It’s easy to think that becoming a successful lawyer requires sacrificing personal life in favor of billing more hours. Having time for family isn’t possible between appearances, conferences, and an ever-growing caseload. But as Sevy Fisher, partner and trial attorney at the Simon Law Group, explains, creating your desired life is possible.

Getting there requires a bit of leg work. His advice includes finding a firm that shares your values, a willingness to trust the team, tapping into empathy, and letting go as critical to a happier life in law.

As well as tips for finding a work-life balance, hear why Sevy believes empathy is his strongest tool in the courtroom. He walks us through high-low agreements and why building relationships with the opposition is good business.

Key takeaways:

  • Take calculated risks. While in trial, it can feel like all of the burdens fall on the shoulders of the most senior attorney. The desire to control every aspect of the case is a natural response. However, a team that is not allowed to take risks and possibly fail will never grow.
  • Set boundaries. An attorney can not be everywhere all at once, but it is possible to carve out time for what matters most. Be present. 
  • Create win-win relationships. Make the other side look good. The opposing council will remember you and think of you as both reasonable and capable of striking a deal with. 

Transcript:

Maria Monroy (00:00):

We’re rolling. Hold on. You didn’t tell me what you want to talk about.

Sevy Fisher (00:03):

Whatever you want me to talk about.

Maria Monroy (00:05):

Yeah. Well, no, it’s not how it works. All right.

Sevy Fisher (00:14):

When I was a younger lawyer, I felt like there was a formula or an outline that I had to follow, whereas, as I’ve gotten into it a little bit more, that’s gone out the window.

Maria Monroy (00:24):

So you might even be a better lawyer in that moment because you’re less nervous?

Sevy Fisher (00:29):

A 100%. And I get to take more risks to grow and be better. And having that in place and that safety net in place, allowed me to take more risks and really go after and be a better trial attorney. And just kind of see what happens.

Maria Monroy (00:49):

Attorneys are taught to challenge everything, tear things apart, break them down. But the qualities that make lawyers great, can be some of the worst for running a business. At every stage of growth, running a business and practicing law can feel overwhelming. And what happens when you try to add life and family to the mix? It can feel nearly impossible. You don’t have to do this alone. I’m Maria Monroy, co-founder and president of LawRank, a leading SEO agency for ambitious law firms. Each week we hear from the industry leaders on what it really takes to run a law firm, from marketing to manifestation. Because success lies in the balance of life and law, we’re here to help you tip the scales. Today I am live with Sevy Fisher.

Sevy Fisher (01:39):

I’m a partner at the Simon Law Group. I’m also the trial director and trial attorney at the Simon Law Group.

Maria Monroy (01:45):

And today we discussed jury selection…

Sevy Fisher (01:49):

Balancing the work life balance, talked about high-lows.

Maria Monroy (01:53):

Oh yes.

Sevy Fisher (01:54):

Which was great.

Maria Monroy (01:55):

Thank you so much for joining me today. So what’s it like working with Bob Simon? I think everybody wants to know.

Sevy Fisher (02:02):

I mean, it’s a treat.

Maria Monroy (02:03):

Is it?

Sevy Fisher (02:04):

Yeah, it’s a treat. No, I mean, who doesn’t love Bob? Bob’s just got that energy. I feel like everybody’s just kind of…

Maria Monroy (02:14):

He’s very relatable, I think. He’s very down to earth.

Sevy Fisher (02:17):

Yeah. He’s just got that personality. You ever just meet somebody in your life that you know could listen to them talk forever? And it just feels like there’s certain things in life that you’re like, “Oh my gosh, the time’s dragging on. What time is it? Oh my God, are we done yet?” Like when you go to the gym, sometimes I look up, I’m like, “Gosh, is it the end of the hour yet?”

(02:34):

But there’s certain people you talk to, I feel like Gary Dordick has that too, where you can just kind of listen to them and you could just go on for an hour and you feel like, “Oh man, I need more time.” Type of thing. So Bob shares that quality, I think. That’s why I work for him. That’s why I work with him.

Maria Monroy (02:47):

How long have you been working with him?

Sevy Fisher (02:50):

I’ve worked with him since I’ve been out of law school. So 2013, I started working for Bob in July of 2013, as a sort of a law clerk waiting for my bar results.

Maria Monroy (03:01):

Wow, really?

