John T. McManus, leader of the firm’s Energy Industry Team, recently discussed his journey to industry team leader with Law.com/New York Law Journal.

In an article entitled “How I made Practice Group Chair: ‘Stay Open to Learning New Skills,’ Says John McManus of Harris Beach Murtha,” John answered a series of 14 questions aimed at explaining his foray into Energy practice, how he developed his knowledge, what prompted him to become a practice leader and how he balances his work as a practice manager with his client work.

For example, John’s answer to “Why did you want to become a practice area leader?” was the following:

“It is an opportunity to stimulate growth for our practice group and our entire firm. We recently combined with a New England-based firm, and there is huge potential to grow in Massachusetts and throughout the Northeast. I was the managing partner for our firm’s Capital Region offices (Albany and Saratoga) for the past 10 years. As part of this transition, I handed that role off to one of my colleagues and took on this new role from my predecessor, Bill Flynn. I am excited about my ability to grow our energy industry team in the same way I grew our Capital Region offices—strategically and organically. We ultimately want to have strong, capable attorneys in all of our offices to serve our many energy clients throughout the Northeast region and beyond.”

To read all of John’s answers, please visit the full article. (Subscription may be required.)