Then I chose to become a real person again. So I started Burgess Law to focus on people and service. That means investing more time in clients, taking more time to learn about their goals, challenges, employees, clients and the different unique aspects of each of their businesses. That means focusing on the service I am providing before the time billed on each file. That means offering them better
value for their money, offering alternatives to the billable hour and getting away from billing every six minutes of my time. In the end, this makes a stronger working relationship and I am better able to efficiently serve my clients. I offer clients the kind of access to legal advice and business understanding that is normally reserved for big businesses with full-time, in-house legal counsel. As a business lawyer, I love what I do because it challenges me to help clients solve problems and accomplish their goals. Sometimes this means interpreting or applying the law, other times it means making an informed business decision. One of my favorite client success stories involves two entrepreneurs who came to see me several years ago with an idea. They had a big picture idea, but little else. No money, no employees, no commitments, no written business plan. I worked with them closely to get their business off the ground, set up their corporate structure, bring investors into the business, hire employees, set up a range of contracts with service providers, suppliers and landlords, and trouble-shoot all along the way. It continues to be rewarding every day I see them succeed and continue to grow their business. I embrace the idea of being a disrupter in the legal industry. Traditional law firms are too slow to adapt and innovate. The result has been negative for many clients, especially small and medium-sized businesses and owner-managed enterprises. Lawyers should embrace technology, offer alternative billing options and focus on the service they provide to clients instead of the amount of time they bill each hour. That’s my goal for Burgess Law.
