This month marks the 10-year anniversary of Granovsky & Sundaresh.
I am so proud to reach this milestone. I still remember when Neeti and I decided to take the leap and form our firm. We had a little money saved, a few clients that were willing to come with us, and a vision for a law firm that operated differently.
Since 2010, Granovsky & Sundaresh has grown from Neeti and me working on our kitchen table in a one-bedroom apartment, to a thriving firm with two offices, six attorneys, and thousands of satisfied clients. We have learned a lot along the way. Below I list the ten most important lessons from the past ten years.
1. Be grateful. We would not be here without the help and support of others. When we were starting out, we relied on our friends and former colleagues to send us referrals, give us forms, and provide advice. We had so much to learn, and our former colleagues were so generous.
2. Pay it forward. Because so many people who helped us along the way, we always try to pay it forward. We offer our advice, referrals, forms, and time to anyone, but especially to lawyers starting their own firms. Were it not for the generosity of our friends and colleagues, we would never be where we are, and it is incumbent on us now to help the next batch of law firms coming up.
3. Hard work pays off. The harder we work, the luckier we get. This has been true throughout. In the early days, we did not have a lot of clients and therefore not a lot of traditional client “work,” so we filled our time by working on other aspects of the firm. We networked, wrote blog posts, learned SEO and whatever it took to move forward. We still do that. We work hard every day to serve our clients and to build our business.
4. Don’t sweat the small stuff. I remember when we were starting out, I nearly had an anxiety attack when opposing counsel filed a notice of appearance. Employment law is an adversarial business – in most of our cases, we face off against opposing counsel whose job is to knock down our arguments, beat our case, and cause us to lose. But that does not mean that everything that happens is a big deal. Cases are won and lost on big issues, not minutiae.
5. Don’t take it personally. I used to get angry when I was lowballed by opposing counsel. That was a waste of time and energy. Opposing counsel’s job is to serve their client, not ours. Our clients take it personally, our job is to be above the fray and get results. To do so, we take things professionally, not personally.
6. This is a service business. Our job is to get our clients the best outcome possible. I often tell clients that if they are not better off for working with us, then we haven’t done our job. But part of that is being there for our clients. This is more than just typical “law work.” Often times, clients are angry, scared or confused. Letting them know what is happening, in human terms, and letting them know that you care (and actually caring) is just as important as doing the work.
7. Have fun. Law is a profession with a lot of burnout. If you cannot have fun, it is not for you. I love battling with smart opposing counsel, thinking through tactics and litigation strategy and researching facts and law. It is thrilling and fun but also a lot of work.
8. Stay true to your moral compass. I used to think that this one was a luxury. Ten years ago, we were so terrified of failure, that we would take on any case for any client. This was a mistake. Now we only represent clients that we really want to work with, on cases that we truly believe in. On a good day, we get to be civil rights lawyers, acting as agents of good and agents of change.
9. Get outside your comfort zone. Anyone can do the easy stuff. But success comes from doing the stuff that makes you uncomfortable. This is what sets you apart. We try to do something that makes us uncomfortable every single day.
10. Work with great people. Most importantly, work with people you like. We have been so lucky and are so thankful to everyone who worked with us. I am so thankful for Ben Kraus, the first attorney who worked with us. I’m forever grateful to Randi Cohen, Laura Stuart, Denise Glatter and Rudy Delson, each of whom continue to work with us. These are great lawyers, but are even better people. We are lucky to have them as our lawyers, but luckier still to have them as friends.
Of all the people I am thankful for, I am most thankful for Neeti. We would never be here with out her. Without Neeti, I would never have had the courage to start this firm. We would never have been smart enough, organized enough or driven enough without her. She is my wife, the mother of my children and my best friend. Every minute of the past ten years is a testament to who she is and what she is capable of. She is not only the brains of this operation, but also the heart and soul of it.
Thank you for reading this. Thank you to our friends and families. Thank you to our current and former clients for believing in us. Thank you to our colleagues who have helped us. Thank you to all of you who have provided mentoring and assistance along the way. Here’s to the next 10!