033: Peter Brewer of the Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer

Peter BrewerWhat makes a Lawpreneur? Peter N. Brewer, of the Law Offices of Peter N. Brewer, Palo Alto, California, discusses his experiences evolving from employed associate to his own solo practice, and the growth of his office to its present five-attorney firm.  The firm’s registered tagline is: Real Estate Law – From the Ground Up. Peter has been a lawyer for over 33 years, and is also licensed by the California Department of Real Estate as a real estate broker.  The firm serves the legal needs of homeowners, purchasers and sellers, real estate and mortgage brokers, agents, brokerages, title companies, investors, other real estate professionals and their clients.

Sponsors

Peter BrewerLaw Offices of Peter N. Brewer, Palo Alto, California, discusses his experiences evolving from employed associate to his own solo practice, and the growth of his office to its present five-attorney firm.  The firm’s registered tagline is: Real Estate Law – From the Ground Up.

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Prior to law school, Peter was foreman of a jury. During lunch, he went to the law library to research the case! The judge kicked him off the case. Peter learned he wasn’t cut out to be a juror, but he could be a Lawpreneur.

Tell us something good

  • Peter takes pride in representing prestigious clients – particularly when they are referred by a judge.
  • Peter purchased his Palo Alto office building in 2010.

What’s on your desk?

  • Peter does real estate law in all capacities.
  • In this super heated market, deposit disputes occur frequently.
  • Most recently, Peter had a premises liability case in which he represented a bar in a bar room brawl.

Favorite Resource

  • Amicus Attorney – Law Practice Management Software
  • Microsoft Office 365
  • iPhone 5
  • iPad Mini
  • Kindle Paperwhite
  • Toastmasters
  • Fitbit

Favorite Books:

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This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here. Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

032: Laura LeDoux of Legal Strategies discusses Protecting and Expanding Your Business

Laura LeDouxWhat makes a Lapreneur? Listen as Laura LeDoux of SSHP Enterprises, Inc, shares what inspired her to hang out her own shingle.  http://lauraledoux.com

Laura is a Legal Business Coach who has over a decade of experience working with small business owners. Through her work Laura discovered that most business owners are discouraged and dissatisfied with the legal industry. After over a decade of practicing law traditionally, Laura set herself apart as a “legal partner” for businesses so she can empower them to expand and grow and live outside the constraints of the formal legal system. Laura positions businesses to thrive and move forward through creative legal strategies, strategic alliances and joint ventures.

Laura’s background in law combined with her passion for helping people create a unique combination that allows her to deeply connect and understand how to best help her clients’ businesses thrive. Laura studied law at Loyola University, New Orleans, LA. She earned her LL.M. in Real Estate Law at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Laura’s past clients include the City of Chicago, the University of Illinois, Department of Aviation, University of Chicago and other municipalities in and around the Chicago area. Laura resides in Southern California and is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and Illinois.

Sponsors

Amy Montes

Amy Montes of the Law Office of Amy Montes provides excellent family law representation in Orange County, California.  Listen to her Lawpreneur Radio podcast!

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Laura sees failures as our biggest opportunities. She saw that in failing the California State Bar she was able to discover what she really wanted to do. Laura lives by the premise that she is the architect of her life, and that we can all repurpose failures into opportunities.

Tell us something good

  • Laura had a client whose webdesigner used a copywrited image on her website. The client was sued, and Laura guided her through the process. It was a great learning opportunity, that had the client spent a few thousand dollars on an attorney getting her contracts squared away she could have avoided much more in litigation costs.

Favorite Resource

  • Entrepreneurs Making a Difference

Favorite Books:

  • Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success Using his legendary ability to get to the root of human potential, Napoleon Hill digs deep to reveal how fear, procrastination, anger, and jealousy prevent us from realizing our personal goals. This long-suppressed parable, once considered too controversial to publish, was written by Hill in 1938 following the publication of his classic bestseller, Think and Grow Rich.

Favorite Quote of the Show in a One Minute Clip

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This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.

Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

 

031: Joshua Bonnici, Managing Attorney of Bonnici Law Group, APC

Joshua BonniciWhat makes a Lawpreneur?  Listen as Joshua Bonnici of the Bonnici Law Group shares what inspired him to hang out his shingle, and his advice to you.

