Why a Private Capital Attorney Rejected Big Law’s Safe Route

And I say that as someone who did the whole academic thing in a big law and all of that, it's a different beast. It's not. It really is a system. And I would also say... Pedro Amosabi is a private capital attorney, entrepreneur, and the founder of Amosabi Law. He helps investment managers, fund sponsors, and business leaders navigate complex transactions with strategic legal counsel that drives long-term growth in lasting success.

It had about like five to seven years, all the Amosabi Law like sort of a 200 firms. They got to be essentially owned by private equity. And then the Amosabi Law, a 100-year-old attorney like Amosabi Law 50, because I was just like... The living your legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy. Welcome back everybody to another episode of the living your legacy podcast. I'm your host, Jason Tyler,

“and I am joined today by Pedro Amosabi Law. Pedro Amosabi, welcome to the show. How you feeling?”

Good, good. It feels like a cigar bar in here. Yes, it's a very different environment from the studio. We just finished filming your episode

for America's top lawyers. And first of all, how are you feeling now on the other side of it? Is it like a

release? The weights off my shoulders? I got it out a little bit. I mean, it was fun. I mostly power myself around falling out of the director's chair, so I think we can talk all of my clients all around. All of my clients know that I tell everybody like hey, the director's

“shares not the most comfortable to sit in for 90 minutes. I think we did like two and a half hours”

in there. You're a soldier for like finishing the full session and sitting in the director's chair the whole time, because I don't know how I don't know how most people do it. Well, I mean, I think I had it had led to a breakfast at so I like sets of time was, you know, it was loopy. Exactly.

One of the first questions that I always ask on this show is, you know, what would you say is

like the number one lesson you want people to be able to learn from your story? I say the number one lesson is that sometimes what seems like the safe route is actually the risky route. And I say that as, you know, someone who obviously did the whole, like, like academic thing and, you know, big law and all of that and I really cherish like a relationship. Like me there. It also looked the skills that developed and, you know, client relationships, but it's a different,

it's a different beast. It's not, it really is a system. And I would also say for people to just

“be nimble. I mean, yeah, you gotta be adaptable. Yeah. I think that's like one of the, one of the”

things that I hear a lot on this show from different entrepreneurs, different business owners in all avenues is like adaptability and flexibility are like hyper hyper important if you're in business. Like, you gotta be able to kind of pivot at the drop of a hat. Yeah, definitely. I mean, one of the,

you know, partners at Bay of Farb that I worked with very closely, he basically was like the

top of his field, like, what I say top of his field is like, you know, really up there. Like, like, you know, number one of the world, it is the practice. And for, you know, various reasons, yeah, to like pivot a little bit, um, because like just like the Farb's business strategy, playing, you know, um, and, um, that he did it, um, with, I mean, without completing masterfully stories. Yes. And yeah, and he did it, lower standards either. You know, like, he'd still

he just is actually turned a few things around, um, and still had, you know, the prestige without, without, like, the ego, you know, um, and, and I, you know, and he thinks someone at that level, right, where it's like, they've just, like, like, the blooded, you know, uh, sweated tears. And, um, well, now talk about the associates that work with their daughter. Like, well, it wasn't his blood sweaters. It's actually, yeah. But, you know, it's like, like,

you know, you work that hard to get to, you know, uh, uh, the medical of your career, like,

“yes, like, like, you know, it's paid off, um, and then you have to pivot, um, and it's, um,”

see get as a, uh, a challenge, um, and I do it, you know, I do adventure, uh, I, I, I know they're they to work hard at and, um, um, you know, succeed at, um, I like that you said that he didn't, like, lower his standards in that pivot, because one thing that I notice a lot is actually to the contrary of that most people that I've seen have to pivot in business actually raise their standards,

when they make that ladder, that first lateral movement, like, let's say for example, uh,

somebody is running a restaurant, right? And their restaurants, like one of the top restaurants in the world, and then they have to put that for whatever reason, like COVID hits, and they have to shut it down,

