Monday Mentors with Plano Family Lawyer Jeff Domen

Jeff Domen joins us on today's show! Jeff is a shareholder and family lawyer at GoransonBain Ausley in Plano. Jeff talks about being a creative problem solver, differentiating yourself in an interview, and the importance of finding a mentor.

His firm/practice:

• Family law boutique
• Three offices in Plano, Dallas, and Austin
• 28 lawyers and staff
• Always looking for creative options to resolve conflict; if it can be done without litigation...great! If not, we'll go to the courthouse. Important to be able to do both.
• Family law deals with a wide variety of legal issues
  • real estate/property
  • contract
  • probate
  • business
• Loves working with individuals in a one-on-one relationship and help them through difficult circumstances
• Clientele has bene changing and wanting more for less
  • days of lavish law firms with big/expensive offices and spaces are going to be a thing of the past
  • People are used to getting information fast, and they want that from their lawyer
  • Competition with family law court forms, Legal Zoom(s), etc.: need to be able to address it
  • COVID was an accelerator of the flex/remote work

COVID Update (April 21, 2021)

• Most people are caught up with doing most things by Zoom
• And now some courts are starting up to open up
• Opportunity to still get in front of a judge and have conflicts addressed with less cost and time
• No Plano jury trials still so we don't yet know what that will look like
• He was very comfortable in the courtroom, so moving it all online with tech was difficult
  • needs to have an associate/paralegal/clerk with him so they could handle the docs and evidence in the technology
  • This is an opportunity for you to add value to places where you're going to go and work; be the expert on the tech!

Advice for lawyers in practice

• First boss told him about a great associate: come to the law firm hat in hand willing to do whatever it takes. Willing to do a great job and to help make the law firm/partner money.
  • Don't display a chip on the shoulder or sense of entitlement
• Don't try and be anybody other than who you are, because whoever you are, you are going to do that better than everybody else
  • This will also help you in business development
  • He is active in his church and involved with his kids' schools
• More business development
  • You can sometimes help with your work/life balance by finding things you can bring your spouse/significant other to
    • This also can help with the business development because your spouses can connect with people that maybe you can't!
  • Grabbing a friend to go to an event is almost always better than going alone; so many benefits
• If you aren't getting your hours because you aren't busy, go ask the partner for work
• Break down your hourly goals for the month/year into daily goals

Advice for lawyers seeking a new job

• Lawyers/partners hate the hiring process; feels like a time suck
• Be different from everyone else
• Walk into an interview like you own the place (not cocky), in the sense that the partner can be confident they can hand a case to you and it will get taken care of
• He has never had someone come up to the firm and ask to drop off a resume in person and say hi for two minutes. That would be something. Guaranteed interview.
  • Shows they really want to do this.
  • Motivated
  • Do what it takes to get the job done.
• He can tell when a cover letter is a form letter; do a specific one!

Final thoughts

• Get a mentor. Doesn't have to be at your firm, but it needs to be someone you trust.
  • There's a balance between asking questions and asking GOOD questions
  • Set up a time with your mentor each week/month to ask these questions
  • Do research yourself before asking questions

Rapid fire questions

• Name one trait/characteristic you most want to see in an associate: hard working
• What habit has been key to your success:
• Favorite app/legal software: Centerbase
• Favorite pen: Arteza / blue felt tip
• Favorite social distancing activity: Hunting
• Favorite legal movie: I Am Sam

Thanks again to Jeff Domen for joining us on today's show!