Cathy Cowin | Fresno Business Lawyer

• California State Bar Association | Member
• Fresno County Women's Chamber of Commerce Member
  2008 - 2010

• Top Contributor Avvo
  2020

The cases I've worked on in the past year where we were able to negotiate a settlement that didn't involve huge court fees, saved relationships, prevented businesses from going into bankruptcy, and took pressure off families are the ones that were the most meaningful to me.

Building a successful practice is hinged on clients feeling like they are important, like they are family, and like their case matters as much to you as it does to them.

Clients should look for a lawyer that listens and makes them feel heard. A client should feel like they have hired someone that will partner with them to achieve their goals and is willing to honestly tell them when they need to look at a different path. Two lawyers with the same billing rate can also bill very differently with one being generous with their time and the other looking for ways to spend time on the file so there can be vastly different values between those lawyers with the same hourly rates.

Local knowledge is tremendously important in cases. Sometimes a lawyer needs to become an expert in your business area in order to do the best possible job on the case. Continually learning about new things is one of the fun sides of lawyering. Having existing knowledge and a good reference base is particularly helpful in agricultural cases in my practice. Specialty knowledge relating to farming can help with asking good questions, saving attorney research time, and even help with discovering that important detail that makes all the difference in the outcome of the case. In crop insurance arbitrations, good farming practices may become an issue and so understanding the particular crop becomes important.

A free phone consultations allows me the opportunity to hear the details of the case and evaluate if I'm the right attorney to best help the client. Spending some time understanding the matter up front allows a better understanding of what goals are achievable, a general understanding of probable legal expenses, and whether the attorney-client relationship is a good fit. If representation is needed, I hope to leave the client with a clear understanding of the next steps and what to expect from my office.

In a free phone consultation, the first step is often a conflicts check. Clients are often unaware that an attorney that has previously represented others involved in a prior dispute will be unable to represent them in their current matter. If the conflicts check is passed, the most important piece of information I want to leave a first meeting with is the client's goal. That often doesn't become clear until later in the discussion, after a clear understanding of the facts involved in the problem. It is often helpful if the client sends documents prior to the meeting (e.g. the contract, photos, etc.) so that I already know a little before the call. Most clients don't have a timeline or detailed fact statement, but when they do, it's invaluable.

I don't run a big office that has to pay big overhead but I've been in practice a long while and have years of legal experience to draw upon. Not having huge overhead means that you might not be impressed with the brass elevator or a big carved wood desk, but that's okay if you're impressed with how I handle your case. Other lawyers in the community have minimum billing requirements from their law firm. Being a solo attorney allows me freedom in my billing and keeping client economics in mind.

The most rewarding aspect of my job on the litigation side is helping people find resolutions to their problems. That might sound obvious, but what this means is that they exit our relationship with a huge weight off their shoulders. I love it when I can empower them to achieve conflict resolutions. I also enjoy the challenge of applying my background in organizational psychology and conflict resolution to negotiation. On the transactional side of my practice, the most fun and rewarding aspect of my job is when I can work with a new business and put the pieces together to set them up for success or find ways for existing businesses to achieve new goals. This pulls in skills from my M.B.A.

When I'm not practicing law, I teach a women's Bible study at my church and play synthesizers in the church contemporary band. This cross-pollinates my love of music as a classically trained pianist with my undergrad degree in computer systems because I create unique computer-driven soundscapes for modern worship.

My husband and I give back to our community primarily through our church. I teach a women's Bible study and have mentored college women. My husband is heavily involved in missions and community outreach, including a food pantry and a partnership with an organization seeking to eliminate sex trafficking in the central valley. I particularly love working with women new to faith that are coming out of addictions and other negative life situations.