“and they have to pivot into a completely new area of business. They actually take everything they”

learned from that previous venture and pivot it into the systems that they build in the new business, and the new business actually operates at such a high level right out of the gate, that they end up building a new standard on top of that. Like that's something that I've noticed in business owners. Would you say, like, kind of the same for business owners, definitely? I mean, does not really if you're, when you have such a dramatic event, you know, in the world where all the old rules

are kind of go with the window, and it sounds like it really gives you a chance to kind of reflect and think, okay, what was it working? But, you know, what were just like stuck with certain, like, like a sea, you know, systems, and, you know, let the old light spot, let the old stuff wash away, and like we can build on what did work. Exactly, yeah. Yeah, one of the interesting points in

“your story, I think, was just kind of getting to hear your experience of being a junior associate”

and kind of working in that sort of devil wears product, ask world, talk to be a little bit about, like, for the, for the audience member out there who's listening and they're like, oh, I'm what to go into law school. I can't wait to be a junior associate. What do they have in store for them?

Well, I mean, I would first quote, "leadly blonde." Or, her mother's like, but honey,

you were misrunner up in the Hawaiian tropics concert. Why would you throw all that away? And it has, like, law school, that's, but that's for people who are boring and serious and unattractive and are not of those pumpkin. I prefer for the aspiring law student out there. I want all of you guys to go out and watch legally blonde and legally blonde too. Well, another one of the things that I really liked about getting to listen to your story was,

not only do we've just referenced like having your former associate or your former partner that you worked with watching them pivot, but you also made your own pivot, right? And you pivoted out of working in big law and went into creating your own firm. What was that, you know, what was that experience like for you of like having, you've built all these relationships with clients in your tenure with this other firm and now getting to kind of put your own spin on it. What does that, what does that feel like for, you know,

for a lawyer going into creating their own firm? Well, it's very exciting now. I like at first,

it's especially, you know, when he's had so many years at a place working with a lot of people to respect and develop like close relationships with, I mean, not everybody, but people coming

you know, you know, it's the right thing. But at the same time, it's like, you know, it's kind of

like being at high school, it's like leaving high school it away. Or like, you know, it's like,

“that's actually a great analogy for it, I think. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's kind of,”

did you grieve at all? Like the, I don't know, for me, like any time I've gone through like a major shift in life, I kind of spend a little bit of time just kind of grieving what was before I'm able to like transition into what's going to, what's coming next? Like, did you find that, did that happen for you at all? I did, I did, but I mean, it, it was mixed because I feel like I started the grieving process like sooner before you actually, yes, I understand. Yeah, yeah, because like,

it's just, it's just the, the legal industry, like, um, has shifted so drastically, um, and the last couple of years. And in the back of my mind, you know, like couple of years ago

“started feeling, you know, just kind of knowing, but like not wanting to, you know, it's like,”

it's not like, it's, it's healing, it's like, you know, I want to trust it at first, but you're like,

I know this is correct, but I don't want it to be correct. Yeah, especially when there's like a lot of people saying that like, no, like, it's not, it's, yeah, because everybody wants to protect their own interests. Yeah, no, no, no, don't, don't believe me. Yeah, and, and, and you're like, no, like, it's, I feel like, it's like, I mean, but like, I feel like I'm just like my brain, and I'm like, that doesn't make sense, but, you know, with, with some folks, it's like,

you know, they've different incentives, and then there's other ones that are, you know, like,

oh, like, we, you know, we wanted to leave a lot of, but then a lot of other people also left

off. It was like a mass accident. Yeah, it's a huge change, really. Like mass accidents, but though, so mass entrance, but not, but not in, like, our particular, like, core group. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, as I said, like, it's, it's, it's, um, my, my sort of prediction, um, I mean, don't, you know, bad any money on it, but is that, it's not holding up calcium right now, actually? Well, uh, I mean, calcium right, um, um, and, and not be

routed by then, but um, I'm, I'm not saying any inciner knowledge, but, you know, I, I'm not taking it. I can't say all of these things now, and I don't have a set of knowledge with A, it's great. I could like, buy stocks, um, like, I had a finance degree, I wasn't, like, able to, like, buy stocks, like, 10 years, like, it about, like, five to seven years, like, all the, um,