Life-long San Diegan, Josh started his Plaintiff-focused firm in 2012 with zero clients, and has since grown it to nearly 30 clients, and is looking to add another attorney by 2015. Mr. Bonnici focuses on personal injury and long-term disability clients throughout Southern California.

Sponsors

Amy Montes

Amy Montes of the Law Office of Amy Montes provides excellent family law representation in Orange County, California.  Listen to her Lawpreneur Radio podcast!

Listen to the podcast

Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Josh learned about failure by observing other attorneys failures; additionally, he wasn’t afraid to take the tough cases early in his career which really catapulted him ahead.

Tell us something good

  • Josh enjoys the positive reactions from clients who appreciate his hard work, and their great results.

What’s on your desk?

  • Josh’s case load right now revolves around slip and falls, government tort claims, disability claims.  He appreciates his ability to assist scared, apprehensive clients, and solving their problems.

Favorite Resource

  • Evernote
  • Google Drive
  • Google Business App
  • Social Media
  • Hoot Suite
  • Moo.com

Favorite Books:


Duct Tape Marketing Revised & Updated: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide

Favorite Quote of the Show in a One Minute Clip

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.

Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

 

030: Katy Goshtasbi of Puris Personal Brand Solutions

katy_GWhat supports a Lawpreneur? Listen in as Katy Goshtasbi, Founder & CEO, Puris Personal Brand Solutions, branding expert and a former securities lawyer for 15 years discusses how to stand out, be unique, have a consistent, clear message and personal brand as a lawpreneur.

She has been blessed with an eye for the creative process around building a successful personal brand and presence in her own career and for businesses and individuals. In her “other” career,

Katy was a practicing securities attorney for thirteen years. Katy has practiced in-house as their investment counsel, in a law firm, at the Securities & Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. as Senior Counsel, and lobbied on Capitol Hill. It was during her practice as a lawyer that she noticed that attorneys had a poor image.

She became fascinated about how a positive change could occur in perception of attorneys. Specifically, why was it that she was able to market herself well and thus her legal career was thriving, but colleagues were struggling? That’s when personal branding became her passion and she stopped her legal practice in order to be of assistance to others.

Sponsors

Amy Montes

Amy Montes of the Law Office of Amy Montes provides excellent family law representation in Orange County, California.  Listen to her Lawpreneur Radio podcast!

Listen to the podcast

Fail fast to succeed faster

  • When Katy left securities law to follow her passion, she had to get clear that her identity was not as an attorney but as a person.  She wanted to be a contribution.  Her advice to the Lawpreneur:  Be happy first, then be a legal success.

Tell us something good

  • One of Katy’s clients emailed her that her personal branding advice had saved the client’s life.  She realized then that she could really do good in that community.
  • Katy got one of her first big clients out of doing community service – another example of Givers Gain.
  • Look at life differently:  Not from “I am an attorney, and attorneys do/do not do that.”

What’s on your desk?

  • Katy is a personal branding expert focusing on Lawpreneurs.

Favorite Resource

  • Mastermind groups
  • American Bar Association
  • National Speakers Association
  • Thesaurus.com
  • and her intution

Katy Goshtasbi’s Books:
Personal Branding in One Hour for Lawyers With over 1.2 million licensed attorneys in the United States, how do lawyers stand out from their fellow practitioners and get jobs, promotions, clients, and referrals? To survive and thrive, lawyers must develop their own intentional personal brand to distinguish themselves from the competition. In Personal Branding in One Hour for Lawyers, personal branding expert and experienced attorney Katy Goshtasbi explains how attorneys can highlight their unique talents and abilities, manage their perceptions, and achieve greater success as a lawyer in the process.

Favorite Quote of the Show in a One Minute Clip

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This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.

Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

 

029: Mark Risner of Law Office of Mark T. Risner discusses Results with Integrity

What makes a Lawpreneur? Listen, as Mark Risner of the Law Offices of Mark T. Risner, shares his story of success and challenges.

Mark RisnerMark is a private practice attorney with a simple approach: “Results with Integrity.” Providing high quality legal services to individuals and corporations in the areas of business litigation, employment matters, settlement, negotiation and trial. I am always interested in working with established business organizations and start-ups.

Sponsors

Amy Montes

Amy Montes of the Law Office of Amy Montes provides excellent family law representation in Orange County, California.  Listen to her Lawpreneur Radio podcast!

