Advice to Little Peter about chasing the perfect law firm (Lawyers Weekly interview)

The Lawyers Weekly interviewed Peter Aprile to gain his thoughts and experiences in building a law firm.  In particular, the author (Simon Hally) posed a series of questions and asked Peter what he would tell his younger self.  We started to refer jokingly to the exercise as “Advice to Little Peter”. 

The Lawyers Weekly used a portion of the interview to create an article entitled ‘Building the dream to be your own boss’.   We encourage interested readers to click this link (or click the article image) to read the original article.  

 The Lawyers Weekly, understandably, left some content on the cutting room floor, so we have decided to take this opportunity to highlight some of the important points and add some bonus content to compliment the article.   

Advice to Little Peter - bonus questions & Peter’s answers

What would you tell your younger self when starting your own law firm?

• You’re going to compete against some of the smartest people in this country, and law firms with deep pockets. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be fun. Ready? Good. Go make some noise.

What were you completely oblivious to?

• How much of my happiness would be tied to helping and watching the people I work with grow.

• The amount of time, effort, grit, and resources it takes to build the law firm we aspire to be.

What did you not expect to happen that happened?

• I didn’t have many expectations. I have always just focused on doing great work.

• I did not expect that who I am would cause our law firm to attract similar team members and clients.

What did you think would happen that didn’t?

• I thought we would stop pushing. I thought we would build a traditional law firm and feel satisfied. I thought we would attain some level success and rest on our laurels. Instead, our success has inspired us to continue to chase “the perfect law firm” and push further. 

Is BigLaw experience an important element in starting a new law firm?

• I believe that high-quality legal training and experience is essential.  However, high-quality legal training and experience is not BigLaw's exclusive domain.  In fact, in my view, BigLaw’s model, and training cultivate a traditional mindset.  We built a very different law firm and, therefore, we have little interest in the BigLaw experience or mindset.  Our firm’s success is more closely connected to other Small Giants and innovators in other industries.  BigLaw, or big company, experience is not an important element to grow an outstanding law firm or business.  Elon Musk’s decision not to work at GM did not stop him from building the best car company in the world.  Similarly, we are confident that our decision not to work at Osler, or any other traditional BigLaw environment, has not limited our firm’s success and it has not diminished our drive to be the best at what we do.

What would you warn your younger self about starting your own law firm?

• It will consume you.

• You will not win alone.

• If you choose this path, if you want to build something better than the status quo and compete with more established players, you will need to trade some other things in your personal and professional life. You won’t have it all. It’s important that you understand the tradeoffs. However, if you choose this path, you can gain something special. If you have the right mindset and work with the right team, you will thrive. You will have the opportunity to create and experience the joy that comes with creating something that is unique.

• If you don’t truly value people, you will not achieve your goals. If you are fortunate, the people that you work with will trust you. If you don’t deeply value that gift, you will miss out on something special and, in business, you will achieve less.

• Never labour for profit. Instead, labour to create something that is unique, something that is perfect, and something that is you.

What were the rough patches like? How hard was it to get through those?

• Hard.  Lonely.

• The second part of your question presupposes that the “rough patches” are over. In most cases, there is no blueprint or manual for the things that we’re trying to build or accomplish. “Rough patches” are inherent in trying to build anything better or new. We accept that personal and professional growth hurts, and we keep moving.

What were some (maybe small) successes that kept you going?

• We are fortunate that, as litigation practice, we get to celebrate litigation wins which keep the firm momentum going strong. Our client wins amplify and reinforce the systems, processes, tools and software we built to make us better lawyers and lead to better client results. This, in turn, fortifies our resolve to evolve and to push to build other tools and software that will continue to make us better lawyers and deliver better client ROI.

• Our firm’s architecture, infrastructure, and CounterMeasure™ (the tax litigation risk and decision analysis software that we built) help us work more efficiently and do better work. We comment, on a daily basis, that we cannot do this level work without our infrastructure. We reminisce about what it took to get us here and where we are now. We take great pride in knowing that we are doing great work, and that confidence keeps us looking for more ways to do even better.

What were the turning points in your career that happened when building your business?

• I don’t believe that there was any single point. We struggled to design our firm’s architecture, built our infrastructure, and CounterMeasure™. We struggle to build every new system, and tool. However, every time we develop a new system or tool to augment our legal work the caliber of our firm’s work increases, our energy grows, we forget about the difficulties, we see more opportunities, and we begin creating new plans.

What did you learn to value?

• The power and impact of a great team. It is very clear to me that the people that I’m fortunate enough to work with make me a better person, a better lawyer, and a better leader.

Did your dream change, or perspective change over time?

• Yes, our initial aspirations were more modest. We now see our ability to create our own lane that is different from any other law firm. We don’t have a set dream or final destination. However, we do know that we will get there.

Was there an area that caught you off guard in terms of how to prepare for it or was harder than you expected (e.g., marketing or accounting)?

• I didn’t appreciate the amount of grit required to compete and be successful. In my experience, most lawyers underestimate the dedication required to build an independent practice and brand; most lawyers believe that the world owes them something.  We don’t take anything for granted; nothing is owed.  We work to prove the caliber of work and justify our reputation every day and with every file.  I believe that it is this commitment that leads other professionals and clients to trust us with important and high-level work.  We value that trust.  It humbles us.
  
  
  
  
• I don’t think that building a traditional law firm that generates a reasonable standard of living is difficult. A lot of lawyers and law firms are accidentally successful. However, trying to build the smartest, most business-like and relentless tax litigation law firm in Canada is much, much harder than I could imagine.

• I didn’t understand the mental energy, creativity, and resources that are required to move everything, even the smallest thing, forward. I didn’t appreciate how much it would impact my family or our team.

• I didn’t appreciate how much I would need to grow.

• I did not imagine the great personal and professional pride that I would gain.