A new generation of business takes a new generation of leadership. That underlying principal has led to a changing of the guard at Encino law firm Greenberg & Bass. James R. Felton, who joined the firm in 1991, has been elected managing partner, taking over those responsibilities from Arthur A. Greenberg who held the post since he founded the firm with Robert D. Bass in 1984. “It’s time,” said Greenberg, 53. “The roots have to extend to the next generation. It gives us a chance to be a business that will last for a while.” Greenberg will continue his asset protection and insolvency practice. Felton, who heads the firm’s litigation practice group, has been a partner with Greenberg & Bass since 1997. His areas of practice have included business, commercial and real estate litigation, alternative dispute resolution and insolvency related matters. An immediate past president of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, Felton also serves as a trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and a delegate to the American Bar Association. He also serves as an arbitrator, mediator and temporary judge for the Los Angeles Superior Court, and he is a mediator for the United State Bankruptcy Court. Among his numerous community and pro bono endeavors, Felton is co-chair of the leadership development division of the Jewish Federation and he serves as pro bono counsel for The Alliance for Children’s Rights. “I think the managing partner has to really look at the big picture as opposed to being focused on specific tasks,” said Felton, whose appointment was effective January 1. “The idea is you’re looking out for the future of the firm.” When he founded Greenberg & Bass, managing the business of law was different, Greenberg said. “While it was always a business, the business issues were easier. Now there are malpractice insurance issues, health insurance issues, spiraling wages. You didn’t face those when we started our practice years ago,” Greenberg noted. Felton’s role will be to lead the practice’s next generation of attorneys and to help shape a framework for the future, he said. “I think it’s really trying to show all of the other lawyers in this firm that it doesn’t have to always remain the same, and growth only happens when you recognize other people have to be put in leadership positions.” Felton plans to continue with his current practice along with his added management duties. “I’m going to have to find a balance that allows me to be an effective lawyer for my clients, but make sure the firm’s management stays as strong as it always has been,” he said. — Shelly Garcia
