Life at LDM | Attorney Spotlight, David A. Changstrom

David A. Changstrom, Attorney

What is your definition of success?

This is a tough question and I do not have a snappy definition! I think about this a fair amount and my mind has changed many times. Right now, success to me is about being happy with both my outcomes and the means I took to achieve them. At work, that means that I want to both solve our clients’ problems and know that I reached those solutions the right way. At home, success means both that my family is happy, and that I’m giving them 100% regardless of circumstance. Ask me again in 15 years and I’m sure I’ll have a better definition.

What's the most unique part about working at LDM?

I am a teacher’s college graduate and really appreciate the skill that is teaching. It’s hard and it takes a lot of practice! Not everyone is a natural teacher, and not every natural teacher is a teacher by profession. For whatever reason, LDM is filled with people that love and are talented at teaching. You can see and hear this everyday walking around the office. Not every company is like this and this is a real strength of our firm.

What’s one thing — either industry-related or not — you learned in the last month?

The USS Nebraska (SSBN-739) is a nuclear-powered Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine that carries trident missiles armed with nuclear warheads. Her nickname is “Big Red.”

What’s the best advice you can give to someone who is just starting their career?

Your greatest early-career asset is time. You have time to explore what you are good at and interested in. You have time to make mistakes. And you have time to work hard. An aside, it does not feel like it at the time, but there is something special and important about being young and with no idea what you are going to do with your life.

What are you currently reading, listening to or binge-watching?

I recently wrapped up Presumed Innocent, a good show that centers on a criminal prosecution. Currently, I’m watching Andor, a show set in the Star Wars universe, and The Rings of Power, an adaption of the history that preceded The Lord of the Rings. I like to listen to the Odd Lots podcast, in which two hosts have a weekly discussion with a new guest on some economics topic. I am also reading The Wonky Donkey and Good Night, Good Night Construction Site, but exclusively with my one-year-old daughter Quinn near her bedtime.