Sevy Fisher (03:02):

And so yeah, I think I was the fourth or fifth attorney there.

Maria Monroy (03:07):

How did you connect?

Sevy Fisher (03:08):

So Brandon and I went to law school together. We were actually in the same section for the first, they call it the 1L year in law school, for any non attorneys watching. But so 1L year we had all the same classes together, and we would golf on Fridays together. And then eventually, I’m a really good golfer, and Bob was trying to get his name out there a little bit. He was just getting the firm going and doing marketing, and he sponsored a Clippers tournament with all the Clippers players at Trump National Golf Tournament. This was before Trump was president, so nobody hold that against him. But he texted Brandon and said, “Hey, I need a really good golfer. Do you know someone?” He goes, “Hey, you got to meet Sevy.” so then I met Bob for the first time at this golf tournament. Bob’s a terrible golfer, by the way, but I met him there, and the rest is kind of history.

(03:54):

He basically was just like, “I’m starting my firm. I want to talk to you. I want you to work for me.” And he kind of just would make jokes about it. And then eventually, came up and stayed at his house. Me and my wife went out with him and his wife, and he offered me a job officially.

Maria Monroy (04:10):

Wow. That’s amazing. So I heard you’re really good at jury selection. Can we talk about that for a second?

Sevy Fisher (04:16):

We can talk about that for a second. I don’t know if I’m good at it. I think I…

Maria Monroy (04:18):

I’ve heard you’re good at it.

Sevy Fisher (04:19):

Well.

Maria Monroy (04:20):

I’ve researched you before. I asked around. I mean, we don’t know anyone-

Sevy Fisher (04:25):

Who’d you talk to?

Maria Monroy (04:26):

I can’t tell you.

Sevy Fisher (04:27):

Oh, okay.

Maria Monroy (04:28):

But I heard you’re really good at jury selection.

Sevy Fisher (04:30):

Yeah. Well, I guess it depends on the case.

Maria Monroy (04:33):

So talk to us about that. What do you think makes you good at it?

Sevy Fisher (04:38):

I think I’m the type of guy I like to go out. I like to have a few beers and I like to talk to people. I like to meet new people, and I think I’m comfortable doing it. I’m comfortable in my own skin. I’m comfortable making fun of myself. And I think that’s all it takes to be a good lawyer, a good trial lawyer, specifically. And I guess even more specific, to pick a jury.

Maria Monroy (05:00):

For the record, Sevy’s actually drinking right now. He’s not being very supportive in my… I don’t know what the right word is.

Sevy Fisher (05:04):

Oh yeah. You kind of take it easy on the drinks.

Maria Monroy (05:06):

My quest to minimize drinking. Literally, he’s drinking right now, for those of you that are not watching the video.

Sevy Fisher (05:17):

I’m a very bad influence.

Maria Monroy (05:18):

You are, were you-

Sevy Fisher (05:19):

I’m told that as well.

Maria Monroy (05:20):

Yeah. I’m very upset about it. I’ve actually met Sevy’s wife. She’s amazing.

Sevy Fisher (05:25):

Thank you.

Maria Monroy (05:26):

Yeah, you guys are super cute.

Sevy Fisher (05:27):

I appreciate that.

Maria Monroy (05:28):

Yes.

Sevy Fisher (05:29):

Thank you very much. I’m a lucky man. I’m very lucky. I get told that a lot. And I know it.

Maria Monroy (05:34):

I mean, she is hot.

Sevy Fisher (05:35):

Super hot.

Maria Monroy (05:36):

She is. I agree.

Sevy Fisher (05:37):

Just my type.

Maria Monroy (05:40):

All right. So it’s been, what? 10 years then, that you’ve been at the Simon Law Group. What have been some of your challenges from then to now?

Sevy Fisher (05:52):

Gosh, challenges? I think they change over time, but I would say, when you start as a lawyer at any new firm, no matter what kind of personality you have or how much the folks that hired you like you, I think the biggest challenge at the beginning, is just some validation. You want to show them that you’re worthy of working for such a great firm or something like that. So that motivates you a lot. I think that’s a big challenge, at least in the first part, until you get some results or show people that what you’re doing, at a time when you really don’t know what you’re doing, especially.

(06:29):

Other than that, over time, as when I first started working there, I didn’t have kids, then I had kids. And so that challenge that comes with that I think, was just, I don’t want to say balancing, but managing time, just between the family and the trial aspect and work, but our firm’s super chill and very understanding. We’re very family-oriented. So I would say, even that challenge was way less challenging than I think most other firms would have.

