We were lucky to catch up with Yogi Patel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Yogi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I started practicing law almost 18 years ago and approximately 10 years ago, I ventured into establishing my own legal practice alongside a fellow law school classmate named Erin Lloyd. The name of our firm was Lloyd Patel LLP. Erin’s last name and my last name. We spent 10 years building the firm and promoting our brand. 

A few years ago, Erin decided to move to Seattle and take a position with the University of Washington Law School. As a result of this, under New York’s Rules of Professional Responsibility, the firm name had to be changed. In New York only a retired or deceased named partner can have their last name remain on as part of the entity name. So a change had to be made. Besides just the name change, we would of course need to change our contact information (website domain name, email addresses, etc), account information (banks, leases, contracts, etc) and court records (pending litigations, attorney registration information, etc).  The litany of changes that needed to be made was dauting and I even considered legally changing my first name to “Lloyd” in order to avoid having to go through a name change! My kids overruled that idea. 

Having accepted the fact that a name change had to be made, I started thinking about how I could avoid having to do this again in the future. Around the same time, I discovered a new rule that New York adopted a few years ago which allows law firms to use trade names. So instead of Patel & Carraro or Patel & Bennett, etc, I decided to go with the name “Outside Legal Counsel LLP”. This name not only represented the type of work we did, but it also gave us the potential to build goodwill and value in the name of the brand – instead of just the named partners like at traditional law firm partnerships.  Additionally, I figured if we added partners or any named partners left, we would not have to make any administrative changes like we had to.  

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My journey into the legal profession was shaped by the challenges I faced with my immigration status. At the age of 12, I arrived in the US from Kenya on a visitor’s visa, but it wasn’t until I turned 26 that I finally obtained a green card. Throughout my formative years and early adulthood, I navigated the intricate US legal immigration system, constantly living in fear of deportation. The yearning for the security that a green card could provide is a sentiment only truly understood by those who have sought it. I quickly realized that I could only control certain aspects of my life and should focus on mastering those while allowing the uncontrollable elements to resolve themselves.

My intuition told me that education would be my ticket to survival. I was determined to overcome the odds stacked against me by concentrating all my efforts on reaching and completing law school. I wasn’t a beneficiary of financial aid, loans, or family assistance. I attended school full-time while working full-time “under the table,” juggling three different jobs, including weekends, holidays, and nights. I slept on basement couches, relied on friends for rides to school and work, and did whatever it took to stay on track. My journey began at a community college and continued through the CUNY school system, spanning eight years. There were moments when I almost didn’t make it through my last two years of law school because I ran out of money and couldn’t afford tuition one semester. However, fate was on my side, and I was one of seven recipients of a fellowship that subsidized my tuition in exchange for serving as a teaching assistant to professors.

Given my personal experience with the immigration system, I was determined to become an immigration lawyer. All my internships during law school were focused on immigration. Despite interviewing for numerous immigration-related positions upon graduation, my only job offer came from the in-house legal department of a construction and development company. I accepted the job, and with that, my dream of becoming an immigration attorney came to an end, but my journey towards becoming an employment and business attorney began.

My first job as an in-house attorney coincided with finally obtaining my green card. For the first time, I was free from fear, and that freedom felt liberating. I could now focus on honing my legal skills. I was fortunate to be mentored by seasoned attorneys who were willing to teach me. The countless redlines and rewrites during my early years made me question if I was cut out for this career, but as time passed, I gained experience handling complex transactions and disputes, both in arbitration and litigation. Success bred confidence.

After several years of working in-house and representing a single client, I grew curious about what I could learn working for a law firm serving multiple clients. I transitioned to a law firm that served as outside general counsel to educational institutions, ranging from colleges to private schools, school districts, charter schools, and special education schools. I came to appreciate the depth of relationships formed in this model and was fortunate to have exceptional partners at the law firm who continued to mentor me and refine my skill set.

Somewhere along the way, the idea of starting my own practice began to itch at me. Initially, I thought of doing so in Hawaii, and my wife and I even moved to Maui briefly. However, we ultimately decided that it would be easier to pursue this venture in New York. Almost 12 years ago, I founded a practice that leveraged my experience in employment and business law, gained from my time in-house and at the law firm. My goal was to establish enduring relationships with entrepreneurs, assisting them in utilizing the law to foster the growth and protection of their companies. Along the way, I also started working with individual executives, guiding them through complex employment issues, and carved out a niche in advising on executive compensation, separation agreements, and equity grants.

Reflecting on nearly 18 years of practicing law, I take immense pride in the tangible impact my team and I have made in the lives of our clients. We have cultivated a culture where nothing matters more than delivering the highest level of advocacy and counsel to our clients. Whether it’s addressing straightforward needs or existential issues, our singular focus is always on the best interests of our clients.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We make a concerted effort to maintain regular communication with our clients through various channels. One of our primary methods is a quarterly newsletter that we distribute to all our clients. This newsletter provides a concise overview of recent developments in the realms of employment and business law.

Additionally, I actively engage on LinkedIn, where I connect with clients and potential clients. I consistently share articles, both authored by our team and curated from reputable sources, that are pertinent to the fields of employment and business law.

Recognizing the importance of a robust online presence, we welcomed a social media coordinator to our team last year. This individual has been instrumental in enhancing our digital footprint and expanding our engagement on various social media platforms.

On occasion, we have also taken the initiative to have our logo printed on apparel, which we then distribute to our valued clients as a gesture of appreciation and to further reinforce our brand identity.

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

Without a doubt, other lawyers are my preferred source of referrals. What I cherish most is when fellow attorneys entrust me with the responsibility of representing their family members, close friends, or colleagues. The level of trust and confidence they place in us when making such referrals is something we deeply appreciate. Moreover, the added benefit is that when we receive these referrals, they come with a professional assessment of the legal matters involved, leading to high-quality leads.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.outside-legal.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyvo3AorIZ_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OutsideLegalCounselLLP
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/yogi-patel-attorney
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcRSs7UmPm84aItRnfD4waQ
• Other: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=google+reviews+outside+legal+counsel+llp&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Image Credits
Logo by David Lloyd