Listen to the podcast

Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Mark tells us about a case that he felt needed to be settled for the best interest of the client.  Ultimately, he realized that the client paid a high fee and did not get what they deserved.  He learned that getting the best results for the client was his highest goal.

Tell us something good

  • Mark creates Buy-Sell agreements which he describes as the antidote for the 3 Ds:  Disability, Divorce, and Death.  He considers it a play book for his clients should they need to part ways.  In one specific instance his clients had to make use of the agreement, and found that it made for an amicable and relatively easy parting of ways.

What’s on your desk?

  • Mark practices Business Law, Real Estate Law, and Employment Law

Favorite Resource

  • LinkedIn
  • Outlook
  • Quickbooks
  • SCORE or the SCORE Association was previously known as the Service Corps of Retired Executives, but is now recognized as SCORE, “Counselors to America’s Small Business.” It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationthat provides free business mentoring services to entrepreneurs in the United States. The organization also presents business workshops and seminars for a fee. Business mentoring services are provided by both active and retired business executives and entrepreneurs who donate their time and expertise as mentors to assist new and established small businesses. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Favorite Quote of the Show in a One Minute Clip

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This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.

Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

 

028: Jonathan Mason of Atlanta Show Biz Law discusses life as an Entertainment Lawyer

Jonathan MasonWhat makes a Lawpreneur? Listen as Jonathan Mason, of Atlanta ShowBizLaw.com shares what inspired him to hang out his shingle  as an entertainment lawyer in Atlanta GA – “The Hollywood of the South” and his advice to you on how to get started.

Jonathan Mason, Attorney, Professor, Actor, and Photographer was born and raised in a very small town in Maryland surrounded by farm animals and tobacco fields. He spent summers working in those tobacco fields to raise money for school clothes and other expenses. Jonathan attended Howard University, Stanford, and Georgetown Law, and now has his own firm and has served as a professor of Entertainment Law at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Mason Law Group is Atlanta’s premier “show business” law firm. Jonathan founded the firm specifically to serve the needs of creative individuals and companies in the music, television, film, theater, dance, art, and publishing industries. Jonathan’s practice also includes entertainment-related litigation, including royalty and commission disputes, copyright infringement, and trademark infringement matters. Even as a lawyer, he never lost my love for media. He created and Hosted “Knowledge Booth” on WWWE 1100 AM Atlanta, contributed to “Laying Down The Law” on Germantown Radio in PA. Jonathan appeared in film and TV productions on the on the big screen, The Oprah Winfrey Network, ABC Family Channel, and Lifetime. He was one of 50 “good guys” from across the country hand-picked to appear on Oprah’s Best Places to Find Single Men over 35.

Sponsors

rubyRuby Receptionist is the smart and cheerful team of virtual receptionists trained to make a difference in your day. From their offices in Portland, Oregon, they handle your calls with care. They deliver the perfect mix of friendliness, charm, can-do attitude, and professionalism. Best of all, your callers will think they work in your office. Meet them!

Listen to the podcast

Fail fast to succeed faster

  • When Jonathan left Big Law he wanted to own his own record label.  One of his early client wanted a choir of back-up singers which turned out to be expensive!  Sadly, his studio was robbed and he lost all his equipment and the musical track they had laid.  It was too much – and he decided to turn his focus back to law.

Tell us something good

  • One of Jonathan’s song-writer clients wrote a song that was perfect for the Fast and Furious movies.  Jonathan was able to get the song to the right people, and it made it in the movie.  Seeing his client’s name in the credits of the movie was a victory.

What’s on your desk?

  • Jonathan’s practice has followed the Atlanta scene’s shift from music to TV and films.

Favorite Resource

  • Phone.com
  • Favorite Books: HollyoodReporter.com/esq

Favorite Quote of the Show in a One Minute Clip

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This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.

Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

Jonathan Mason found me on RadioGuestList.com: Get Radio Interview Guests Free at RadioGuestList.com

027: Robert Graff of The Graff Standard discusses coaching lawyers to their best lives

robert graffWhat makes a Lawpreneur? Our guest today, Robert Graff of the Graff Standard , shares what inspired him to hang out his shingle, and his advice to you.