Maria Monroy (06:59):

I’m starting to see a pattern. Everyone seems pretty chill that works at the Simon Law Group. I wonder if that’s a requirement?

Sevy Fisher (07:08):

Well, I think it’s just the environment. Bob’s chill. Brad’s pretty chill. The rest of us are chill. All the partners are chill. It’s not a typical, this crotchety old person that’s just scary and that’s just never been the vibe at our firm, ever.

Maria Monroy (07:27):

It’s interesting because I have so many friends that are unhappy, and these are younger lawyers, so probably mid to late 30s, that are really unhappy at their current firms. And I feel like the Simon Law Group, from everything I’ve heard, and people could say, “Oh, it’s BS.” But the fact that the partners have been there for so long and right out of law school. So you, then you brought in Grayson and now you’re both partners. You guys have been there nine and 10 years, and the way that you guys describe what it’s like working there, I think can be very expanding for the lawyers that are at a firm and they’re not happy and they think that every firm is like that, and it’s definitely not.

Sevy Fisher (08:12):

Right. Well, I guess what I’ve seen in my 10 years, is the Simon Law, it’s sort of the exception, not the rule, right?

Maria Monroy (08:23):

Oh, absolutely.

Sevy Fisher (08:23):

You see all these other folks who are starting to get their bearings and getting some good results in trial, and they’re eventually, they’re out. They’re starting their own firm. A lot of them are going to JHQ, what have you. We see in marketing or in results or in the courtroom, as these great firms, you’re seeing people leave them all the time. Not the case with our firm, nobody… Very few people leave our firm willingly.

(08:51):

And to be honest with you, when I went to law school, when I was growing up, I always wanted my own thing. I wanted my name on something. I wanted to be the owner. The buck stops with me, type of person. And I had that, even first starting job with the Simon Law Group. I was like, “Oh, eventually maybe I’ll go off on my own and have my own thing.” But just with how great we have it and how great everybody is to us, it’s not even in my plans right now.

Maria Monroy (09:18):

And what do you think makes it such a great work environment?

Sevy Fisher (09:21):

Letting the attorneys be themselves. I’ve never felt a lot of oversight in my capacity, even as an associate, unless I need it, unless I ask for help. I did a number of trials, but the first trial I actually did with Bob, he’s not sitting there telling me like, “Oh, you fucked this up. You did this wrong, do this, do that.” He’s like, “No, this is you. You’re doing you and you’re doing a great job.”

(09:46):

So I think that really helps, and I love that aspect, actually. Sometimes it can be, it’s scary. He’s got a lot of trust in his attorneys and also, it’s something that he always tells me to actually do more of. “Let go, quit being control freak. Let go. Let whoever’s trying this case with you, whether it’s their first trial or second trial or third trial.” Because I want to take over everything, right? Because I feel like it’s on me, no matter what, as the person who’s got the most experience. If we lose, it’s on me. If we win, it’s on me. So I don’t want people to do certain witnesses or I want to do 99% of the trial. And he’s like, “Dude, there was a time where I let you do those things. You got to let go.” So there’s a happy medium in there somewhere.

Maria Monroy (10:34):

Yeah, I’m the same way. I like to control things, but there’s only so much you can do. And if you want your team to grow, you got to let them make the mistakes that they’re going to make.

Sevy Fisher (10:46):

A 100%.

Maria Monroy (10:47):

And you don’t want them to be afraid to make mistakes, because if they’re afraid to make mistakes, then they’re going to be afraid to take chances. And that’s not good for growth, period.

Sevy Fisher (10:57):

And the better they do ultimately, and the more experience they get, the less stress some of us are going to have later on because we’ve got other folks that we can trust now. We can trust them now because they have the experience of being put in those shitty, uncomfortable situations. And so that’s kind of how I look at it, is it’s going to put less stress on everybody and everybody being better puts less stress on everybody.

Maria Monroy (11:22):

Now there are nine partners, nine or 10?

Sevy Fisher (11:27):

I don’t even know now. Seven, eight, I think nine. Including-

Maria Monroy (11:29):

How do you guys… Who does what? That’s a lot of partners.

