On September 24, James Mizgala spoke with Law360 Pulse about his role as incoming Tucker Ellis managing partner – succeeding longtime managing partner Joe Morford effective January 1, 2026 – and his views on the firm’s future.

When asked about his vision for Tucker Ellis, James said, “My goal is to continue building on the firm’s strong foundation by ensuring we remain a place where talented professionals want to practice law, grow their careers and serve our clients at the highest level. That’s one reason I’m spending so much time talking to individuals, because I want to foster more collaboration across our 11 offices so we can deliver even better service to clients nationwide and maintain our incredible collegial culture.”

Looking to the future, James spoke about opportunities presented by artificial intelligence.

“We’re preparing to announce that we’ve taken the dive and are bringing in an AI platform; that’s one of the projects I’ve been working on since early this year. Information governance is another area I’ve been working on, making sure we’re safeguarding our clients’ information in this day and age.”

In closing, James added, “I left a large firm nine years ago and joined Tucker Ellis, and I tell people it was the best career decision I’ve ever made. I’m so happy and proud to be part of this organization. I sometimes pinch myself. I’m humbled and proud that my partners have faith in me to do this.”

The full interview is available by subscription on the Law360 website here.