“You Will Never Be Successful”

I can still feel the weight of those words, delivered across a mahogany desk in a dimly lit office filled with leather-bound books and the musty smell of tradition. It was 2015, and I was sitting across from a retiring attorney who was interviewing potential successors for his practice.

I was freshly licensed, full of hopes and innovative ideas, wearing my best suit (the only one I owned) and carrying a folder filled with carefully crafted plans and projections. My home office was a converted corner of my dining room, where I’d be up until late at night, pulling together resources and dreaming of building something different.

I wanted to create a law practice that broke free from the soul-crushing traditions that seemed to make every attorney I’d met miserable.

I dreamed of building a practice that I could be a client of – one that offered transparent, value-based pricing, and one that didn’t require sacrificing my family life or mental health on the altar of billable hours.

This meeting was supposed to be my shortcut. Taking over an established practice could jumpstart my dream, giving me instant credibility and a client base to build from. I imagined transforming this traditional practice into something modern and client-centered, while maintaining the flexibility to be present for my family’s moments that matter. The validation of an experienced attorney would prove I wasn’t crazy for thinking law could be practiced differently.

I was wrong about the shortcut, but right about everything else.

What started as a devastating rejection became the fuel that powered me to build exactly what that attorney said was impossible.

Instead of following the traditional path, I had to forge my own. The road was longer and lonelier than I expected. There were months when I questioned everything, nights when I wondered if that retiring attorney was right. But something wonderful happened along the way: clients started responding to my different approach. They appreciated my predictable pricing, my focus on delivering value, and my availability during reasonable hours (because I wasn’t burning myself out working around the clock).

Today, I run a thriving practice that allows me to work part-time while serving clients better than I ever could following the traditional model. My kids know they can count on me taking them to school and showing up to all their activities. I take real vacations. And most importantly, I actually enjoy practicing law.

The biggest obstacle to building the practice you want is believing those who say it can’t be done.

I’m sharing this story because somewhere right now, another lawyer is sitting across from someone they respect, being told their vision for a different kind of practice is impossible.

Remember this: The people who say it can’t be done are usually the ones who couldn’t do it themselves.

Their limitations aren’t yours. Trust that quiet voice that says “try it anyway.” The worst that can happen is you end up with the same practice they have.

The best that can happen? You create something that changes not just your life, but the lives of your family, your community, and every client you serve.