Monday Mentors with San Antonio Litigator Matt Pepping

Today's guest is Matt Pepping of the San Antonio boutique litigation firm Chasnoff Mungia Valkenaar Pepping & Stribling, LLP. Matt talks about cyber security, having a good attitude, and living up to the standard you set for yourself.

• Matt's firm and practice
  • Fairly new firm that broke off of a big law firm
  • Two areas: commercial litigation and insurance coverage
  • Grown from four to 11 attorneys in a matter of months
  • Also grow with their clients as they grow
  • There is a big concern among clients regarding cyber security
  • Excited about the technology advancements for lawyers and law practice ("take advantage of the blessings because you're definitely going to have to live with its curses")
  • Big opportunity for young lawyers in cyber law
  • San Antonio has grown up over the past 20 years, and is a great place to live and work
    • the S.A. bar is one of the most collegial anywhere; lots of professional courtesy; relatively small compared to other large cities
    • more small/mid-size firms
    • definitely a home-field advantage when going against lawyers from outside the county
• Advice to young lawyers
  • responsibility of every attorney to be involved in the community; use talents and skills to serve; will be rewarding
  • pro bono work too (they led one of the first same-sex marriage case in Texas)
  • business development may/can come from community service, but not the reason to do it
  • Attitude is everything; are you bringing energy to the team? Give people a reason to want to keep working with you.
  • Don't have a big ego; compliment opposing counsel/colleagues/clients; have humility; there are lots of ways to get to the end result
  • Common mistake is to not speak up when you're having trouble and not making progress; don't wait to ask for help if you are stuck
  • Also an unwillingness to speak up
• When hiring young lawyers
  • table stakes - good law school and performed well
  • history of hard work
  • leave out the high school extracurriculars
  • team experience is important
  • willingness to learn
  • does the person have a good attitude? will they be good to work with in high-stress situations
  • Coverletters are either horribly generic or incredibly interesting...get into the latter group! (show passion; good writing)
  • Be genuine in an interview
• Advice on business development
  • Best way is to be a really good lawyer and start to get the clients reaching out to you as opposed to the partner
  • Become an expert in a subject area, and start marketing/developing your reputation as an expert (this takes years)
• Navigating technology
  • Stay on top of the new developments
  • Clients are trying new tech everyday, and expect the same of you
  • Being a leader in tech is much better than being a follower
• Work/life balance
  • Constant struggle
  • Have to find a way to keep your sanity
  • new lawyers are demanding firms pay more attention to this
  • Flexibility within the year (lots of hours are going to happen some months; important to wind down in other months)
  • Go to bed and put your phone away
• Final thoughts
  • Harvard Business Review article from Clayton Christenson
    • Three questions
      • happy in career
      • family/friends enduring source of joy
      • maintain integrity / stay out of jail
  • Avoid comparison. Have your standard and live to your standard
• Rapid fire
  • one trait in associate: good attitude
  • key habit: discipline
  • app/tool: iPad (Nextpoint)
  • Legal movie: A Few Good Men
• FollowUp Conversation re: Covid-19