Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Cartwright.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I would have to say this whole solo practice mentality really started in 2009 when I graduated from my undergraduate institution into the worst economy since the Great Depression. I had to take a lot of temporary work and contract jobs to gain experience as a Financial Analyst since the more regular positions were going to people with vastly more experience as the economy contracted. The temp jobs taught me that I could deal with a certain amount of uncertainty and even come to enjoy being the one responsible for being viewed as a success or failure. In those environments, you have a job, you execute on that job to the satisfaction of the end user, and they relay their impressions of you to the handler who then has an easier time of placing you in your next position. Exactly like a law practice.
I bounced around for a couple of years and even held a few full-time positions but then it was time to go to law school and very few employers wanted to deal with the demands on my schedule working full time and going to night classes in addition to the extracurricular activities so I found myself contracting again. I admit, I got caught up in the law school hype of landing that great law firm job immediately out of school so I aimed toward that but I knew I wanted to control my own income or have my own shop at some point so, in addition to trying to get the grades, I was inundating myself with resources on how to market, bring in business, and otherwise sell a service.
After graduating from law school, I spent three grueling and nerve-destroying months studying for the Texas Bar Exam. Post passing the Bar Exam, I found a job that I loved for a couple of months then had to leave because of financial reasons and go into a job that I hated. I started taking small clients while I was at that job and those clients grew to something that was taking up all of my nights and main job was taking all of my days so my sleep and work product started to suffer.
I finally realized that I needed to open my shop so I could have the comfort of being able devote myself to a single pursuit. I also realized with my own practice I would be able to pick up skills that were useful and valuable to me and immediately put them into use to serve my clients. By this time I was certain with uncertainty, I was an apprentice in the art of sales, I knew which areas I wanted to practice, and I had a great support system (who are still with me because they’re awesome!) so I filed the paperwork on February 20, 2018, and got started with the real work of building a future!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course not!
If you ever meet a solo, small business owner who tells you it has been a smooth road the entire way, I would question what they’re doing.
The biggest struggles along the way have been balance and consistency.
Balance – As a solo legal practitioner it is my job to go out and do the marketing and sales to bring in business. Once the business is in, I am also the one doing the administrative work for onboarding new clients, collecting initial fees, and informing the proper parties. Once that part is done, we have the issue of practicing law. Legal research to solve the problem, charting the way forward and preparing the proper songs and dances take up a significant chunk of time for any attorney and more so for newer attorneys. After that, it’s time to execute and during execution, one should be prepared for things to change on a moment’s notice. Someone forgot something or some new information came to light. As things are resolving, the clients must be kept informed of the process. An attorney can’t just go dark on a client. They should feel like they know what’s going on during the whole thing. During resolution, there may be additional collections, research, or other moving parts. All in all, if I spend too much time on any of those areas, the others start to suffer so learning how best to manage everything is always a work in progress… thus far.
Consistency – As with any business, if you only show up when you want something from your client then disappear, you will not succeed for long. With my videos, I want to consistently inform my viewing public of what they can do to help themselves if that’s the direction they want to go, or how they can plan for the future of their business in a cost-effective manner. With myself, I try to consistently support those around me so they know I’m there if they need it and am willing to provide whatever I can to make their lives easier (in hopes that they’ll do the same on the flip side. Thanks guys! Love you all!). BUT all of that requires excellent time management which is still a work in progress but I’m giving it the old college try!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about E. Aaron Cartwright III, Attorney at Law, PLLC – what should we know?
I am a Texas Lawyer!
My practice areas are Business Law, Securities Law, and Construction Law. I also take Consumer Law cases from Legal Aid fairly often and I practice Political Law but only if you come to me through someone that has worked with me before.
I can’t say I “specialize” in anything because that has a special meaning in the legal field and the Texas Board of Legal Specializations would take issue with me not having met any of their requirements yet to call any of my practice areas a specialty.
What am I known for? Ha! You will have to ask my clients and friends that question. I would like to think I’m known for a dry wit and cutting directly to the heart of a matter. I don’t sugarcoat anything and I don’t take money until I have done my research and am able to chart a path forward to resolution of a matter. That makes sure I know that I can handle the matter and the client knows what to expect and can feel comfortable knowing that I have done my research into what it will take to resolve their matter.
I also like to think I am becoming more known for my videos. Anyone reading this should check out @Overnight.Empire on Instagram, “Overnight Empire” on Facebook (search that term and you will get my law firm page), and my YouTube channel “Aaron’s Law Office”. My goal with the videos is to provide business law education to anyone that watches!
What I am most proud of as of right now is making it this far. Like I mentioned earlier, I have some great people with me (not in the firm but in my circles) and they make life better but those first years of business ownership are still brutal and getting through them is no easy feat. As of this interview, I am one year and one month into solo practice.
What sets me apart from others is a combination of things. I charge reasonable fees that my clients can afford. I don’t try to tie anyone to me with a monthly retainer. I don’t charge for consultations and rarely charge for conversations even with existing clients. Also, I try to put a little extra sauce on the relationship by putting my nonprofit clients in front of grants and funding opportunities, my business clients in front of customers, and my construction clients in front of government contracts and otherwise. I need them to be successful so they can bring me problems to solve so I can be successful!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Drive is the most important thing. It carries me through the day. I go weeks without being paid while still continuing to believe in myself and working toward accomplishing my goals. There are days when things don’t go well. You have to keep moving. There are days when things go amazing. You have to keep moving.
Patience is not something I am known for. Persistence is.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1309B W. Abram St. #200
Arlington, TX 76013 - Website: www.EACLawyer.com
- Phone: 214-789-1354
- Email: Aaron@EACLawyer.com
- Instagram: Overnight.Empire
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OvernightEmpire/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5whfo5jMN9j07-vUn25bfw
Image Credit:
Lexie Krug Photography
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