147: Brian Gurwitz of The Law Office of Brian Gurwitz, APC discusses transitioning from Government Law to being a Lawpreneur

Brian Gurwitz of The Law Office of Brian Gurwitz, APC is a certified criminal law specialist. Brian has been an attorney for 20 years. He was a deputy district attorney in Orange County for 13 years, where he prosecuted numerous high-profile case, and then went into private practice in 2007. In addition to trying more than 50 cases, Brian has argued four cases in the California Supreme Court and more than a dozen cases in the Court of Appeal that have resulted in published decisions.

Listen to the podcast

Fail fast to succeed faster

• Hear Brian describe how after leaving the District Attorney’s office he discovered that working in a Civil Law firm wasn’t as much fun as he was expecting as a law geek.  He is grateful to know that he won’t have to wonder in the future if that would have been a fulfilling pathway for him.

Tell us something good

• Brian tells us that he had two different residential burglary cases dismissed, one of those the DA dismissed the case in the middle of the trial when the evidence became overwhelming that the police officers were not telling the truth.
• Brian discusses representing the mother of Kelly Thomas in the mother’s wrongful death suit versus the Fullerton Police Department which was settled out of court for $1 million.

What’s on your desk?

• Brian reminds us that preparation is the key to success, no matter if it is a trial or running your practice.
• Brian tells us that he hired a paralegal after just three months of being out on his own.  He then tells us that about a year ago he hired a newly minted attorney as an associate because there are things that a paralegal isn’t able to do in supporting a practice.
• Brian says that about 95% of his practice is state level criminal defense
• He has about 30 cases open at any given time, ranging from first time DUI’s to murders and sex crimes.
• Brian is also expanding his practice to include Federal Level criminal defense.

Favorite Resource

• DropBox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily.  Never email yourself a file again!
• Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Scanner for PC and Mac (PA03656-B005)
• Brian uses Apple products for all of his computing and telephone.

Favorite Books:

• How to Start & Build a Law Practice (Career Series / American Bar Association) How to Start and Build a Law Practice has been used by tens of thousands of lawyers as the comprehensive guide to planning, launching, and growing a successful practice. Author Jay G Foonberg, has packed this book with over 600 pages of guidance on identifying the right location, finding clients, setting fees, managing your office, maintaining an ethical and responsible practice, maximizing available resources, upholding your standards, and much more.
• Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be “Solo By Choice is a much-needed manual. (It contains) so much information that it ought to be required reading, and everyone from seasoned veterans to law students will find something in this book they knew little or nothing about … or were totally misguided about. Regardless the stage of your legal career, buy this book. It’s filled with great information aggregated in one-easy-to-read collection.” — Susan Cartier Liebel, solo practice consultant

Thanks for Listening

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Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio