To be clear, we didn't write that—Lord Alfred Tennyson did. But if we're going to build a legal team from some cherrypicked lines of centuries-old poetry, those last few lines of Ulysses are a good place to start.

Let us tell you about how we strive, seek, find, and don't yield.

How we're organized

I (Dustyn) am not one for formalities or tradition. On the one hand, maybe this wasn't the best profession for me.

• On the other, maybe that's why I am supposed to be a criminal-appeals lawyer and law-firm owner.

Even though this profession binds me to a lot of formality I don't really care for, there's a lot I get to do with this firm that's quite a bit different. One way I've build this firm different is the organizational structure. I don't like hierarchies or silos or "not my job"-ism. I like collaboration and activity. So here's how our firm is structured:

Most of the behind the scenes probably doesn't interest you any, but the one thing I want you to see is the very middle of the honeycomb. Client care is at the center of everything we do.

Client care is everyone's job here.

Can't say that we always execute perfectly (hey, we're human too), but we always try to keep our clients right there in the center of our attention and efforts.

What we look for on our team

You probably want the people handling your case to be here for a reason. I do too. That's why we have a standardized operating procedure for who even gets to work here in the first place. Here's what our SOP says about who can work here:

1. Unfailing empathy. You cannot do a good job with the kind of work we do if you can’t put yourself in the client’s or their family’s shoes. You just can’t.
2. Creativity. We solve problems. If there’s a straightforward solution, it’s not really that big of a problem. To be successful at solving thorny problems, it requires some creativity.
3. Good decision-making. The people who haven’t worked out at Coontz Law have made questionable decisions, even though those decisions weren’t wrong or contrary to our values, per se. But poor discretion is often a symptom of not exhibiting Veritas or Ownership, and it can frequently lead away from Results.
4. Resilience. The single most important thing that has made for a great team member is that they’ve persevered through something hard.

To scratch Dustyn's surface, this bit from Walt Whitman might help frame things:

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

Dustyn is full of what appear to be contradictions, but his varying interests and characteristics are all very coherently one thing: Dustyn. For instance,

• He believes in good governance and revolution.
• He is a pragmatic romantic.
• He loves a good shortcut and to take the hard way.
• He identifies with "the least of these" and the upper crust (but rarely the majority in the middle).
• He's an old soul who never grew up.
• His face and voice are typically quite qualm; inside him, a storm of ideas and passions rage.

The man won't even give a straightforward website biography because getting to know him is different than getting to know about him. But for those who are interested in knowing about him, here we go:

He's a Christian. It's important enough to him to list this first, but he's not overly sanctimonious about it. There will be no evangelizing accompanying your legal work. It's important for you to know simply because it informs the fact that we at Coontz Law welcome and serve all. Some (white American evangelical) Christians seem to take an opposite approach, but Dustyn's faith is one of openness and acceptance.

Beyond that, he's the lucky husband of Stephanie, proud dad of Lily (the human), and sometimes-proud-but-always-tolerant dad of Archie (the dog). He's a Detroit Lions megafan, and not the sort that have come out of the woodwork the last couple of years. He likes playing hockey, lifting weights, gardening in the greenhouse, and helping with Lily's sports teams.

We're working on getting a fuller bio for Ashton. Here's what we can tell you right off the bat: she's a brilliant lawyer and a joy to talk to. More info to come.

We're working on getting a fuller bio for Lovely. Here's what we can tell you right off the bat: she lives up to her name. She's also one of the hardest working and most diligent people we know. She's an absolutely incredible asset to the team. More info to come.

We're working on getting a fuller bio for Mylene. Here's what we can tell you right off the bat: she is a champion for our clients. She takes the lead on our second-chance cases because they are so detail-intensive, and no detail is too small for her. She'll make sure that our paperwork is in order before it goes out the door. More info to come.