Sevy Fisher (11:34):

That is a lot of partners. Sometimes I don’t know who does what, but let me think. Brad and Jenny basically, just keep everybody under control, run the litigation. They do a lot of case screening. The intake that comes in. It’s funny because they’re like the conservative, smart people in the firm. Kind of make sure everybody else doesn’t take some wild flyer case that we shouldn’t be taken. Because it’s funny because the trial lawyers have a different mentality than the lawyers that don’t try cases. The trial lawyers, you could ask Grace and Bob, myself, Evan, Jason now, we’re a little bit more quick with the trigger, I would say. We get a little summary of a case. We’re like, “Oh yeah, fuck yeah, we could take that.” And they’re like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down guys. We haven’t even read the file.” So that’s Brad and Jenny. Bunch of case screening. Keep-

Maria Monroy (12:29):

What do you do?

Sevy Fisher (12:30):

I try cases, first of all. Secondary to that, I do a lot of expert depositions and any non-expert deposition that might be a little bit, I don’t know, just challenging or fun. I choose the trialers, make sure every trial we have, we have meetings every, I would say, two to three weeks, I set meetings with all the trial team, as well as the managers of our cases, and we make sure we go about three months out. So if we were having a meeting today, which it’s March, we’d go over all the trials for March, April, and end of May, and I make sure there’s bodies on all those cases. We briefly discuss the cases, make sure we have our experts lined up and make sure they’re in a good spot and they’re being worked up. And if there’s any questions or advice or strategy questions, things like that, that the managers want to ask or any other attorney, trial attorney, whatever, we use that as an opportunity to do that too.

Maria Monroy (13:27):

Are you guys all responsible also for bringing in cases?

Sevy Fisher (13:31):

When you use the word responsible, it’s almost sounds like it’s mandatory, but yes and no.

Maria Monroy (13:36):

Well, are you expected to, I guess is my question?

Sevy Fisher (13:39):

Well, I think if you’ve got a referral, you don’t send it to another firm.

Maria Monroy (13:42):

I’d hope not.

Sevy Fisher (13:43):

But I don’t think anybody’s… Nobody’s sitting there saying, “Look, you, Mr. Associate or Mr Partner, you’re fired if you don’t get X amount of referrals.” That’s just not the case. The referrals can help you grow and make money individually. So it’s better for you if you do it. So if you’re not at least trying to do it, it’ll be kind of silly.

Maria Monroy (14:03):

Yeah, absolutely. So I heard that you did this thing because of this trial you had, that was during COVID where you did a high and low negotiation. Can you talk to us about that?

Sevy Fisher (14:18):

So a high-low agreement is simple. It’s coming into trial and maybe a case that you’re not so sure on. It’s making sure you’re putting your client first. And why do I say that? Well, there’s certain things that happen if you outright lose a case at trial, or you don’t beat the defendant’s last statutory offer, which is also called a 998 in California. If you don’t beat that and you lose at trial, they can come after your client for costs. And it’s not like they’re coming after me, the attorney for costs. They’re coming after the client. So in my efforts leading up to trial, it depends on the defense attorney, but nine times out of 10, I always ask them, “Hey, you ever thought about… Should we talk about high-low?” And they all-

Maria Monroy (15:04):

How common is this?

Sevy Fisher (15:06):

From what I’ve learned in talking to a lot of defense attorneys and bringing up this subject matter with them, it’s kind of uncommon, I would say. But I saw Bob do it one time and ever since then, I just loved him. It gives you a form of… We’ll get back to the control. It gives you a form of control in an otherwise uncontrollable environment. And so for example, I’ve had a high-low agreement where maybe the policy is 1.25 million on a specific case. So I’m just using this as a hypothetical. My client maybe has a hip injury, she’s got a hip labrum repaired. She wants to settle for the case for $350,000, but the defense won’t offer more than 175.

(15:48):

In that case, you might talk about a high-low, “Hey, why don’t we do a high-low at trial? I’ll cap it at your policy, $1.25 million. That’s the highest I can get. Even if I hit this out of the park and hit it for three, four, 5 million dollars, I’m capped at $1.25 million. But if I lose and you defense me completely and I get zero, you’re giving me $125,000. So I’ve got those barriers and we’re going to waive all post-trial motions. We’re going to waive appeal, and each side’s going to cover their own costs.” So that gives them incentive because they’re going to look like a hero if I go spank them for over that amount at trial. And it also helps my client because if I get zeroed out, they just went from owing the defendant money, in most case, these clients can’t afford that. They have to file bankruptcy if that happens, if they truly come after them, to maybe having 50K in their pocket for losing, it seems like a no-brainer. Right?

