One of my favorite things to see is when people do the unexpected and take their own paths in life to pursue something they’re extremely passionate about. Maybe it’s because it resonates so deeply with me, my background, story and beliefs that I love showcasing stories like these so much. But that’s always the root of why I came up with my inspirations tab– to feature people who truly inspire me in any field.
Going to law school isn’t easy… trust me, I’ve seen the struggles and pain first hand from plenty and their experiences. But heading to law school and then deciding to not practice law and instead start your own company? I feel like that’s unheard of! Yet, Michael Chasin and Aaron George show us how that’s not so crazy after all… and actually pretty genius. Starting their own company called LawKick which helps easily facilitate the process of finding a lawyer for people in need, these boys are changing the game in the law field and don’t even have to wear a suit and tie to do it (why wasn’t this around when I was considering going into law?). I had the pleasure of meeting up with Michael and Aaron to get all the details on their journey and LawKick philosophy below.
Fashionlaine: What is LawKick?
Lawkick: LawKick is a website that has made it easier than ever to find the right legal help. The website allows you to post your legal need and in-turn receive multiple price quotes from different lawyers in your area. The process takes as little as a few hours and allows you to save money, time and effort in your search of the perfect lawyer.
FL: What does the name stand for?
LK: LawKick basically means to kick your legal needs into gear. We want it to be the fastest and easiest way to find a qualified attorney near you, so the ‘Kick’ elicits speed and ease in that process.
FL: How did you two meet?
LK: We both went to Loyola Law School
FL: How did you guys come up with the idea of LawKick?
LK: While we were both at Loyola, we knew we had no desire to practice law because of how old-fashioned the industry was. Lawyers are still performing their services in the same way they have been for centuries, which was mind-boggling to us. We originally started with the idea of making an app where people could ask legal questions and get answers from real lawyers but we quickly realized how flawed the entire system was. We then thought about the lawyer-client relationship and thought it was weird that in law, different from the majority of consumer services, the paying customer was the one who was putting in all the work to find the lawyer. So we wanted to flip the process around and make it easier than ever to find a lawyer and in-turn, make it easier for lawyers to find clients too. That’s how we settled on a model where clients can submit their needs and lawyers can submit price quotes in an effort to get hired.
FL: How would you describe each of your styles?
LK: This one is tough to pin down, but we like to call our styles “casual swag”. Office attire usually consists of jeans, a polo tee or other v-neck, paired with some dunks/kicks.
FL: How would you say your style or approach to the way you handle LawKick (both the way you dress and your manners) have helped you guys and made you different from other lawyers and/or companies?
LK: I think our style of “swag” and simplicity has made all the difference in our company’s success thus far. The legal community is all about the ‘suit-and-tie’ look and making things more difficult to handle and understand by using big words and terms that nobody understands. We realized that this makes the legal world less attractive and more intimidating to the average consumer, so we wanted to bring simplicity to the process and to make it more approachable for people who are not used to dealing with lawyers. And that has in return been the most common feedback we’ve received from our users– that our site and approach to services is easy to use, clean, and welcoming. We realize dealing with legal matters can be daunting, so we want to make the process of finding a lawyer that much easier!
FL: Who do you guys look to as inspirations in your lives?
LK: We both look to fellow entrepreneurs for guidance and inspiration in our work. When you are dealing with an almost pre-historic industry, you tend to hear the words “no,” “you can’t do that,” or “that won’t work” a LOT. Paying attention to other entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk (Space X, Tesla, Paypal) and Brian Chesky (AirBNB), it keeps things in perspective that everyone is going to tell you something isn’t possible until it’s already been done. We are trying to revolutionize an industry and sometimes the task just seems very daunting. Having those guys as poster-children for change helps a lot.
FL: How did it feel to decide to want to start your own company?
LK: We both have entrepreneurial pasts and have a passion for starting businesses. And for Michael who gotten his law and business degree concurrently, he saw this as a step towards running his own business. We both had side jobs when we starting working on LawKick and as the idea and team started piecing together, it was an easy decision for us to quit our jobs. Finding your true passion in life is like finding your true love; you just know when you know.
FL: Where do you see LawKick 5 years from now?
LK: We both envision LawKick being the gateway for the world to find legal services. When someone needs a lawyer for something, we want them to start with us. We are a free service that empowers the client to start finding a lawyer with an even-hand in the negotiating process. Hopefully we can make legal services more accessible to everybody, rich or poor.
What do you think?