We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nina Marinaro. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nina below.

Nina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

I am the owner of a law firm & contract template company that specifically serves online entrepreneurs & content creators.

One of the common tropes about our legal system is that it is slow-moving & antiquated. While I believe that is true, I also am part of a small percentage of lawyers that have modernized my offers to better serve my clients.

I started my virtual law firm for online businesses & content creators in 2018, after I quit my job as a lobbyist in NYC to travel. I was tired of the billable hours & limited time off, so I booked a one-way ticket to Thailand and Bali. While I was there, I met a lot of online entrepreneurs & “digital nomads” who were working while traveling full-time. When I explained to them that I was a lawyer, they had expressed to me that they did not use contracts because there were no cost-effective options for small businesses: you could either hire an expense law firm that charges hourly (& did not understand the nuances of online business), or you could DIY your own contract from Google or Legal Zoom, cross your fingers, & hope for the best (it didn’t work out for many of my friends, so I’ve heard).

This gave me an innovative idea: open up one of the first virtual law firms that specializes in serving online business owners, and to create a contract template shop to target some of the most popular “digital nomad” niches.

I jumped at the opportunity because it seemed like a perfect fit for me. Not only did I have extensive experience drafting contracts as a former lobbyist, but also it gave me the freedom to become a “digital nomad” myself. At the time, I had some exposure to the online business world & the start of the (now widely accepted) content creation industry: in NY, I spent my limited free time galavanting around the city going to fitness pop-up events & yoga classes, watching my teachers & friends gain popularity on Instagram & become some of the first “influencers.” Since 2013, I closely followed the blossoming influencer industry & analyzed the business opportunities this created from a legal standpoint.

Today, I still serve content creators & online business owners with my contract templates & flat-fee VIP weeks for quick & effective custom contracts. Specializing in this niche might not seem groundbreaking today, but in the legal field, it’s still a bit taboo.

Nina, 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?

I’ve always known I wanted to be a lawyer. But what I didn’t know was that I would enter the legal field at such an interesting time, with the start of social media. I started law school in 2012, the same year I first downloaded Instagram.

During law school, social media & fitness became my escape. By 2013, I was addicted to posting daily to participate in “yoga challenges” with some of the first “influencers” and brands that blew up on Instagram in those early days.

I’m most proud of how I was able to balance my legal career with my health & fitness goals, as well as expand my network through my hobbies. This not only shaped my lifestyle, but also my future business.

By the time I graduated law school, I had a robust network of people who were interested in the same things as me – and none of them were lawyers, to the dismay of my law school (which had a self-serving interest in my employment at a typical “Big Law” firm).

I never expected that I would one day own a law firm or use social media to market my services. That was simply not an option 10 years ago, when I was starting out. But I had a gut feeling & kept pursuing what made me happy, despite the advice of other people more “established” than me.

So, it’s important that my clients are also innovators… that is, people who see 3 or 5 years in the future, & never make decisions based on how small they feel now.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

I came back from my travels in 2018 really excited to start my virtual law firm. so I could continue traveling.

But as soon as I returned to NY, I got trapped. I needed money – it’s always difficult to draw the line in the sand & know when to go all-in on your business full-time, versus when to hustle, work 3 jobs, & save money. I started working in NYC as a document review attorney (& I wasn’t mad about it, because I actually got to work on the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial), while also working at a coffee shop & yoga studio. Despite all that, I was still living paycheck to paycheck, investing everything I earned back into my business.

I remember my near-death moment in business like it was yesterday: I spent over 6 months creating my contract templates from scratch, & finally had an opportunity to collaborate with a popular YouTuber to share my shop. The only problem? I didn’t have a checkout link… & the fee to set it up was over $700. I remember asking my parents (who aren’t entrepreneurs) if I would be making the right decision to invest the last of my money into this platform, ThriveCart. I bit the bullet, despite having only $300 left to my name.

Days later, on November 11th 2019 (11/11), I launched my shop. I instantly sold 10 bundles valued at ~$1,000 each. I never looked back.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I am a firm believer of magic. So I love listening to Abraham Hicks recordings and reading their books.

It’s hard, sometimes I lose sight of how important it is to keep a positive & abundant mindset. It is a practice. But when I prioritize my mindset, that’s when the magic happens. Remember, a fist closed so tightly holding onto what you have is not open to receiving more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ninathelawyer.com
• Instagram: ninathelawyer
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-marinaro-esq/
• Other: TikTok: @ninathelawyer

Image Credits
Jackie Sterna (photo), Vira Masliieva (HMUA)