you get older it’s easier to understand. None of us are more important than the other,” Miller said. “And I play a lot of golf with clients, developing those relationships. They’re different from those of a customer or a consumer. You have to develop trust in each other.”