Getting to Know: Milan Sova
Milan Sova, an associate at Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney, LLP, is a skilled litigator with a broad-based practice. He has significant experience handling commercial disputes, including securities, civil rights, real estate, and corporate governance matters, and investigations involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Before joining HNRK in January 2024, Milan was an associate at Vinson & Elkins, representing clients at all stages of litigation and investigatory matters in federal and state courts. He is a cum laude graduate of Fordham University School of Law, where he was a notes and articles editor of the Fordham Urban Law Journal. A bit more about Milan follows.
As a women-owned boutique based exclusively in New York, HNRK is a unique place to work. What drew you to the firm?
Having grown up in the Catskills, I put a lot of value on community and having face-to-face interactions with my colleagues. I was drawn by the sense of community and esprit de corps at HNRK, which I think is vital to fostering positive team dynamics and creative lawyering.
How is practicing at HNRK different from your previous law firm experiences at other (larger) firms?
Within the first six months of joining HNRK, I had opportunities to work one-on-one with nearly everyone at the firm. Being able to learn from all of my colleagues and drawing from their perspectives has helped me tackle the variety of interesting but difficult issues we come across at the firm.
What is one lesson that you have found particularly meaningful or helpful in your career so far?
When I lived in Tahoe to check being a snowboard instructor off of my bucket list, I worked as a carpenter’s apprentice during the summer. The carpenter I worked with always told me to “measure twice, cut once.” I use that as a mantra when doing legal work, especially when I find myself in high-pressure situations.
What influenced you to become a litigator?
I graduated from St. Lawrence University with a double major in global studies (cultural studies & political economics) and communications, so I knew that I wanted to work with people but also use my research and writing skills. After spending the first few years after undergrad traveling, I started calling friends and family to learn about their careers to help me decide what career I wanted to pursue. An old family friend who is a lawyer told me that knowing the law is extremely useful if you want to make the world a better place. I ran with that, and now I have the privilege of using my knowledge and skills to help people in difficult situations.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
Both of my parents were in the film industry, and throughout my childhood, I lived in several places, including New York City, L.A., and Prague. I traveled a lot with my parents, and that translated into me having a peripatetic lifestyle in my twenties. My wife and I are avid travelers and, between the two of us, we’ve been to every continent (except Antarctica). We knocked off South America together during our honeymoon in Cartegena.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
My wife and I own my childhood home in the Catskills. Getting up there, even if it is just to do yard work, immediately decreases my cortisol levels by an order of magnitude.