Michael R. Caplan

NEWS & INSIGHTS

• July 20, 2026 Firm News
  "Lowenstein’s Managing Partner Jonathan C. Wishnia, Litigation Chair Christopher Porrino, and COO Michael R. Caplan Included on NJBIZ’s 2026 Law Power List"
  Jonathan C. Wishnia, Christopher Porrino, Michael R. Caplan
• June 8, 2026 In the Media
  

  In Law.com’s column ‘How I Made Law Firm Leadership,’ Lowenstein Chief Operating Officer Michael R. Caplan discusses his approach to the business of law, emphasizing his “focus on the firm’s culture and mostly, their people.” He adds: “Every firm is different. Creating relationships of trust is paramount to long-term success.” Caplan describes Lowenstein as a place “where everyone should be part of an overall plan. Lowenstein engages the ‘firm’ and ensures that doors are always open for all members of the Lowenstein team when it comes to understanding and participating in both the short and long-term strategy for our collective success. That is why we truly believe in the ‘One Lowenstein ethos.’” (subscription required to access article)

• June 2, 2026 In the Media
  

  Lowenstein Chief Operating Officer Michael R. Caplan is interviewed on the podcast The Lawyer’s Edge about his career, current role, and how his approach to the business of law is different from that of the typical law firm COO. Emphasizing the importance of relationships, Caplan describes how his experience as a client has enhanced his understanding of law firm operations, and how he integrates the knowledge of Lowenstein’s business professionals into how the firm serves its clients. “It truly is a full-service relationship model that ultimately leads to revenue and profitable revenue,” he says.
   
  In addition to his traditional COO responsibilities, Caplan frequently works directly with clients. “My lawyers bring me to the table as a subject matter expert in matter management solutions, electronic billing solutions, contract management solutions, e-discovery solutions,” he says.  “First and foremost, I’m here to serve the leadership of my firm. But at the same time, as a businessperson and as somebody who thinks about profitability and growth and revenue and how we could differentiate, the experience [I have] adds a ton of value today.” 
   
  Caplan concludes: “We all have to understand that we are still in a client service business. We're here to make our clients successful. We're here to help our clients think differently and holistically about what they need to do differently. We are not just here to provide the legal service for the specific matter, but we're here to build a relationship.” 
  
  

• April 6, 2026 In the Media
  

  "I'm excited. I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and start working,” says Lowenstein Sandler’s new Chief Financial Officer, Stephanie Godfrey, in an interview with Law360. Godfrey has over 20 years of experience in financial project management, technology implementation, and redesigning organizational data analytics, most recently at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Michael R. Caplan, the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, adds that Godfrey is a perfect fit for Lowenstein as it continues to grow because she “really align[s] well with what we're looking to do with the firm going forward.” The news is also reported in Bloomberg Law, BINJE, and NJBIZ. (subscription required to access some articles)  

• March 25, 2026 Events & Speaking Engagements
  Managing Your Legal Career Like a Business: Strategy, Visibility & Long-Term Success, Corporate Counsel Women of Color Conference, Washington, D.C.
• March 5, 2026 In the Media
  

  Silicon Valley Business Journal reports on Lowenstein Sandler’s plans to open another Bay Area office location in San Francisco, complementing its 14-year long presence in Palo Alto. “What the San Francisco office also does is it solidifies our presence in California and how we attract talent,” says Michael R. Caplan, the firm’s Chief Operating Officer. He adds: “We have really good practices and highly educated people where the work is just building. Attracting talent becomes a contagious part of that success.” Caplan also discusses the firm’s 18.45 percent increase in revenue this past year; its recruitment efforts in the areas of emerging companies and venture capital law, investment management, fund formation, hedge fund, private equity, litigation, and M&A; and its new leadership structure. (subscription required to access article)

• August 28, 2025 Firm News
  "Lowenstein COO Michael R. Caplan Honored with NJBIZ Executive Excellence Award"
  Michael R. Caplan
• July 21, 2025 Firm News
  "Lowenstein’s Litigation Chair Christopher Porrino and COO Michael R. Caplan Included on NJBIZ’s 2025 Law Power List"
  Christopher Porrino, Michael R. Caplan
• April 8-11, 2025 In the Media
  

  Washington Business Journal reports that Lowenstein Sandler is growing its footprint at 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. “The firm will expand into the building’s seventh floor next year,” says Zarema A. Jaramillo, managing partner of the firm’s D.C. office. Jaramillo says the D.C. office has more than doubled its headcount in the last five years, and has made lateral hires across its data privacy and cybersecurity, fintech, ECVC, global trade and national security, and private client services practice groups.
  
  The news is also highlighted in Law360 Pulse, citing the firm’s expansion to accommodate its growing D.C. team and strategic growth plans. Jaramillo notes the team is “at capacity” in its current space and emphasizes the plans to double headcount, stating, “We absolutely need to grow and expand our footprint and the real estate which we occupy.” Lowenstein Chief Operating Officer Michael R. Caplan explains the decision to remain in the current building, calling it “a beautiful building in a great location,” and stresses that “D.C. is where we need to be” as part of the firm’s national growth strategy.

  The story also appears on Bisnow.

