On January 29, iconic designer Steve Madden spoke to a packed Jacob Burns Moot Court Room to share advice to young lawyers and discuss how he got started in the shoe business. 

The event was sponsored by The FAME Center, an affiliate of Cardozo's Intellectual Property & Information Law Program and offers students unique access to companies and professionals throughout the fashion, arts, media and entertainment industries. The Center’s director, Professor Barbara Kolsun, introduced Steve Madden Ltd.’s general counsel Lisa Keith, who interviewed Madden. 

Madden and Keith spoke about the importance of being creative, whether someone is a shoe designer or a lawyer, and they emphasized that creativity is not limited to artistic fields. 

“Steve always says that everyone can be creative, and I really like that,” Keith said. 

Madden went on to say that he thinks that the best lawyers aren’t afraid to be creative, saying that litigators, arbitrators, criminal defense attorneys and even divorce lawyers who are able to think outside the box when solving complex legal problems are those who end up most successful. 

Clips from the documentary Maddman: The Steve Madden Story (2017) were shown at the beginning of the event, which discussed his time in jail after working with Jordan Belfort, best known as the “Wolf of Wall Street,” and the events of which were later made into a film by Martin Scorsese in 2013. Madden discussed his time in prison and how it has impacted his view on life. Since his release in 2005, Madden said he believes in the importance of second chances. He revealed that many people don’t know that his company makes it a point to hire formerly incarcerated people. 

“We have many great success stories,” Madden said. “Many guys who have made a mistake and have been given a second chance.” 

He also gave advice for the future lawyers in the room, reminding them about the value of hard work and how important it is to have all kinds of experiences when starting your career. 

“You’ve really got to learn,” Madden said. “If you want to be in private practice, work for a great law firm for a bunch of years or work for a smaller firm and really learn the daily grind of what it is to be a lawyer, a good lawyer, that’s invaluable. A lot of people don’t do that. It seems to me that they’re not doing it. I started as a stockboy, sweeping the basement before they let me sell shoes. By the time I got into business, I had done every job in the shoe business.” 

At the end of his and Keith’s conversation, Madden took audience questions on topics such as the metaverse, dupes and being copied, being portrayed in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), A.I. in the fashion industry and how he and Keith collaborate professionally. 

Those interested can watch the full conversation on Cardozo’s YouTube channel here.