“law, like, sort of a 200 firms are, I think, they got to be essentially owned by private equity,”

really. Yeah, and then the, um, am law, like, 100 will turn into, like, am law 50, because I was just, like, consolidate and all the day. Yeah. I feel like that makes a lot of sense, actually, because, like, another big part of what we talked about in your episode was, like, the advent of AI and, like, how it's being utilized, how it's cleaning up systems, but also at the same time, like, where we're, we're kind of in the, I guess a lot while we're in a, in a sort of

way, with, like, seeing where AI is going to go, as far as, like, agentic AI and all of these different things. But I want to get your, your take on, like, what does the future of law look like, now that AI is here? Because I know a lot of people, even myself, I'm dealing with, you know, I'm, I deal with clients that send contracts over and I'm, like, you clearly put this through chat, you BT. Yeah. Yeah. What's your, what's your take on that? So, um, I, um, I, um, I'm a firm believer

and using the tools, but usually the best tools, um, I don't rely on them fully. No. Yeah. I also use it the right tools. Um, it just, it does not have, like, um, I mean, it's, um, it's, it's a wonder how, um, you know, quickly, things have advanced really, um, and they have

image creation gets? No, I look at Jude Laws, uh, billboard. Oh, yeah, that, that works. Yeah,

that works. Like, because you remember back, like, maybe, that was like four years ago, they had that, AI video of Will Smith eating spaghetti and it was horrendously bad. And now they have, like, a full-on, like, movie that is multiple shot angles and voiceover and the whole thing. And it's, like, pretty indistinguishable from the real thing. Other than the voice, the voice is not there yet. So, guys, if you're out there doing AI filmmaking, which I do a lot of, don't use AI for voice,

go hire a voice over artists. Um, but I wanted to ask, like, you know, we're here at Inside Success,

and this is one of my main questions that I ask all of my clients here is, like, for the business owner, the lawyer, the doctor, the, whatever industry you're in, what's your, what is

“Pedro's number one key tip for success? Everyone will have a different answer to it, really, right?”

And it's, uh, woo, woo, uh, uh, uh, for, uh, for we actually had this really interstake, psychological, uh, survey of all the associates. And it was like a personality, a personality, has a based on three different metrics, um, it's saying, you know, what motivates people? And it was like ego, um, money, um, or a camaraderie. And we are, our associates actually scored, uh, the highest, um, Ohio at all three. And besides the surveyer said that we were, like, the only big law firm that

had camaraderie actually even, like, scored at all. You scored all. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I, I think now for most people, it's, um, I mean, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's money, or, um, prestige for a lot of people, um, especially, you know, the adbed of, um, you know, we're calling everyone a partner, um, but, but I, I do see for, especially with a, um, a lot of the senior, um, uh, the senior lawyers, it's more of a, um, like, a stewardship, none, um, I, I see that take a lot of

pride in, um, like stewarding the junior associates. Now, the stewarding like the practice, the practice, itself, yeah. I actually got, because I was going to say, like, the, the senior lawyers, stewarding the

“junior lawyers is not accurate to the, I think the story that we told about, like, the devil's”

proud environment of being a junior associate. Yeah. No, no, no. Yeah. No, um, it's, it's about, it's about the practice, it's about, um, you know, ably or, or whatever her name was. Like, yeah. Um, so as we kind

of wind down here, guys, first of all, if you're still tuned in at this point in the pod, uh, I want

to make sure that you guys check out Pedram's episode of America's Top Lawyers, which should be coming out shortly after this podcast air. So make sure you guys check that out to get a full deep dive on his story and his rise into creating his own law firm. Um, but where can people find you on social media? Where can they find your firm on the internet? Where, where's, where are you located? So, um, I, I say, LinkedIn, um, is where I spent more, uh, uh, much more, uh, most of my time now,

it turns out like social media for, for work, uh, which is really funny, because two years ago,

“I think by LinkedIn profile said, I was a law clerk still. I think my instill says I'm a student.”

I do not use that thing at all, but I should. It's actually done wonders for me to be honest. Um, yeah. So LinkedIn, um, I'm, but by the time this comes out, I have, um, the, um, Pedram's Abby dot com, well, being like the better, better shape. Got you. So it's under construction. It is. Yeah. Well, by the time you guys see this, it will no longer be under construction, and I'm also going to make sure for our editors just put, I'm pointing in directions, but just put

that his website somewhere on the screen. Um, but Pedram, it has been an immense joy having you on the show. Uh, I think, with that, I think that's a wrap for the day. I think we

all day, but guys, this has been another episode of the Living Your Legacy Podcast. Again, I'm your host Jason Tyler, and I will catch you guys in the next one.