HarvardJD
04-10-2008, 11:29 PM
I just want to say hello to everyone and introduce myself. I really enjoyed the book and have been buying copies for all of my friends (especially for those trapped in Law Firm jobs). I related to many portions of the book and learned quite a bit. I especially agree on the value of travel in one's life.
The best job I ever had was with a startup internet consulting firm in the late 90's/ early 2000s which enabled me to live and work in Mexico City and all over Europe. When the industry slowed down and I grew bored with my office job, I decided to go to law school. Once I discovered law school wasn't as intellectually challenging as I had anticipated, I skipped alot of classes and traveled around Latin America and Asia. I also spent one summer in a Spanish immersion program in Costa Rica (an amazing place and experience).
As law school was drawing to a close, I began to look for jobs that would enable me to travel. (I figured that since I spend most of my money and free-time traveling, I should find a job that will pay for it.) I failed. The best I could do was a huge lawfirm with offices all over the world. I thought I could impress and get an overseas gig just like I had with the consulting firm. It turned out I was wrong. We were required to be at the office 12-14 hours per day and on weekends and holidays, we were on call to come in at any time. Why did we need to be in the office? I still don't know... We were editing documents and doing things that could easily be done remotely or (even better) outsourced. I constantly reminded my younger colleagues that there had to be a better way to make a living. I quit after three months and it was the best decision I had ever made.
After I quit, I spent a month in Asia. I came back to look for work but I didn't find anything that would get me overseas. While looking for work, I picked up a copy of the book. I was shocked that it had (almost verbatim) what I had been telling my colleagues about finding a better way, travel, outsourcing, and selling a product.
I would love to follow the techniques in the book, but I am somewhat challenged when it comes to new ideas. I am usually good at figuring out improvements to existing things but I have never been able to come up with something brand new on my own. I actually had a very rich friend tell me he would fund my business idea if I came up with something. And I just couldn't do it. (Frustrating to no end).
So, I've decided to go somewhat outside the parameters of a product-based muse and have started my own law firm. I want to work exclusively on helping purchasers of pre-construction real estate get their deposits back for a contingency fee. It seems like a really promising market. And the contingency fee means I will be rewarded for efficiency in managing my practice. If things go well, I will eventually hire some lawyers to do the bulk of the work so I can resume my travels.
That's it. Sorry for the long posting. I have a few questions that I may elaborate on later, mainly:
1. How does one overcome this lack of creativity (mixed with a natural ability to shoot down business ideas)?
2. What are the group's suggestions for running an extremely efficient law practice while conveying a sense of professionalism?
The best job I ever had was with a startup internet consulting firm in the late 90's/ early 2000s which enabled me to live and work in Mexico City and all over Europe. When the industry slowed down and I grew bored with my office job, I decided to go to law school. Once I discovered law school wasn't as intellectually challenging as I had anticipated, I skipped alot of classes and traveled around Latin America and Asia. I also spent one summer in a Spanish immersion program in Costa Rica (an amazing place and experience).
As law school was drawing to a close, I began to look for jobs that would enable me to travel. (I figured that since I spend most of my money and free-time traveling, I should find a job that will pay for it.) I failed. The best I could do was a huge lawfirm with offices all over the world. I thought I could impress and get an overseas gig just like I had with the consulting firm. It turned out I was wrong. We were required to be at the office 12-14 hours per day and on weekends and holidays, we were on call to come in at any time. Why did we need to be in the office? I still don't know... We were editing documents and doing things that could easily be done remotely or (even better) outsourced. I constantly reminded my younger colleagues that there had to be a better way to make a living. I quit after three months and it was the best decision I had ever made.
After I quit, I spent a month in Asia. I came back to look for work but I didn't find anything that would get me overseas. While looking for work, I picked up a copy of the book. I was shocked that it had (almost verbatim) what I had been telling my colleagues about finding a better way, travel, outsourcing, and selling a product.
I would love to follow the techniques in the book, but I am somewhat challenged when it comes to new ideas. I am usually good at figuring out improvements to existing things but I have never been able to come up with something brand new on my own. I actually had a very rich friend tell me he would fund my business idea if I came up with something. And I just couldn't do it. (Frustrating to no end).
So, I've decided to go somewhat outside the parameters of a product-based muse and have started my own law firm. I want to work exclusively on helping purchasers of pre-construction real estate get their deposits back for a contingency fee. It seems like a really promising market. And the contingency fee means I will be rewarded for efficiency in managing my practice. If things go well, I will eventually hire some lawyers to do the bulk of the work so I can resume my travels.
That's it. Sorry for the long posting. I have a few questions that I may elaborate on later, mainly:
1. How does one overcome this lack of creativity (mixed with a natural ability to shoot down business ideas)?
2. What are the group's suggestions for running an extremely efficient law practice while conveying a sense of professionalism?