• November 7, 2024 In the Media
  

  In Alexander Group’s Five Questions With Extraordinary Leaders, Lowenstein Chief Operating Officer Michael R. Caplan discusses his leadership style, how the business of law is evolving, and the firm’s strategic plan for future growth. Caplan says: “Recently, we’ve been focused on a strategic plan that leverages the business of law to serve our clients, our colleagues, and our communities. We are looking at lateral partner hiring, innovative technology and solutions, data and business intelligence, cross-selling, conflicts…and we are looking at these elements in new ways. This approach will enable the firm to grow, be competitive, and STAY competitive—not only in our tier-one practices but across all of our different groups from a cross-selling, collaborative perspective."
  
  Caplan’s advice to future COOs is to “get to know people, build relationships, learn the firm, go on a listening tour, get on airplanes, go to different offices, make sure you work out a lot because you’re going to have a lot of meals and a lot of coffee, but listen and learn. If you really truly want to be successful at the job of the COO, you have to build trust with your partners. And then you also have to build trust with your team under you, so that they will embrace you as the COO and keep you in the loop.” He adds: “The other piece of advice I would give is you’ve got to understand the financials…If you don’t understand the numbers of a law firm, it’s very hard to be a COO.”

• October 16, 2024 Events & Speaking Engagements
  Fifth Annual Outside Counsel Guidelines Roundtable, Sandpiper Partners, New York, NY
• October 1, 2024 Events & Speaking Engagements
  Navigating AI in the Practice of Law, Bloomberg Law, New York, NY
• September 24, 2024 In the Media
  

  Lowenstein Chief Operating Officer Michael R. Caplan is featured in Bloomberg Law’s article on the increasingly client-facing role of COOs at law firms. Caplan says, “I am a business-oriented COO, and I have a client perspective,” adding that he spends approximately 30 percent of his time “on client-facing initiatives, like strategic pricing and cross-selling services of other practices.”

• September 4, 2024 Events & Speaking Engagements
  Starting, Building & Managing a Legal Ops Function for Success: The GC’s Perspective, LegalOps.com, Las Vegas, NV
• September 4, 2024 Events & Speaking Engagements
  Transforming Your Legal Supply Chain into a Competitive Advantage, LegalOps.com, Las Vegas, NV
• September 4, 2024 Firm News
  "Lowenstein Receives High Ranking in The American Lawyer’s 2024 Midlevel Associates Tech Survey"
  Michael R. Caplan,
• July 23, 2024 Firm News
  "NJBIZ Ranks Lowenstein’s Christopher Porrino, Michael Caplan, and Elie Honig on its 2024 Law Power 50 List"
  Christopher Porrino, Michael R. Caplan
• July 8, 2024 In the Media
  

  Bloomberg Law interviews Lowenstein Chair and Managing Partner Gary M. Wingens and Chief Operating Officer Michael R. Caplan about the firm’s strategic plan for substantial growth in both headcount and AI-enhanced productivity over the next few years. Wingens believes that innovative use of AI will eventually “allow firms to do more work with fewer lawyers. A 500-lawyer firm by the end of the decade could have the productive capacity of a firm that’s three or four times larger today."
  
  Caplan tells Bloomberg that the management team, including new Chief Innovation & Information Officer Jared Kaplan and Chief Administrative Officer Mauren Naughton, aims to maintain “a culture that people really believe in and buy into, not only about the firm, but about how it’s led, how it’s managed, what sectors and businesses are a key focus, how we’re attracting talent. That requires firm leaders to clearly communicate growth and other goals to lawyers and staff.”

• July 8, 2024 In the Media
  

  Law360 reports on the addition of two new members to Lowenstein Sandler’s senior management team: Maureen Naughton, Chief Administrative Officer, and Jared Kaplan, Chief Innovation & Information Officer, whom firm Chief Operating Officer Michael R. Caplan says will play an integral part of role in the firm's expansion plans. Naughton, who previously worked with Caplan at another law firm, says "I'm very excited to work with Mike again and to welcome Jared. It's a … time filled with growth and new ideas and innovation." Kaplan adds that he is “focused on assessing the firm's technology suite for potential improvements to usability, reliability and security.” ROI-NJ, Law.com, and New Jersey Business Magazine also announced the new hires. 

• April 16, 2024 Firm News
  "Lowenstein Sandler Launches Custom GPT Chatbot"
  Mark P. Kesslen, Michael R. Caplan
• April 16-19, 2024 In the Media
  

  Law360 reports on the launch of Lowenstein AI, a chatbot to help external users navigate the firm's website. Mark P. Kesslen, Chair of Lowenstein's Intellectual Property group, says: “Our firm's decades-long focus on the technology sector gives us unparalleled experience in guiding clients through uncharted regulatory landscapes in disruptive industries like crypto, fintech and now AI. Our new chatbot illustrates that at our firm, we practice what we preach: we not only advise companies on leveraging cutting edge technology to their advantage, but we strategically employ that technology ourselves." Kevin Iredell, Lowenstein Sandler's Chief Marketing Officer, adds: “We are thrilled to be leading the charge as one of the first major law firms in the country to implement generative AI to help clients and other website users efficiently find the targeted  answers they seek or the specific lawyers they want to contact.” 

  Law.com also quotes Lowenstein's Chief Operating Officer Michael Caplan, who says: "We understand our clients’ objectives and challenges regarding AI technology because we are immersed in it ourselves; therefore, we are ideally suited to counsel companies who want to harness the potential of this groundbreaking technology."