Otis, Bedingfield & Peters lawyers: Better together

Otis, Bedingfield & Peters is the result of merging firms, attorneys and expertise.

Member Jeff Bedingfield described one of the firm’s strengths as a culmination of complementary talent, which has caused it to grow organically. Rather than bringing other attorneys onboard, Otis, Bedingfield & Peters has relied on the reputation each of its five partners has brought to the company.

“We’ve also been extremely fortunate to hire associates of high quality,” Bedingfield said. “Our regional focus has attracted both quality associates and clients.”

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Ways the firm has continued to maintain and grow a strong presence include supporting local organizations and causes.

“There are some fine attorneys in Northern Colorado,” he said, “but we’ve earned business that might otherwise have gone out of the area by a lot of involvement in the community.”

Otis, Bedingfield & Peters stresses that community involvement internally. Groups such as the American Cancer Society, Weld Food Bank and Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland chambers of commerce have benefited from the practice.  The firm also provides an average of 50 hours of pro bono service per attorney each year.

In addition to bringing together a collection of attorneys with a wealth of experience, Otis, Bedingfield & Peters puts a lot of attention into bringing on and supporting high-quality staff.  “The No. 1 reason for our success is because we hire good people and expect a high standard of business ethics in how they deal with clients and with each other,” Bedingfield said. 

The firm works to keep team members at the top of their game in a variety of ways, with positive interactions and encouragements topping the list.

“We meet with each associate quarterly and monthly with all staff as well as have social functions several times a year,” he added. “A lot has to do with how you work with people on a daily basis. We make sure to acknowledge accomplishments and stay actively involved in our employees’ lives.”

Mentoring associates also ranks high for the firm. “If there’s a better way of doing something,” Bedingfield said, “we bring it up and explain why it’s better.”

The focus includes stressing the need to deal with other attorneys and clients respectfully and making sure to teach associates how to best do that.

“A great example is if there is a relatively new associate who has a difficult attorney on the other side, we talk about how to constructively deal with the other attorney,” Bedingfield said. “It’s important to keep in mind that you’re there to accomplish something for the client rather than getting caught up in the difficulty.”

Keeping personal egos out of interactions goes a long way in continuing to meet and surpass client expectations, Bedingfield said. “You sometimes have to be willing to lose a small battle in the process of an overall project.”