The Road to Independence
| Citation | Vol. 20 No. 2 |
| Publication year | 2014 |
| Author | By Julia Sylva |
By Julia Sylva
Julia Sylva is the president/CEO of the Law Offices of Julia Sylva, A Law Corporation, with offices in downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, where she focuses on public law, land use, real estate, estate planning, business, and corporate law, including the representation of nonprofit organizations. She graduated from Loyola Law School in 1983 and founded her firm in 2000. www.sylvalawcorp.com
"A business plan is a process—an evolutionary process. Keep your vision alive and in writing."
On June 1, 2000, the Law Offices of Julia Sylva, ALC, was formed—not by Intention act—but by default. Since 1983, I had worked in downtown Los Angeles at small, medium, and large law firms, as an associate and as a partner. Though my professional career was taking off, I faced challenges in balancing work and family.
In June 1999, my husband and I decided that I would take the summer months off and then start "looking" for a new position in the fall. A couple of weeks into my hiatus, I began receiving telephone calls from my former clients who asked, "Where are you?" As a skilled and able professional, I take pride in my attorney/client relationships, but I always considered the clients I represented as clients "of the firm." I was pleasantly surprised that these clients wanted me to continue to serve as their lawyer—even though I was no longer a partner of the firm. Because the clients sought me out, there was never an issue of "bringing" clients with me from my former firm. Even if there had been an issue, it is important to note that ultimately, it is the client who decides which lawyer to hire.
The Law Offices of Julia Sylva evolved—slowly. After about one year, I formed a law corporation and hired an eager young woman as my part-time employee who served numerous roles: receptionist, assistant, secretary, and paralegal. For the first year, I worked from my home office. Now, I have separate law offices, in addition to my home office.
Certainly, my prior law firm experience remains relevant in my becoming a strong lawyer. (Actually, all prior life experience and knowledge are relevant and helpful in our journey as lawyers.) As to law firms, some have effective and efficient systems in place for training young associates—I suggest that you take advantage of these programs. From previous work at various law firms, I learned useful skills such as time management, client billing...
To continue reading
Request your trial