Show Notes:

Jan Dils — Building a brand. “A catalyst for the brand was when the slogan and jingle was created in 2000 when that really wasn’t a thing that people were doing. ‘We won’t take no for an answer’’ took on a life of its own and was the biggest catalyst, and that was all marketing. I wasn’t sure it would work, but one thing I’ve learned is that you really have to trust yourself. It was definitely something different at the time, but by trusting myself and knowing what I was doing was correct, it was a successful venture. That’s the advice I would give anyone else trying something new.”

Joe Fried — How to live authentically. “Living authentically means getting up each morning and reminding myself that I’ve got to be the most credible person in the room, and I’ve admitted before that that’s not actually me. I wasn’t necessarily the most honest and straightforward person in the world, and then I made a commitment to myself to change that. I think authenticity requires vulnerability.”

John Uustal — Where motivation comes from. “When you represent people who have been hurt and you have really tragic and catastrophic injuries, meeting those people makes you really want to come through for them. But if I’m really being honest, I’m an arrogant, egotistical son of a b*tch. Winning is a big deal for me, and in particular, winning cases that have been turned down by other law firms. That’s not the only reason I enjoy taking on those cases; of course I’m in it to help someone who has been affected by the system in some way. Fear is another factor. I want to be known as the person who isn’t afraid and will take on those cases.”

Laura Wasser — Not a yes man. “We don’t do crazy. I live in LA where there’s a lot of crazy, and I’m very lucky that our firm is at a point where we don’t have to take on crazy cases. Many of the A-list celebrities are very used to being told yes by people who are getting a percentage of their work. We make the same amount of money by billable rates, so we don’t always say yes — and that’s good for us. It’s good to not have to say yes to crazy, overindulged clients.”

Jan Dils — An unexpected situation. “I went to work for another attorney in the criminal field once, and the day after I passed the Bar, he came in and told me he was leaving for a year. He gave me a list of his clients, told me to keep the building open, and he’d be back in a year. So I went from thinking I was going to be nurtured and learn, to then within a week I was arguing in front of the West Virginia Supreme Court. I had to learn by fire, but I learned so much and had no other choice.”

Joe Fried — Life’s greatest lessons. “I can’t sum up one thing that I’ve learned on my growth journey, but I believe passion is the most important thing to have. When I started doing trucking law, nobody was a trucking lawyer. There weren’t any billboards, and people would laugh at me when I said I was going to niche down into trucking law. They would tell me there wasn’t enough business and I wouldn’t succeed. It takes being willing to bear the laughter and the internal voices. I don’t believe in coincidences. There’s a reason why you have that case. When you figure out why that is and why the universe gave it to you, that’s when the magic happens.”

Laura Wasser — There’s always room for growth. “Remain fluid. One of the reasons why I do what I do is because I love the human nature of it. I love hearing the stories, knowing that we helped people. All of us as lawyers have been the brunt of the lawyer jokes, but getting past that and knowing that you’re truly helping people get to a better place in their lives helps you get through that. Remain fluid and open. Find ways that keep it interesting for you.”

John Uustal — Look toward the future. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years, but years can go by when you’re living day-to-day and not thinking about the long-term goal. You can be working like hell but not necessarily moving in the right direction. That’s what I’ve tried to avoid. I wish I had spent more time with my kids when they were young, but I can’t go back. Now I try to think about the future and where I’m running to as opposed to staying in one place.”

RESOURCES & REFERENCES
Game Changers Summit 2022
Fried Goldberg LLC
Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law
Wasser, Cooperman & Mandles
Kelley | Uustal