We recently connected with Brandon Pettijohn and have shared our conversation below.

Brandon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Early in your career, how did you think through the decision of whether to start your own firm or join an established firm?

When I was in law school, I knew that I wanted to start my own firm one day. Being that I went to school in Indiana and was planning to practice in North Carolina, I was less than confident that I could successfully run my own law practice right out the gate. Even though I was not a traditional student, having spent four years as an active duty United States Marine prior to going to college and law school, I wanted to get some experience under my belt first.

I found a newly formed law firm in Wilmington, North Carolina that made me an interesting job offer. They offered to help mentor and support my journey as a young, new lawyer, and set up my practice on a commissioned-based pay scale. This meant that I could be a hybrid business owner with the support in place that I needed. I spent roughly two years with that firm and it gave me solid base to build my own practice on.

Once I decided to start my own firm, I had the general knowledge I needed, but it was not exactly what I expected. There were a lot of learning opportunities, lessons learned, and bumps along the way. There were times when I was not sure whether I made the right choice, where I looked and interviewed for jobs, and certainly times where I doubted myself. I leaned on some friends of mine who were mentors in the legal field and they assured me that if I wanted to make it work, there was a way to do so. They gave me the “Burn the Ships” talk, although it was not formulated as that, wherein they told me to commit fully or this would not work. So, as Hernan Cortes did in 1519, I burned the ships, made sure there was no way of looking back, and decided to chart my own path.

After a little over a year of being out on my own my business started to take off and we have not slowed down since then. Looking back, I am so glad I made the choices I did, formed the relationships that I have, and stayed the course to business ownership and entrepreneurship.

Brandon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Prior to my journey to becoming an attorney, I spent my formative years as an active duty Marine in the United States Marine Corps. I traveled to nearly a dozen countries and saw combat in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

After my time in the United States Marine Corps came to an end, I began my educational journey at a local community college, transferred to a four-year institution, and worked an array of jobs, to include corrections officer, a contractor for the United States Army National Guard, probation officer, veterans court coordinator, and I became the very first state-level Veterans Court Coordinator for the Indiana Supreme Court.

Upon graduating law school I moved to Wilmington, North Carolina where I now practice in the field of litigation. I take cases ranging from business and contract disputes to high profile divorces, along with a criminal case or two every one in a while. Most notably, I am the local counsel for a few thousand cases involving the Camp Lejeune water contamination in the last half century.

Aside from law practice, I have over a half of a million (500,000+) followers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. I am also a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and compete in local, national, and international tournaments.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has to be word of mouth. Nothing highlights your talents and professionalism more than a former client recommending you to their family, friends, or community members. I have found that my best and most loyal clients did not find me through some random marketing campaign but from a former client or from my social media presence.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I first started my new law practice, I thought that I wanted to step away from litigation and be a transactional attorney. Basically, I was a little burned out from the constant grind of being a litigator and thought I would be happier pushing papers. I found out that was not who I am and had to pivot my business after about 6-months.

This was especially difficult because I had spent a lot of money on drafting software and set my business up to support this paper-pushing lifestyle. I decided that for my happiness and the general success of my business, I needed to pivot and focus on litigation again. Once I did that, I became happier and more successful because I was doing what I enjoyed, and it just happened to be something that was profitable as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: portcityattorney.com
• Instagram: @portcityattorney
• Facebook: @portcityattorney
• Youtube: Portcityattorney
• Other: TikTok: @portcityattorney