18/02/2024
Enjoy the Adventure as a Young Lawyer: Where I am and how it started
I have been a lawyer for 3 and half years (3.5 years). This may not be long enough for some. But this is long enough for me to tell that I just had the toughest and longest 3.5 years of my life. When I signed the roll of attorney in 2020, my life has changed. And thereโs no turning back. Ever since, I can no longer separate my personality from my lawyer identity. Or so I thought.
In 2021, I founded my blog called โThe Young Lawyer PHโ. It was my outlet to unleash my creative works. I never thought my writing would inspire people and follow me on this journey. And so, I was motivated to invest time and money into designing my blog, publish a website, network with fellow law-related creatives, and binge-watch a lot of youtube and book materials relating to content writing and having an authentic following. But all of those efforts were not sustained, or temporarily paused, because I had to put on my โlawyer hatโ.
In the same year 2021, on the 31st day of March, I resigned from my work as an associate and chose the risky path of becoming a solo practitioner. I was thinking about becoming a freelance graphic designer and notary public as side hustle. It was still pandemic that time so I had this survival instinct that if I pass the chance to live my life the way I want to be, I will perish in this world without finding my true purpose. And so, I embraced that unconventional path and put all my trust in God.
As fate would have it, I was still re-directed to the work of a conventional lawyer, and founded my own RLB LAW OFFICE at the heart of Eastwood City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City. From then, I documented my journey and told my story on facebook, twitter, and even linkedIn. For every step of the way, friends and family would cheer me and get inspired by how much courage I have for establishing my own office. I would always tell them that I never planned it and I just tried. But deep inside me, I was challenging myself how far will I get until I get tired of this or until I fail.
But I refused to fail. As I gained more clients and responsibilities every day, my paycheck also grew. I earned a lot of money in 2 months than when I did as a an employee in a law firm. So the possibility of earning some more, and buying stuff that I want was a great motivation for me to keep doing it. I won my first case and gained more referrals. I was, as my classmate puts it, a trailblazer.
Everything was good until I got overwhelmed, sick and burnt-out. I was tired of the mental pressure of handling the cases and drafting requests of clients. I was stress eating and mindlessly purchasing stuff online. I was buying books which I just hoard. During this time, I was again reflecting whether it was a good decision to establish a law office.
It was going to be tough because I was a one-man team as a solo practitioner. Thatโs when I realized that my potential is limited with the time and resources that I have. And I needed to delegate work to others to focus on more important things. But if I have to hire people in my team, I need to make a huge decision. I did some research and asked advice from mentors and friends. Not for long, I pulled the trigger. I hired people on my team. I wore my new hat: as a manager. And things were never the same again.
Of course on top of this overwhelming responsibilities, I still pursued advocacy work (I joined the National Society of Parliamentarians and Rotaract Club of Kalibo) on the side by joining organizations and volunteer work. I accepted numerous speaking engagements both virtual and on-site and even as far as Cotabato City. I was still managing and posting my social media persona as content creator. I would compose a thread on Twitter (now X) and schedule posts on Facebook and Instagram. Later I created my Tiktok Account (which I have no access at the moment). Later, I accepted teaching loads in review centers and college faculty. There was so much going on in the background, but I still couldnโt walk away from my work and persona: as a lawyer.
I once drank with a friend and told him, maybe Iโll just quit being a lawyer (because itโs tiring as f**k). And pursue my dream of becoming a content creator inspiring law students and young lawyers. But he replied that if I donโt do my job as a lawyer, I wonโt be having anything to share to my audience about the things Iโm learning and it wonโt be authentic. I agreed.
And so, I just ENDURED every step of the way becoming a manager and โquasi-entrepreneurโ because letโs face it, a law office is a business. I got to pay the rent, salaries, utilities, supplies, subscriptions, etc. I had to wear several hats: from HR, Finance, Marketing, Admin, etc. I occasionally had mental breakdowns, fatigue, fever and migraine. But every time, I survive those episodes, I bounce back stronger and wiser.
Fast forward January 2023, I started hiring my first Associates! It was exciting and I thought I could finally delegate this mental torture of baby sitting clients. But it didnโt make any difference. Maybe because of my lack of experience of handling a legal team. I started having impostor syndrome mentoring young lawyers. In my mind, how can I teach my staff on how to do this when I am just a neophyte myself. My mental exhaustion doubled as I delegated work with the pressure of training people hoping they will magically get better at what they need to do.
Well until now, I still have that impostor syndrome and hate my work as HR. But I as I learn from my mistakes, I get better at managing HR related problems. But more on that in a separate post.
August 2023, as if I was already done with my HR challenges, I made another leap of faith that could multiply my problems but I did it anyway, I opened another office in Kalibo! Now, I have to manage two offices and travel back and forth Manila to Kalibo. People couldnโt believe the feat that I made! I still couldnโt believe it too! But believe me when I say this is also another strategy for me to survive and experiment. I just had to find my people and create a good work culture. Besides, expanding in Kalibo is beneficial for my family and friends, and the costs are low too! This will be my backup plan in case I get tired of all the fast-paced legal environment in Manila.
Wait thereโs more. I also founded a new humanitarian advocacy linked to my work as a lawyer: Project ALAC! Project ALAC stands for Awareness and Legal Aid Caravan. This is a project funded by my very own client, Youth Voices Count Inc. We went to Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to provide free legal consultation and legal seminar to the youth and other marginalized sectors. More on this in a separate post.
Now I still manage two offices with three (3) Associates and 4 non-legal staff. I also have 3 core members as volunteers for Project ALAC. Overall, I manage 10 people. Do I still struggle managing my team? definitely. But what I can tell you is - I am in a better state now then I did last year. My approach towards work is more collaborative and I let my team grow and own their work as they learn.
So anyway, I am happy about how things went. But of course, there is still this missing piece in my journey which I left hanging years ago: my journey as The Young Lawyer PH. Now that I will be nearing my 30โs and approaching my 4 years in legal practice. I always think about whatโs the purpose of all those trouble. I am still figuring things out but one thing is for sure: I now appreciate my role as an advocate of justice and rule of law in this country.
If I want to change and improve the justice system, I must experience all its ups and downs. Only through experience that we learn the best. And sharing this experience to young lawyers or anyone who would like to get learn in my journey must be a step to light the torch that would ablaze a generation. Seriously, maybe God gave me this talent of writing and designing as a lawyer for that purpose. That I wonโt be a litigation lawyer forever, or wonโt be managing a law office forever, but I just needed to be here because I have far greater cause to achieve for the betterment of this country. If I struggle in my work as an advocate of justice, I always think about the bigger picture. And the impact it will have in society.
So this newsletter may be a start. I should have started years ago. But I was afraid that I wonโt be able to sustain. Or that I was succumb by my imposter syndrome. But there is no turning back. I pledge that when I the time comes that I will switch career from being a lawyer to a full time coach or designer, I will look back and smile blankly in the sky.
This is my story. And thank you for sailing with me.