(16:46):

You do need to be careful on those though, because if you have a high-low and the high is $1.25 million that you can get under any circumstances, don’t go asking for $7 million at trial. Because if the jury gives it to you, you’re going to have a pissed off client. Why don’t I get the $7 million?

(17:03):

But there’s so many different factors to take into account with those. Some of it is like, what do you think the chances are of appealable issues? We had this one case that, was strong with appealable issues. It was a labor code case. We had a really good high-low on that. We were just nervous that no matter the outcome, it was getting taken up on appeal, going to stretch it out over another two to four years. You know how good your client is. Injuries, whether liability is an issue, liability’s a big… If liability’s ever a huge dispute, I like to talk about high-lows.

(17:34):

You can do so many different things with them too. You can get super creative. I think that’s-

Maria Monroy (17:37):

I’ve never heard about that.

Sevy Fisher (17:38):

I think that’s why I love them so much. Is I feel like they allow me to get my creative juices flowing. I had the last high-low I did, we bifurcated liability from damages. We came up with this agreement and I was like, “What if we just do this? We separate the damages.” Damages was the most expensive portion. I had six damages experts. So did the defense. Number of treating doctors. The damages portion of trial was going to cost us like $125,000 just to put on our evidence. And the liability was one guy, one expert.

(18:06):

So I was like, “Well, why don’t we just come up with an agreement that we’ll keep damages for another day, or just take them off the table, but we’ll do a high-low agreement. We’ll just try the case on liability. It’ll be a four-day trial and based on what percentage, if the jury finds the defendant zero to 24% at fault, you pay me 75,000. If the jury finds the defendant 25 to 49% at fault, you pay me 400,000. If the jury finds the defendant…” And so on and so forth up to the limits of their policy. And so I thought that was cool.

Maria Monroy (18:41):

That is really cool.

Sevy Fisher (18:43):

It was just super creative. I’ve never done anything like it, but it worked and it worked in my favor. It was a very quick trial. Good result. Happy client. Literally, this client is like, she texted me after we sent her her check and she told me that I gave her a second shot at life. Because she was like five grand in credit card debt and almost had to file bankruptcy. One of the best clients of all time. And I love her.

Maria Monroy (19:08):

How Did you have that idea? What made you separate?

Sevy Fisher (19:14):

I just feel like I get those ideas in cases that I’m not a 100% confident in. Where I look at the evidence and I’m a little bit, I wouldn’t say not confident in, but I feel like there’s a lot more risk.

Maria Monroy (19:28):

Probably makes you more confident going into trial. So you might even be a better lawyer in that moment because you’re less nervous.

Sevy Fisher (19:35):

100%. And I get to take more risks, which we were talking about that earlier. To grow and be better, you want to be able to take risks. And having that in place and that safety net in place, allowed me to take more risks and really go after and be a great, a better trial attorney and just kind of see what happens. So yeah, I love them. I love them a lot. Unless it’s just a great case, you know it, you know you’re going to go kick the out of the other side. I’ll never do a high-low in that case. You know what I mean?

Maria Monroy (20:04):

Yeah. Why would you?

Sevy Fisher (20:05):

Because they’re never going to agree to my terms. It’s got to be a case where both sides kind of like, well, this could go either way. 50/50.

Maria Monroy (20:12):

Yeah. You’re creating a win-win, basically. Where everyone feels good about it, but maybe not necessarily great because you didn’t know to begin with anyways.

Sevy Fisher (20:22):

And in every high-low I’ve done, we want to make everybody look good, whether it’s… And it’s not just us and the clients, but the defense attorney, they’ve got a job to do too. They’ve got a client, they’re trying hard, and we make each other’s worlds go around. And every high-low I’ve ever done, whether I’ve just done a really good job, got a great result, or not. Every single one, the defense lawyer’s client has been super happy. And that’s important, for many reasons. Everybody got to get out of there and look good.

Maria Monroy (20:53):

Well, now I’m curious. Why is it important?

Sevy Fisher (20:55):

Them looking good to their client, gets them more business, and gets them more trust from their client. When I say their client, I’m talking about insurance companies.

Maria Monroy (21:04):

But why does that help you?

