Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Diane Littlejohn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Diane, thanks for joining us today. When you were first starting out, did you join a firm or start your own?
When I graduated law school in 2010, the country was still in the middle of the Great Recession. Attorney jobs were very difficult to come by during that time, When I graduated law school I did not have an attorney position lined up. After graduation and while I was waiting on my bar results, I started working document review as a temp. Document review is a job that many attorneys work while they are either still looking for employment or building their law firms.
I worked doc review for a few months and got an independent contractor position at a nonprofit that assisted lower income individuals with custody matters. After passing the bar, to build my firm, I signed up for the court appointed counsel list and began taking child support, and misdemeanor criminal cases to gain experience. It was very difficult and my financial situation at the time was unstable After about three years, I had a more steady client base and was in a more financially stable situation.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Diane Littlejohn and I knew at an early age that I wanted to be an attorney. After undergrad, I wanted to take a break from school and I worked for four years prior to starting law school. Law school is three years and then if you actually want to use your degree to practice law, you must take the bar exam. I graduated from law school in 2010 and immediately took the bar exam after graduation and passed.
I have been licensed since 2010 and have offered services in a variety of areas including family law, social security disability and minor criminal matters. I now only offer services in intellectual property, small business matters, which includes copyright and trademark registration, entity formation and limited contract review and drafting. My focus is to help small minority business owners protect their businesses and brands. A trademark is a business asset that many businesses, in particular minority business owners are either unaware of or do not see the value in. Historically intellectual property has been taken without just compensation from minority business owners. I am working to educate minority business owners and women to protect their businesses at inception.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I came out of law school in 2010, the U.S. was in the Great Recession and there were limited attorney positions. I worked various temp opportunities and then decided to go out on my own and open my own firm due to the limited opportunities for legal work at the time. The first few years of my business were of course the building phases and I had to build up a name and a brand before making a sustainable income.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I started my business primarily practicing in family law. After 10 years of practice in that area, I experienced burn out and during the pandemic I took courses to learn trademark law and transitioned my practice to that area.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://littlejohnlawoffices.com/
- Instagram: @legallylittlejohn
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/attorneydianelittlejohn/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/legallylj
Image Credits
Nikia Wilson and Williams photography