Firm’s community involvement helps keep clients coming

IMPROVING CLIMATE: David M. Gilden, managing partner at Partridge Snow & Hahn, says the state legislature has done a very good job … in making better tax-policy decisions. / COURTESY PARTRIDGE SNOW & HAHN
IMPROVING CLIMATE: David M. Gilden, managing partner at Partridge Snow & Hahn, says the state legislature has done a very good job … in making better tax-policy decisions. / COURTESY PARTRIDGE SNOW & HAHN

David M. Gilden made his connection with Providence as a Brown University student, then went to Boston to earn his law degree. But Rhode Island had gotten a hold on this Connecticut native. He recalled it as “a bit of an experiment” when he took a chance on the Ocean State as the place where he would settle.
More than 30 years later, the outstanding results of the “experiment” are ingrained in the business landscape of the state. Gilden has represented manufacturers, real estate developers, financial institutions and nearly all sectors of the business community. He has been immersed in the changing environment of the legal profession and along the way, given his time and expertise to many community organizations.
A founding partner of Partridge Snow & Hahn, Gilden is proud of the firm’s accomplishments as it marks its 25th anniversary April.1. But just as important is his enthusiasm for the yearlong 25/25 initiative that gives back to the community.

PBN: Why did you decide to practice in Rhode Island? Did you have a legal specialty in mind?
GILDEN: I graduated from Brown in 1979 and went to Boston for law school, and then I thought it would be interesting to try Providence. I had no connections, except to Brown. At the time, I was thinking more in terms of family life and quality of life. I was interviewing with law firms in Providence and I was very attracted to the people I met at Tillinghast Collins & Graham. It was a great opportunity for me. When I started out as a new associate in a large firm, I did whatever they told me to do. I was hoping to move to commercial real estate as my practice.

PBN: What was the general climate for a legal practice in Rhode Island when you began, as far as establishing yourself? GILDEN: There were a handful of big firms at the time and many smaller firms, and a few of the smaller firms had a practice focused on business. So when we started Partridge Snow & Hahn, we had a business practice and we were heavily focused on banks. … It was a very challenging time, 1988. Federal regulators were beginning to shut down banks across the country. About 1989 they hit New England, so Rhode Island and Massachusetts had several banks closed. On top of that, in 1991, Rhode Island suffered the closing of credit unions that were insolvent. So as a result of all those bank closings, we had several years in a row that some of our biggest clients the year before were no longer in business.

PBN: How did you make up for the loss of those banking clients?
GILDEN: By constantly bringing in new clients. We were very aggressive about our marketing culture. Everyone was expected to be in the community and helping the community. … Part of the firm’s culture has always been community involvement. Every member of the firm has to be involved in at least two community activities.

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PBN: How has the environment for law changed in Rhode Island as you reflect on the firm’s 25th anniversary?
GILDEN: When we started 25 years ago, our goal was to start a different type of law firm that was small and that concentrated in commercial law and focused on client service. … We all face much more competition now. There’s more competition for clients outside our state borders.

PBN: Considering the sometimes negative comments made about the business climate in Rhode Island, what is your overall sense of how business is done in the state? GILDEN: The business climate in Rhode Island affects the decisions our clients make about expansion. They generally look for predictability, especially with respect to taxes. The General Assembly has actually done a very good job over the past three or four years in making better tax-policy decisions and sticking to [them], so the tax policy becomes more predictable and that helps our clients very much.

PBN: How have expectations of your clients changed over the past 25 years?
GILDEN: They expect us to have expertise in the area they need us for. Twenty-five years ago, it was more about, you’re a lawyer so you can go figure out the issue. If we don’t have the expertise, they may go elsewhere, possibly out of state. We have expertise in insurance, for instance, but if someone was looking for expertise in sports law, to represent an individual athlete or a team, they might go to New York or Boston.

PBN: As the firm marks its 25th anniversary, what’s ahead?
GILDEN: We’ve run out of space in the building on South Main where we’ve been for 23 years and we’re moving into larger space in the Textron Building. … And to celebrate our 25 years, we’re focusing on doing what’s important, giving back to the community with our 25/25 initiative. Every month this year, we’re donating 25 things. We kicked it off by donating 25 coats to Children’s Friend. We took 25 members of a youth orchestra to see the Rhode Island Philharmonic. We want the community to be part of the celebration. •INTERVIEW
David M. Gilden
POSITION: Managing partner, Partridge Snow & Hahn
BACKGROUND: Gilden has more than 30 years of experience representing national and regional financial institutions in asset-based, working capital and other credit facilities. He began his career with Tillinghast Collins & Graham. He was one of eight founding partners of Partridge Snow & Hahn in 1988. Gilden regularly serves as counsel in commercial real estate transactions involving acquisition and development financing, as well as construction lending for substantial projects.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in political science, Brown University, 1979; J.D., Boston University, 1982
First job: Worked in his father’s retail jewelry store in New Haven, Conn.
Residence: Cumberland
Age: 55

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