Robert Graff is President and Co-Founder of The Graff Standard. He is also a practicing attorney in Pennsylvania. He focuses his legal practice in Criminal Law, Small Claims, Unemployment, and Business Succession. Prior to founding The Graff Standard, Robert was an Assistant District Attorney for nearly five years and a civil litigator for over two years.

Sponsors

rubyRuby Receptionist is the smart and cheerful team of virtual receptionists trained to make a difference in your day. From their offices in Portland, Oregon, they handle your calls with care. They deliver the perfect mix of friendliness, charm, can-do attitude, and professionalism. Best of all, your callers will think they work in your office. Meet them!

Listen to the podcast

Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Robert recommends smart networking. Aim for your target market, and let them get to know you. People do business with people they know and like.

Tell us something good

  • Robert was coaching a client who was miserable in his law practice. After his coaching he felt the client’s shift in energy for the positive, and new the client was no longer running from something, but running to something.

What’s on your desk?

  • Robert is always developing his coaching program, the content on his website, seminars and videos.
  • He offers a free 30 minute coaching session.

Favorite Resource

Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Scanner for PC – I love this scanner.  Allows me a paperless office.

Favorite Books:

Favorite Quote of the Show and One Minute Clip

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This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.

Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

 

026: David Makman of Makman & Matz discusses his private practice

david makmenWhat makes a Lawpreneur? Listen in as David Makman, of Makman and Matz , shares what inspired him to hang out his shingle, and his advice to you on how to get started in commercial and IP litigation.

David’s focus is commercial and IP litigation. He has a big firm background, and worked for Howrey LLP before starting his own firm. He has an international background, speaks Japanese and does comparative law work with the Japan Society of Northern California.

Sponsors

rubyRuby Receptionist is the smart and cheerful team of virtual receptionists trained to make a difference in your day. From their offices in Portland, Oregon, they handle your calls with care. They deliver the perfect mix of friendliness, charm, can-do attitude, and professionalism. Best of all, your callers will think they work in your office. Meet them!

Listen to the podcast

Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Attorney partnerships can be tricky to negotiate. David shares how it can be challenging to integrate existing practices.

Tell us something good

  • David found people were supportive of his entering solo practice.
  • He recognizes that it’s important to share with others and find out what they are interested in.
  • He enjoys managing his own schedule and cases.

What’s on your desk?

  • David does comparative law work with the Japan Society of Northern California, as well as commercial and Intellectual Property law.

Favorite Resource

  • Cloud drive

Favorite Books:

Favorite Quote of the Show in a One Minute Clip

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.

Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

 

 

025: Valerie Peterson, CEO of ElderCounsel discusses the Growing Area of Elder Law

Valerie PetersonWhat makes a lawpreneur? Listen in as Valerie Peterson, the CEO of Elder Counsel, shares her challenges and her successes.

Valerie Peterson is the CEO of ElderCounsel, a national organization that provides education, support and a document drafting system for elder law, special needs planning and veterans benefits planning attorneys across the country.

Valerie Peterson has been with ElderCounsel since its beginning in January 2008, first serving as Education Director and Member Liaison, then Executive Director and now CEO. Prior to joining ElderCounsel, Valerie was a practicing elder law attorney in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, Florida as the owner of Peterson Law Office, P.A.

In her role as ElderCounsel’s CEO, Valerie also sets the curriculum for ElderCounsel’s education conferences and serves as instructor in several courses, including the Elder Law Immersion and Practice Building Camp and the VA Pension Planning Immersion Camp. Valerie has also taught for NAELA, the Academy of Veterans Pension Planners (AVAPP), and for various state bar associations on topics pertaining to Elder Law, Special Needs Planning and Veterans Benefits. As an adjunct professor for Stetson University Law School, Valerie teaches the Veterans Benefits course to Elder Law LL.M. students.

She is accredited by the Veterans Administration to assist veterans with claims, and is a member of National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Academy of VA Pension Planners.

Sponsors

Elder Counsel Elder Counsel is a membership based program. Their passion lies in helping Elder law, special needs planning and veterans pension planning attorneys better serve their clients. They do so by providing education, support, the premier elder law document drafting system and a state of the art office management system, all with the goal of making our member attorneys more knowledgeable, more efficient, and, as a result, more profitable.

