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Lawsome Experience - Starting Your Own Law Firm in the 21st Century
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Upon finishing his time at College, Patrinos took his first step in practice in a boutique liquor licensing practice. From from there he moved into a role which involved telephone-based legal advice at one of Australia’s first call centres, Access24. He then took on a role in commercial property and insurance litigation at Blake Dawson Waldron – now Ashurst – representing lawyers sued for acting negligently in real property matters. However, after close to six years at Blakes, it was in 2001 that Patrinos truly forged his own path by establishing his very own law firm: Lawsome Property Lawyers.
“I really wanted to create something of my own and to put into practice my own ideas about how to service clients and how to run a business,” Patrinos said to Insights.
“I think I was always business-minded and I was always interested in ideas about marketing, communications, values, and building and maintaining relationships.”
As technology was rapidly developing and threatening the traditional face-to-face model of traditional law firms, Patrinos saw an opportunity to build a firm for the 21st century.
“I started a practice mainly focusing on property work and particularly residential conveyancing for clients who are professionals and mainly lawyers,” he said.
“The Internet had opened up a new way of doing business and I wanted to move with the times and ensure I was acting for clients in the most modern way.”
Patrinos cites his own personal mission to challenge himself as a driving force behind Lawsome Property Lawyers.
“Working for a big firm was very prestigious and professionally satisfying and there were great colleagues and clients and matters that were extremely interesting and added to my knowledge of the world. One personal challenge was the fear of leaving that all behind. It was also important to me to see if my ideas where commercially viable and if I would be able to enjoy a new way of working as I had not had my own practice before and it was going to be a bit of a risk.”
Patrinos’ own fear of failure was compounded by those around him who echoed his concerns about leaving the secure income and associated prestige of an established law firm.
“In the first 12 months, I would say a major challenge was learning to limit time listening to well-meaning people who basically projected their fear of failure onto me and my business,” he said.
“It can be difficult to stay optimistic and true to a goal by having naysayers around.”
Despite the obstacles, Patrinos now runs a successful law firm in line with his client-focused philosophy.
“It’s rewarding to see a practice grow and to receive referrals because people relate to the service given and are happy to share the experience with others,” he said.
“It’s also very rewarding to be able to make a difference to people’s lives and for that to be a positive one.”
For those hoping to forge their own path, Patrinos’ advice is simple: let go of the “usual ego lawyers have” and be creative in the service you provide.
“Live your values and lead by example,” he said.
“If you want to be satisfied at the end of each work day, make sure the way you work aligns with the way you like to live. It makes it much easier to deal with work related stress if you are clear about what your values are and who you are as a person.”