Paul Link Interview with Springfield Business Journal

Five Questions: Paul Link E-MAIL PRINT REPRINTS SAVE SHARE       ARTICLE TOOLS SPONSORED BY by Jeremy Elwood - Reporter NO COMMENTS Paul Link joined the Branson office of Carnahan, Evans, Cantwell & Brown PC on Sept. 24, after earlier in the month leaving the position of Branson's city attorney. Link had been with the city since 2005. Q: Tell me about your professional history. A: I graduated from law school at University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1996. Being a longtime Springfield resident, I wanted to get back here. I came back and went into private practice with several different firms, and I ended up with Lathrop & Gage in Springfield. They do a lot of work for the city of Branson, and when the city was looking for a new attorney, they looked to Lathrop & Gage. Lathrop wanted someone from Springfield to put in for the job, to keep that business relationship open, and I took the job in December 2005. Q: What prompted you to return to private practice? A: It was a mutual decision. There was a change in mayor - Lou Schaefer was defeated by Raeanne Presley - and five of the six aldermen that were there when I was hired are not there anymore. There's a different philosophy within the city as far as growth and development deals, and I think they wanted to go a different direction with staff that they hired. When you're in any job that is political in nature, when people change offices, there is change that goes with that. Q: What was the biggest issue you dealt with as city attorney? A: Growth. In my time with Branson, it was a time of tremendous growth in the city. I was there during the completion of the Branson Landing, the Branson Convention Center, finalized all the work with the Branson Hills project, and I worked on the agreements for the new airport opening in May 2009. It was a fun time to be with the city, and I got to be a part of very large deals. Q: What's the biggest difference between public and private sector law? A: As a municipal attorney, you are the lawyer for that entity - I'm there to answer any legal questions that may come up during the day, and I'm not keeping track of time. I would advise elected and appointed officials on all matters - everything from ordinance language and contracts to offering advice on various taxing districts available for developers. In private practice, I might represent 20 different clients on various matters throughout the day - sending a demand letter, appearing in court, representing a developer on a specific deal. That (variety) appealed to me. Q: Tell me about your family and hobbies. A: My wife, Katy, and I have been married for 16 years. Katy is the underwriting manager for Cox HealthPlans in Springfield. We have four kids - Andrew is 3, Lauren is 5, Elizabeth is 7, and Adam is 10 - and they keep us very busy. I coach Mighty Mites, soccer, basketball, baseball, and then the girls are in gymnastics and cheerleading - it seems like we're gone every night with a kids' function. As for hobbies, I enjoy playing golf, and I enjoy softball. Interview by Jeremy Elwood. -- http://www.bransonedge.com http://www.bransonmissouri.blogspot.com