Sevy Fisher (21:04):

Why does it help me?

Maria Monroy (21:05):

Yes.

Sevy Fisher (21:05):

Well, the more they like me and more approachable and trustworthy I am to the defense lawyer-

Maria Monroy (21:11):

The next time. Got it.

Sevy Fisher (21:12):

And the next time I’m going to get it, they’re going to say, “This guy’s a reasonable dude. We’re going to come up with stipulations, agreements if we can. I know Sevy’s approachable.” And I like that. That’s one of the things I think I’m really good at, is creating those relationships and they make my life 10 times better and easier and make the defense lives 10 times easier, because nobody… Nine times out of 10, I have a relationship like that with the defense lawyer. There’s the one defense lawyer out there. It’s always going to be an asshole. They’re always… So you can’t really negotiate with them those times.

Maria Monroy (21:42):

You are approachable though. I mean, I’ve only hung up with you a few times and I feel like I know you. I think you’re very approachable.

Sevy Fisher (21:47):

Thanks.

Maria Monroy (21:48):

And maybe that’s why people say you’re good at jury selection. Do you think you connect with a jury?

Sevy Fisher (21:53):

It’s funny. I think I do because I don’t feel like I do anything great. Everyone’s always like, “Do you have an outline for jury selection?” I’m like, “No, not really. I just go talk to some folks.”

Maria Monroy (22:02):

Do you use your intuition?

Sevy Fisher (22:04):

Yeah. Yeah. But mainly I just vibe with them.

Maria Monroy (22:07):

You vibe with them?

Sevy Fisher (22:08):

I like to vibe with jurors. Look, you just got to put yourself in their shoes. They’re in a fucked-up situation. They got required to be here under the law. For lawyers, it’s cool. But for these folks who maybe can’t afford to take a day off or whatever, they’re hating their life and they just got told that they’re here because of a car accident. They are immediately, before I even talk, they hate us. So my job, my goal, when I stand up is I want them to like me immediately.

Maria Monroy (22:42):

You’re likable though, that must come easy to you.

Sevy Fisher (22:42):

You’d be surprised. The first couple times I did jury selection, I think I was a little stiff and lawyer-like and used stupid words. When I was a younger lawyer I felt like there was a formula or an outline that I had to follow. Whereas, as I’ve gotten into it a little bit more, that’s gone out the window. I’ve got a couple questions that, based on how a juror’s answer, I know how they’re going to go for me in that case. The other 90% of jury selection is just me getting to know them and making sure they know that just because I’m a lawyer in a suit today, I just want them to know I’m normal because I am. If I’m not in a suit, I wear, this is the most dressed up I get without a suit on. Other than that, it’s sweats.

Maria Monroy (23:24):

This is you dressed up?

Sevy Fisher (23:25):

Yeah. Everyone’s always like, “Did you just come off the golf course?” I’m like, “No. That’s just my casual gear.”

Maria Monroy (23:29):

Just side note, for those of you not watching the video, I had to change, I had to dress down for this episode because Sevy showed up so casual.

Sevy Fisher (23:42):

I appreciate you doing that. You probably appreciate me doing it too because-

Maria Monroy (23:45):

I do.

Sevy Fisher (23:45):

You’re probably more comfortable.

Maria Monroy (23:45):

I’m way more comfortable. I am way more comfortable. So what’s really exciting in your life right now?

Sevy Fisher (23:52):

Exciting in my life? My son lost his second tooth last night.

Maria Monroy (23:56):

Oh, how many kids do you guys have? Three?

Sevy Fisher (23:57):

I’ve got three. So a two-year-old, a five-year-old, and a six-year-old.

Maria Monroy (24:02):

How do you balance… And I know you didn’t want to use that word earlier, but how do you balance work and life? Again, I think working in… I swear to you guys, this is not a promo for the Simon Law Group, but I know that for Bob that’s important. So it probably, it’s part of the culture at the firm, I would assume that it’s okay for everyone to have a work-life balance?

Sevy Fisher (24:27):

Yeah. I mean, before having kids, I felt like I would go to every seminar, everything I could get my hands on, I would go to.

Maria Monroy (24:34):

I haven’t seen you at one in a year.

Sevy Fisher (24:36):

Precisely. I have to go to the ones and pick and choose the ones that, whereas before, maybe I’d go to 12 to 15 a year.

