-Make A Difference-
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can
cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
-
Mother Theresa
“Why
did you start your own practice right out of law school?” is a question I often
get asked by friends, family, and even clients.
There are some obvious answers people are looking to hear, but I believe
they are pleasantly surprised when they hear my first answer. I started my own practice right out of law
school because I want to help people and make a difference in my
community. It may sound like a cliché
answer, but it the honest truth. I am a
lawyer, but that doesn’t mean that I am above people, it means that I have
attained the knowledge that is necessary to help people in their times of
need.
I
was lucky enough to find a partner that believes in this same philosophy. When we first sat down together to start
putting together our business plan, one of the first things that we discussed
was what type of law firm we wanted to be and what type we didn’t. We first started talking about the
experiences we both had had working for other lawyers and discussing what we
wanted to take away from those experiences and what we did not. We both agreed that we didn’t like firms that
treated clients like case numbers, we wanted to actually care about our clients
and advocate on their behalf with the necessary information. We wanted them to feel comfortable coming to
us with any of their legal needs. We
wanted to build a community law firm, a one stop shop in essence, we wanted to
be able to assist them with whatever need that may arise. And if we personally could not help them,
again going back to the importance of networking and building a strong and
reliable network, we wanted to be able to point them in the right direction to
someone who would treat them in the same manner.
From
the inception of our law firm and now in practice with a heavy case load of
clients, we still know our clients first and last names, the name of their
children and the gist of their case. We
don’t have to refer to the case file for basic information. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that we’ve
taken a personal interest in their lives and that we are doing everything in
our power to help them out. So, so far
so good on living out the first mantra of our firm and as long as we continue
to stick to it, I believe we will continue to reach our goals and remain
successful.
I
think it is really important to establish from the beginning what is most
important to you and what you want to be known for in the industry, because it
is the beginning stages of your career and business stature that will stick
with you for a lifetime. If you come out
guns ablaze with no regard for human nature, you will not crawl out of the hole
you’ve dug for yourself for a long time, if ever. Your reputation and your word are what will
determine your success, especially if you’ve decided to go out on your own, so
from the very beginning you’ve got to decide what will propel you and hope that
the world views it positively. I’m lucky
enough to know that each and every day, the work that Taylor and I, and soon our
new hires, produce and put out into the world commands respect, as does each
appearance, meeting, and filing that our firm does.
Whether you decide to go out on your own or
not, remember either way to make a difference.
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