Seward
&
Kissel
never
shies
away
from
bringing
a
little
irreverence
to
its
otherwise
buttoned-up
world.
In
an
era
marked
by
work-from-home
initiatives
and
lateral
turnover,
Seward
&
Kissel
works
to
create
a
culture
that
makes
everyone
happy
to
go
to
work.
Last
week,
the
firm
held
its
annual
Ugly
Sweater
Contest
which
was
less
“office
holiday
party”
and
more
full-scale
production,
complete
with
themed
floor
competitions,
a
coordinated
runway
walk,
and
a
judging
panel
that
included
not
one,
but
five
Steve
Nadels.
Spanning
seven
floors
and
involving
approximately
125
participants,
the
contest
turned
the
firm’s
office
into
a
holiday
runway
show. Each
floor
selected
a
corresponding
song
for
their
grand
entrance,
and
strutted
their
stuff
on
the
catwalk
to
compete
for
top
honors.
From
festive
classics
like
“Jingle
Bells”
to
unexpected
anthems
like
Darth
Vader’s
“Imperial
March”
to
Blasterjaxx/Timmy
Trumpet’s
“Narco.”
The
competition,
coordinated
by
partner
Steve
Nadel,
reached
every
corner
of
the
Seward
&
Kissel
ecosystem,
even
tapping
into
its
unique
connection
to
the
Steve
Nadel
Club
—
a
real-life
network
of
guys
across
the
country
all
named
Steve
Nadel.
Five
Steves
joined
the
judging
panel
virtually
via
Teams.
And
because
Seward
&
Kissel
never
does
anything
halfway,
the
firm
enlisted
Gary
Berger,
audit
partner
from
CohnReznick,
to
serve
as
an
official
auditor
for
the
contest.
Because
S&K
does
its
fun
to
the
hilt.
For
the
second
consecutive
year,
the
19th
floor
emerged
victorious
in
the
“Best
Floor”
category,
with
a
Wicked-themed
presentation.
Associate
and
19th
floor
captain
Jenny
Elberg,
took
“Best
Individual
Outfit”
as
a
green-skinned
Wicked
Witch.
Another
floor
channeled
its
inner
Jack
Sparrow
as
The
Pirate
Ship
(complete
with
Maritime
Group
contributions),
while
the
22nd
floor
was
“Feeling
’22”
with
a
Taylor
Swift
theme.
If
this
all
sounds
delightfully
over-the-top,
that’s
because
it
is.
The
Ugly
Sweater
Contest
has
become
a
hallmark
of
Seward
&
Kissel’s
holiday
season,
embodying
the
firm’s
unique
culture
of
combining
high
standards
with
a
sense
of
fun.
With
themes
growing
more
elaborate
each
year
and
the
stakes
getting
higher,
it’s
clear
that
S&K’s
contest
isn’t
just
about
sweaters
anymore
—
it’s
a
pitch
battle
for
floor
dominance.
And
the
19th
floor
is
building
a
mini-dynasty.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.