Show Notes:

Must have thick skin. “If people are easily offended, I don’t want to work with them in the first place. I’m a pretty jovial guy who thinks pretty much anything is funny, and if you take yourself too seriously, then whatever. You are what you are, but I don’t want to hang around you.”

The easy and hard parts of law school. “Getting to college was tough because we couldn’t really afford it. My dad took out a lot of union loans to get us there because it was expensive. We had some scholarships, but we were still working two or three jobs all throughout school, eating ramen noodles and eggs, and buying off the dollar menu at McDonald’s. But law school was still pretty easy for me. We weren’t allowed to work during our first year, so it was the first time I wasn’t working multiple jobs, and instead I could concentrate on the work I was doing — and it was easy.”

You can’t teach hungry. “You either have this insatiable appetite or you don’t. I think that growing up with something to prove means you’re more likely to have it. I came from a working class family, and I always thought that we could do better. I would think about companies we could start as a family and work together. My dream was to have a massive compound where we’re all working and hanging out together. I always wanted to take care of them, and to this day I will not stop working to make sure they’re okay. We all work together at my law firm and Justice HQ. Until every member of my family has financial independence, then I will know we’ve won.”

No crooks, no creeps. “I try to make everyone around me very successful — almost to a fault. I want their businesses to succeed. I really like helping my circle of friends intertwine with my other circles of friends. We all live close to each other and see each other all the time. I enjoy having the best people come together. If you have communities around you that don’t take you for granted, you’re doing well.”

Rich in character. “The wealthiest people I know are the ones that are the most giving with their time and helping others. I believe in karma and that in some form or fashion, it comes back to you. My dad always taught me to be nice to everybody. There’s no reason to be an a**hole. I judge people now based on how nice they are to the staff when we go out to eat. If people think they’re better than anybody, that’s not someone I want to be around. If you’re cool and putting out good energy, everyone else will be too.”

Don’t worry, be happy. “Quality of life is doing what makes you happiest most of the time. For me, I love working from home — so I don’t want the people who work for me to think they need to be in the office all the time. With almost 70 employees at the Simon Law Group, we’re all virtual. We have been for a long time. They come into the office when they need to collaborate and work together, but I think that gives people a chance to be present in the lives of their kids or spouses.”

Best and worst advice. “The best advice I’ve ever received is when my parents told me, ‘Don’t be afraid to fail, because what’s the worst that can happen?’ You have to take calculated risks and do your best. But the worst piece of advice is when other lawyers have told me not to share anything with anyone. I completely disagree with that. I share with the people who work for me how to be successful and what my secrets are.”

What does being a game changer mean to you? “I believe the legal industry is going to go smaller. There are going to be smaller and more niche firms, so I think the old way of doing law is done. Changes are coming. You don’t have to go to these huge firms in order to make money. You can be successful and make money by doing your own thing or something different.”

RESOURCES & REFERENCES
Justice HQ
Simon Law Group
Marvel
Pepperdine University
McDonald’s
You Can’t Teach Hungry by John Morgan
Game Changers Summit
Law-Di-Gras
Snoop Dogg
Rev Run
Nelly
Flo Rida