R. Miller Adams, Washington Life Fellow, is currently a managing partner at Pier 70 Ventures and an advisor to SYNIAD Innovations. His career began at a Seattle law firm where he focused on business, sports, and entertainment law and early-stage technology companies. He then moved to Boeing, where he spent a decade as a senior executive developing and managing a broad technology strategy that included both internal technology planning for the Phantom Works business unit and an external enterprise technology acquisition strategy the evolved into the Boeing Global R&D Strategy.
Q: What does being a Fellow mean to you?
A: I am honored to join with many others who share an interest in supporting good research on the impact of the legal profession.
Q: Where do you consider your hometown and what is your favorite thing about it?
A: I was born and raised in Seattle. While I have traveled extensively for work, this has always been my home. One of the many things I like about Seattle is our proximity to both the water and the mountains. On a good travel day, it is possible to get from a rainforest to near-desert conditions in about five hours.
Q: Why did you decide to pursue a career in law?
A: My immediate and extended family includes several attorneys. It was somewhat expected that I would pursue a law degree. This was consistent with my desire to really make a difference in society.
Q: If you hadn’t pursued a career in law, what would you have done?
A: I think I would have pursued a general business management career.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: When I was younger, I was a professional ski instructor, which consumed all my free time. After a serious skiing accident, resulting in leg/knee surgery, I gave up skiing. Now, my free time is spent traveling with my spouse and sharing time with our family golden retriever.
Q: Who is your professional hero?
A: Vernon Jordan. I was able to spend a bit of time with Vernon. I was so impressed by his ability to combine a law career and a business career. I used that as a model for my career