Are you a solo law-firm or professional practice wanting to expand?  Read on …. This my story and why you should hire me …

The year is 1994, the country is South Africa, and the scene, which was movingly described by Alon Paton, in his book Cry the Beloved Country was as follows: “ In the hilly South African province of Natal, a lovely road winds its way up from the village of Ixopo to Carisbrooke, a journey of seven miles. This misty vantage point looks out over one of the fairest valleys of Africa, where the native birds sing and the grass is dense and green. The lush grass of the hills clings to the rain and mist, soaking up the moisture, which in turn feeds every stream. Although cattle graze here, their feeding has not destroyed the land, and the few fires that burn have not harmed the soil. As the hills roll down to the valley below, however, they become red and bare. The grass there has been destroyed by cattle and fire, and the streams have all run dry. When storms come, the red dirt runs like blood, and the crops are withered and puny. These valleys are the homes of the elderly, who scrape at the dirt for sustenance. Some mothers live here with their children, but all the able-bodied young people have long since moved away.”

I grew up during the apartheid era, I was 8 years old and I can remember wanting to be a lawyer. I wanted to help save our country and save our people from this madness.  In 1994 I would complete my law degree from The University of Witwatersrand, the very same year that South African will see the fall of apartheid and the beginning of a new era. The sun will rise, and the birds will sing a new beautiful tune, a tune of hope, equality and equal rights. 1994 was the year we all got to vote, and I had the opportunity of serving as a final year law graduate at the voting polls and help conduct the very first democratic elections in our country. Apartheid as a system was eradicated, yet there was so much work to be done. So many people in prison that needed to be freed, and that’s how I set off to work. I did one year of articles (training as lawyer)and i attended night schools that I could qualify to take the bar  exam. Once is completed this  I set out immediately and opened up my law firm. I started serving the state for free as well as paid on stipend court matters to help undo past injustices of our bias system. The challenge was that I was dead broke, had college debt and I needed to grow my law firm. How on earth was I going to do this without any capital, little practice management expertise, and I needed to put in at least 80 hours into State Cases. I had a firm desire to build a successful law firm and I was extremely determined to take the firm from 0 to 250k in 12 months. I did exactly that. It was extremely painful, I endured extreme anxiety attacks as I borrowed money at high interest rates, however in the process I learnt the secrets to managing and growing a law firm.

The main factors I later discovered through my pain and anxiety were :

1. Your need a strong desire to succeed, it all begins with you,
2. Having a plan. A well-documented plan that aligns to your life vision
3. Marketing, marketing, and off course networking to Build your brand and your lead flow
4. Systems and processes
5. Know your numbers
6. Hiring process
7.  W.O.M – do a great job  for your clients and get others to spread the word. (W.O.M -Word of mouth Marketing)

Contact me : vishay@mapmelocal.com   https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishaysingh/