In this podcast episode, Gary interviews attorney Patrick Monroe, who has achieved both financial success and work-life balance in his legal career. Patrick shares his journey of starting his own practice immediately after law school, finding clients more easily than jobs. He also discusses his experience working at a large law firm and the challenges he faced. Patrick emphasizes the importance of defining one's vision for life and work, and aligning professional choices with personal priorities. He offers advice for lawyers feeling overwhelmed and unhappy, suggesting reaching out to others, considering therapy, and creating space for transition. Patrick highlights the benefits of running a solo practice, including flexibility and autonomy. Patrick emphasizes the importance of specialization, developing your own nice, in growing your practice.

After graduating from law school and passing the California bar exam, Patrick founded Monroe Law APC, a law firm focused on corporate law, which served private businesses in San Diego. Mr. Monroe was then recruited by Best Best & Krieger where he served as Of Counsel to assist in the development of the business practice group for the San Diego office. Best Best & Krieger is a nationally recognized law firm of nearly two hundred attorneys known for high quality work, deep expertise and unmatched ethics. During his time at Best Best & Krieger, Mr. Monroe worked primarily on mergers and acquisitions and other business transactions for clients located throughout California and Nevada. Mr. Monroe then established Monroe Law PC, a law firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Monroe works with sellers of businesses, with a focus in the areas of technology, life sciences, and healthcare.

Law firm partners often believe that success means being stressed and overworked, which can lead to mental health issues. The key to a successful, enjoyable legal career is taking control of your career and time by developing a book of business. My friend and colleague Jennifer Gillman will talk about law firm economics and how rainmakers can leverage their ability to generate business to create their perfect situation and avoid drowning in stress.

Save your seat for her talk on November 15 at 1PM Eastern by going to https://bit.ly/GSGR-11-15.

Jennifer Gillman’s mission is to help unhappy law firm partners and solo practitioners get more from their careers. She helps them find their exact right perfect fit firm. This can involve moving to a different firm, merging their firm into another firm, or taking action to transform their current role into something better. Lawyers suffer from stress and overwork; job satisfaction relieves this stress and transforms their professional and personal lives. Jen’s superpower is being able to tell in 15 minutes or less what steps a partner can take to improve their career.

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