Maria Monroy (24:43):

Wow.

Sevy Fisher (24:43):

Now I go to six max and I try to go to some of the family oriented ones. I love the ABOTA one in Hawaii because I can take my kids

Maria Monroy (24:52):

ABOTA. That’s a California one, right?

Sevy Fisher (24:54):

It’s a national one, but yes, it’s ABOTA California. You know what ABOTA is?

Maria Monroy (24:57):

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I didn’t, I’ve never been.

Sevy Fisher (25:00):

Yeah, so I like that one. I like the Palm Springs one, it’s in a family friendly resort, Omni in Palm Springs-

Maria Monroy (25:05):

And whose conference is that?

Sevy Fisher (25:06):

And I still like Omni, even though I sued them. But that ones-

Maria Monroy (25:10):

Wait, what conference is that?

Sevy Fisher (25:12):

C-A-O-I-E. It’s like a C-A-O-C and I-E crossover.

Maria Monroy (25:16):

But you do-

Sevy Fisher (25:17):

Too.

Maria Monroy (25:18):

You do mainly state conferences?

Sevy Fisher (25:21):

Yeah. Yeah. I try not to go out of state. Once in a while, there’s a ski one, Western Trial Lawyers Association does one in my home state, in Idaho. So if I can kill two birds and see some family with that at the same time, I might try to do that. But yeah, very rarely.

Maria Monroy (25:35):

So when you go to conferences, you bring the family?

Sevy Fisher (25:38):

I would say 80% of the time.

Maria Monroy (25:41):

Wow. Kudos to you.

Sevy Fisher (25:43):

It doubles too. Right? So I was talking about the ABOTA Hawaii. Our family trip every year is going to Hawaii. And what we do is we do a week of the conference, which the conference is only a three-hour session of talks. The rest of it is just meetups, happy hours. So we do a week of the conference and then we do a week on either the front end or the back end for the family. So I turn them into my family vacations just to make it easy with time management and trip preparations and all that. Try to make as many of those into just family vacations as I can.

Maria Monroy (26:15):

If I did that, we would be on vacation the whole year. What about day to day?

Sevy Fisher (26:18):

Day to day is, it’s funny because it’s not a nine to five job. It’s weird. So there’s days where, there’s days where I have zero appearances, I’m an appearance guy. If there’s not a deposition to be had or a trial to prepare for or be at, or somebody who needs my help preparing for a deposition or advice on how to prepare for trial, if there’s none of that real serious stuff going on, I can go to family stuff. I take my son to, he does Parkour class every Thursday.

Maria Monroy (26:50):

No way. There’s such a thing?

Sevy Fisher (26:51):

Yes, he loves it.

Maria Monroy (26:52):

That is so LA.

Sevy Fisher (26:52):

La. And we’ve got a thing, we go to Good Stuff. It’s this C minus restaurant that’s just in the vicinity because there’s no other restaurants. But, I don’t even like it. But I go because he wants… It’s our thing. We go there, it’s just mine and his time and he’ll eat Mickey Mouse pancakes and bacon every Thursday and I’ll have two IPAs and then we’ll go home.

Maria Monroy (27:15):

All right.

Sevy Fisher (27:15):

I try to be present. I only golf during the weekdays. I’m a big golfer and-

Maria Monroy (27:20):

No, you don’t say? Really? You hadn’t mentioned it.

Sevy Fisher (27:23):

In case you didn’t know. I’m also really, really good. But I go during the weekdays. I don’t go on the weekends because the weekends are dedicated to my family if I’m not in trial, straight up. You just got to enjoy what you’re doing. If you don’t, get the hell out, go do your own thing. If you don’t like where you’re at or where you’re working and you’re not happy, do something about it.

Maria Monroy (27:48):

Thank you so much to Sevy Fisher for everything he shared with us today. If you found the story valuable, please share it with someone you want to see succeed. Subscribe, so you never miss an episode and leave us a five star review. It goes a long way to help others discover the show. Catch us next week on Tip The Scales with me, maria Monroy, President of LawRank. Hear how the best in the business broke out of limiting beliefs, overcame adversity, and built a thriving, purpose-driven business in the process. If you found the story valuable-

Sevy Fisher (28:24):

Follow him on TikTok.

Maria Monroy (28:25):

Please share it.

Sevy Fisher (28:27):

I don’t have a TikTok, I’m just kidding.

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