Maurice R. Johnson: Senior Counsel, Goosmann Law Firm

Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO

What’s your Personal Motto? Positively persevere.

Biggest career break: Being hired by Goosmann Law. For most of my career, I practiced federal Indian and tribal law, serving tribal governments and their businesses as General Counsel, Attorney General, and a Tribal Judge. While I loved the practice, it’s multidisciplinary work, leaving scant time to focus on one area. What I enjoyed focusing on was business deals and the associated transactional work; that is, implementing ideas. Goosmann Law allows me to focus on helping business leaders win disputes, protect their wealth, and do deals-so they can spend their time on what’s worth it.

A Mentor who has helped the most in my career is…My wife, Kathleen Johnson. Her skills as a former business manager, active listener and life coach are of immeasurable value to my career. Her pragmatic and objective advice often gives me a flash of insight at the least and an entirely new perspective at the most.

Who or what inspires you in your career? What inspires me is injustice. My exposure to both the richness of other cultures, along with the suffering in some of them, ignited a lifetime determination to be an ally, working together and supporting others toward the common purpose of ensuring equality, opportunity, and inclusion for everyone.

Which famous person, dead or alive, would you want to spend the day with? Jesus Christ. I’d love to hang out with him as Father and son. Do some fishing, play disc-golf, take him to lunch, watch him while he’s playing with children. Make it about him.

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What is something you believed early in your career that you don’t believe now? Most of your problems will be a result of thinking when you should be feeling, and vice-versa. Pause, reflect, deliberate, be present. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

What is your management philosophy? Managing by walking around, intending to facilitate improvements in morale, a sense of purpose, productivity, and total quality management of the organization. And showing-rather than merely telling-what to do.

How do you define success personally? Faithfully using the gifts and talents God has given me to serve the common good. Arriving at a state of mind that’s calm, patient, confident about the future, yet not attached to outcomes or desperately struggling to get to my destination.

What do you find appealing about your job? Bountiful opportunity to work for a diverse clientele, with talented, inspirational people, and to continuously evolve my practice of law.

Favorite cause or charity and why? The Native American Rights Fund, because, as set forth in its mission statement, it fights to protect Native American rights, resources, and lifeways through litigation, legal advocacy, and legal expertise.