by Rosemarie Yu
Alexander “Sander” Coxe has hit the right notes, both professionally and personally. For many years, Sander has been Director of Marketing and Communications for Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP (BLB&G), a mid-sized law firm that prosecutes shareholder litigation on behalf of many of the largest asset managers, public pension funds and institutional investors in the world.
Away from his day job, Sander is a singer/songwriter. He and his bandmates - givingTribe – released their first CD last spring and celebrated at a benefit show they created to raise money for Justice for Vets – www.justiceforvets.org.
Sander has been a longtime loyal member of NYLMA, serving on the Communications Committee and speaking on panels. He frequently writes our Member Spotlight column. This time we focus the spotlight on Sander Coxe.
Sander, where are you from?
I am a product of America’s birthplace – Philadelphia, PA. As painful as it is, I am a diehard fan of all Philadelphia sports teams. And yes, living amongst Rangers, Giants and Mets fans is excruciating.
How did you get started in legal marketing?
My parents encouraged me to go to college. I split my university years between Connecticut College and Dickinson College from where I graduated. With ample experience painting houses and working in restaurants, I was now well equipped to paint houses and work in restaurants. I went home to Philadelphia after school and tried to find a work path that would make my not-inexpensive education (well, cheap by today’s standards) worthwhile when I got out.
A friend got me a job as a paralegal, which paid some bills. I got married and lived in Chicago for four years, doing paralegal work. When I moved to New York 17 years ago, I started working as a paralegal at Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann (BLB&G), and the person who had been building its marketing template left. I told management I was interested in the role and they gave me a chance. I got on well with the founding partner who patiently mentored me through my ups and many downs learning the game. I had to acquire some new skills, and I realized I was not so bad at much of this. I love the communications part of it in particular, working with reporters, developing relationships and helping shape the news in our space. I love words, and writing and the process of crafting a message.
Tell us about BLB&G?
The cornerstone of the firm’s practice is securities fraud litigation representing major institutional money – public pension funds, asset managers, mutual funds, hedge funds, insurance companies, and the like. When something goes wrong at one of their portfolio companies and the stock drops precipitously, we help identify the nature of the claim if there is a violation of the securities laws, and advise them on what action to take in order to recover their often significant losses.
We also have a very talented team that prosecutes corporate governance litigation, which challenges improper transactions, activities and management practices, checking overreach and self-dealing in the C-suite. It is at heart shareholder activism and our cases have worked to increase market transparency, hold wrongdoers accountable and improve corporate conduct. When we think there’s something amiss, we seek to protect the shareholder franchise.
There’s been plenty of fraud in the past 16 years that has had a huge negative impact on shareholders – and all our 401ks. Large shareholders, by virtue of their significant ownership stake, are in a position to check and change bad corporate behavior – often in ways that the government just cannot do.
Is it tough working for a plaintiff’s firm when so many of your NYLMA colleagues work for the defense bar?
At first I felt like a fish out of water because I seemed to have a bit different set of priorities than they do. Then I began to see the parallels in what we all do. I now have many wonderful friends in the LMA; it gave me access to great people whom I wouldn’t be able to meet otherwise. Now I love being the ant at their picnic, and they make fun of me too. I enjoy when my firm is up against my friends’ firms. We sometimes generate a little catty correspondence.
All right, tell me about your music. Did you perform professionally before you entered the legal field? Was paralegal your “day job” that evolved into a full time legal marketing job?
Ha! I never made much money playing so I wouldn’t call it “professional” – just had a few bands and big dreams with my buddies. I am always writing songs but recently have had more time and have gotten back to recording. It’s therapeutic. Everybody has their happy and difficult times and writing songs is one of the ways I figure out how to get through my life experiences. Putting words and melodies together is a fulfilling process. I am not a talented or gifted musician, but I’m a passionate one. I know I have to do it or I’d go truly off the rails – as opposed to being the garden variety neurotic that my friends and colleagues know.
What's the deal with your band? Is it a rotating group of players?
We’re a few friends who all need to cut loose from time to time. It began as a studio project – I had a bunch of songs that I wanted to document with my friend and tremendous producer Sean Gill – and we realized we were really making a record. My best buddy Tom Freeman (Director of Communications at Cooley) is an extraordinary piano player and songwriter and became integral to the sound. We were all enjoying the material, so we shared it with some friends, got mostly good responses and now we just give it as much time, love and energy as we can. And we are trying to make it a force for something positive too.
In April, we made our CD release party (does anybody even have a CD player anymore?) a fundraiser for a terrific charity close to our hearts – Justice for Vets – www.justiceforvets.org. Check them out – they are doing critical work helping our vets try to readjust to civilian life. Todd Rengel, another great friend whom I met through legal marketing (his company is my firm’s web developer), is a phenomenal drummer and he played that show with us. 
LMA – and LFMP – have been critical to meeting some of the great people in my NYC life. So thanks for that. We’re working on a second record and planning some shows and our songs are available on the web – Spotify, iTunes etc. – wherever people get music. And you can listen at our website - givingTribe – www.givingtribemusic.com - “Hands That Feed” is the first album. More to come there.
Thank you, Sander, for sharing your story.