Jason I. Miller

Member, Otterbourg P.C.

40 Under 40 Category: Legal Services

Biography:

Jason is a Member in Otterbourg’s nationally recognized Banking and Finance practice.  Jason is primary national counsel for leading institutional lenders, including major national and international commercial banks, finance companies, private equity groups, mezzanine lenders and independent factors.  Clients trust Jason with their most important matters and praise his professionalism, tireless dedication to his clients’ objectives, and the practical and creative approach he employs to successfully resolve seemingly intractable deal issues

Jason is a frequent author and lecturer on topics important to the commercial finance community.  He was named a Super Lawyer for 2018 and a NY “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine each of the prior four years.

Jason was recently featured in the March 2018 issue of The Secured Lender focused on community involvement for his deep involvement with two worthy charitable causes.  He has previously been recognized in Forbes and Women’s Health for his legal work with non-profit charities.  Jason serves on the LIU Post Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Board of Water Collective, a charity bringing water independence to Africa and India.

What is the best professional advice you have been given and how have you implemented it?

Coming up through the ranks as an associate, I was advised to take careful note of the different styles, approaches and techniques utilized in documentation and negotiation by both senior attorneys and business people on the transactions on which I worked.  By analyzing those styles in different situations and the results they produced, I was able to craft a unique and authentic style that is consistent with my personality and leverages my strengths to achieve the necessary results for my clients in any number of challenging situations.

What advice do you normally give to the junior talent you mentor/what advice would you give to forthcoming generation of talent aspiring to win this award?

First, put in the time and effort to make yourself into a technically excellent attorney.  Seek out every learning opportunity you can and practice living in a space of curiosity.  This curiosity will fuel a career of constant learning and a deep desire to fully understand your client’s business, the issues and dynamics at play in their transactions and prompt you to dig deeper to unearth issues that need to be identified and dealt with to protect your client.  Second, be proactive and take ownership of your career and of everything that comes across your desk on a daily basis.  Stay supremely organized and follow up.  Third, focus every day on helping, educating, solving problems and providing trusted solutions to your clients, all with white-glove client service.  Constantly put yourself in your client’s shoes.  Focus on their needs and concerns so you can preemptively solve them.  Learn their business and their working style, so that your solutions are consistent with the client’s goals and objectives. 

When interviewing junior talent, what do you say to pique their interest on why they should accept a position in this industry?

We work in a special industry.  The commercial finance community is warm and welcoming.  There is a pervasive spirit of generosity – generosity of time, connections, mentorship and more.  As an attorney, I especially enjoy the collaborative aspect – every day I get to resolve problems through creative solutions to bring parties together in pursuit of a mutually beneficial outcome, all the while protecting the client’s best interests.  Finally, asset-based lending is so wide-ranging in the industries and disciplines on which it touches.  In my career I can say that I have never been bored, and never have I worked on a “plain vanilla” transaction.  There is something immensely interesting or uniquely challenging about each and every deal, and to me, that is exciting and rewarding.