Listen to the podcast

Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Valerie reminds us that to succeed you can’t be afraid to fail. Valerie prepared a presentation and only two people showed up – felt like failure at the time, but Valerie learned some valuable lessons.

Tell us something good

  • Valerie was delivering a presentation on elder law to a large group of people when the power went out. She used the opportunity to move beyond Power Point and really connect with her audience.

What’s on your desk?

  • Valerie is CEO of ElderCounsel.
  • ElderCounsel serves over 800 law firms
  • They are a membership based program that educates, trains and serves attorneys in the areas of elder law, special needs, and veteran law.

Favorite Resource

  • Sales Force:  Sales Force is a Customer relationship management (CRM) and is all about managing the relationships you have with your customers. CRM combines business processes, people, and technology to achieve this single goal: getting and keeping customers. 
  • Act On:  Act-On cultivates a truly customer-centric culture, led by our Customer Success team and supported by every member of the company.  Their integrated marketing platform is complemented by ever-evolving, best-in-class technologies for tracking and reporting, analysis, lead generation and nurturing, and more. Their success is driven by your satisfaction.

Favorite Quote of the Show in a One Minute Clip

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This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.

Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

 

024: Michael Fell of the Law Offices of Michael Fell on Criminal Defense and Marsy’s Law

Michael Fell What makes a Lawpreneur? Listen as Michael Fell, of the Law Offices of Michael Fell, shares what inspired him to hang out his shingle, and his advice to you.

Michael Fell is a former Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney.  While an Orange County prosecutor for over 18 years, Mr. Fell handled many high profile cases and prosecuted various criminal offenses including, but not limited to: Murder, Arson, Gang cases, Sexual Offenses, and Organized Crime.  While with the OCDA’s Office, Mr. Fell was recognized for his efforts in receiving the prestigious Ambassador of Peace Award from the Violence Prevention Coalition of Orange County in 2003.  Mr. Fell has also received accolades and awards from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Community Services Program (CSP)/Victim Witness of Orange County and the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County.

After leaving the DA’s Office, Mr. Fell spent two years as the California Senior Trial Counsel for a civil law firm where he negotiated and litigated multi-million dollar civil cases.  He left the civil firm in 2009 to open his own practice – here he concentrates on representing those accused of various criminal defenses.

Through his years working as a top prosecutor with the Orange County DA’s Office, Mr. Fell knows how cases are prosecuted by his former office and the evidence needed to “file” charges against those being accused or arrested.  Many times, he is able to speak to DAs who are reviewing the police reports written by the arresting officer and avoid charges being filed.

Mr. Fell also is a proponent of “creative sentencing.”  In this sense, he feels that jail is seldom the appropriate punishment for his clients.  He is very proactive in negotiating with DAs in resolving his clients’ cases, whenever possible, for dispositions other than incarceration.

Sponsors

Client File Attorney and Lawpreneur Joe Dane created Client File – It’s the paperless solution you’ve been waiting for. No more briefcase or paper mess – here’s organization and confidence that it’s all in one place.  Client File is designed to replace your physical file.  No internet connection needed.

rubyRuby Receptionist is the smart and cheerful team of virtual receptionists trained to make a difference in your day. From their offices in Portland, Oregon, they handle your calls with care. They deliver the perfect mix of friendliness, charm, can-do attitude, and professionalism. Best of all, your callers will think they work in your office. Meet them!

Listen to the podcast

Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Mike attributes his success to doing what he loves.  Do what you love and the money will follow.

Tell us something good

  • A highlight of Mike’s career has been doing the right thing.  As a prosecutor he was able to put people away who were a menace to society, and also has been able to give a good person who made a bad choice a break.
  • Mike had a case where he did not feel right – they took a timeout to research and the he, as a district attorney, found that the defendant was innocent and dismissed the case.
  • When Mike went on his own, leaving a civil practice after his time as a DA, it was…frightening!
  • Mike’s advice:  find a lawpreneur to have lunch with- – and do it before you open your doors.
  • You have a strike a balance between being a lawyer and running a business.

What’s on your desk?

  • Mike practices criminal defense, and represents victim’s rights as set forth by Marsy’s law.

Favorite Resource

  • Advertising/Social Media
  • Figure out a plan that works for you and stick with it

Favorite Quote of the Show in a One Minute Clip

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.

Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio