Mike Quinn
ARTS AND CULTURE LAWYER AND FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER, P.A.I.N
WHAT IS YOUR CALLING CARD?
People say my hair makes an impression. I think it is just a function of having to cancel a lot of haircuts because of last-minute work emergencies.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
As an attorney in art and culture, I frequently work on difficult negotiations. But I’ve never felt the need to act like a bulldog—it’s just not me. Being collegial and funny goes a lot further. That doesn’t mean I’m a pushover—I advocate for my clients.
“"As an attorney in art and culture, I frequently work on difficult negotiations. But I’ve never felt the need to act like a bulldog—it’s just not me. Being collegial and funny goes a lot further."”
WHAT’S COMING UP FOR YOU IN 2024?
I’ve been deeply involved in the legal battle against Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family since 2020. It started a few years earlier, when I was representing Nan Goldin in her brilliant activism against the Sackler family in museums and cultural institutions. Currently, I am waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court on whether the Sacklers can exploit a loophole in the bankruptcy system to avoid accountability for their role in the opioid crisis. The pivotal decision will fundamentally shape how easily corporate shareholders and decision makers can evade responsibility for bad and harmful decisions. I hope the court sides with us and closes this nasty loophole once and for all.
WHAT’S ONE BOOK, WORK OF ART, ALBUM, OR FILM THAT GOT YOU THROUGH AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE?
For me, it’s Don Quixote. I loved all of the King Arthur tales during my school years—Edmund Spenser, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and the like. The chivalry! The righteous fight! But encountering Miguel de Cervantes’s satire completely upended my universe. I found it exhilarating. A clever perspective is invaluable in times of adversity.
in your life?
