In general, if you like someone and trust someone, they might be a good fit for your life. The same goes for an attorney. If you like them and trust them, they’re probably a good one to use. I wanted to tell a bit more about my story so that people know how I operate as a lawyer.
My entire life, I have been very competitive. One year we had the opportunity to make some art, and the prize was to be placed in the local art gallery window for all to see. I made a beautiful painting of a seaside castle, and I won! I was thrilled and so proud that my hard work paid off.
Another example is that I used to run track and field. I was even the national record holder for my event. I worked very hard and trained even harder to give my best performance at the national championship, but alas, I didn’t win. I was beyond devastated.
This drive and competitiveness followed me into my practice of law.
I heard someone use the word ‘resolute’ in describing my work as a lawyer. It means unyielding, and it’s a very accurate description. I always do my best job so that when I go home, I can look at myself in the mirror and know that I did all I could for a person and their case.
Rarely do I show this side of myself, and I’m typically a very peaceful person. If the situation calls for it, I am ready to go toe to toe with whoever is on the other side.
Show Transcript
Hi, everybody. Thank you for joining me today. I’m A.J. Grossman, divorce lawyer and certified family mediator with Leap Frog Divorce. And I wanted to do another video, giving you some insight as to who I am as a person.
You know, a lot of people ask me, how do I know if I’m choosing a good lawyer? How do I know if I’m choosing a bad lawyer? What kinds of things should I look for? And, you know, it kind of goes back to that, that old saying, you know, if you can trust somebody, and you like somebody, those are two good indicators that you’ve chosen the right professional for you.
And so I thought that it would be good to give you some of my story. So you could learn more about who I am as a person. Maybe you’ll find me likable, maybe you won’t. But I’m going to put it out there anyway.
So part of my story has to do with my competitiveness. I’ve always been a competitor. I can remember being in an after-school art program and doing oil paintings and sculptures with clay.
And I remember one year, in particular, we had the opportunity to compete for a placement in the local gallery window of our local gallery, and I did a painting, it was a kind of a seaside type painting with an old castle, something that you might find in Ireland, or Scotland or England. And fortunate enough for me, my painting was chosen, and it was prominently displayed in the front window of the gallery. And so that’s just one example of my competitiveness.
I also ran track and field when I was younger and was the national record holder for my event. And I can remember training and practicing and training and practice for the National Championships, which that year were out in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And I worked and worked and worked and trained over and over and over so that I could give my best performance in the competition to be the national record holder. And I did not win at the national championships, and I was devastated. I had put in so much hard work.
And so that type of competition has followed me into my practice of law. I am a fierce competitor. I was talking with somebody the other day. And they used a word to describe me that nobody had shared with me previously. And that word is resolute or unyielding in one’s convictions.
That’s the type of lawyer I am.
That’s the type of legal competitor I am. So when I am representing a client in the courtroom, whether it’s at a hearing or a trial, I am a resolute competitor. And in family law, we don’t like to talk about winning and losing. But for me, as a lifelong competitor, I want to do the best job I can for my client each and every time.
Have I won trials? Absolutely. Have I lost trials? Yes, I have. Have I won hearings? Yes. Have I lost hearing? Yes. Any lawyer who tells you he or she has won all of their trials or all of their hearings is not being truthful to you because if you’ve practiced law long enough, you’ve won some and you’ve lost some, you know, every judge is different. Every situation is different. And perfection oftentimes is the enemy of good or good enough.
And that’s what I try and do as a competitor outside of the courtroom and in the courtroom is always do the best job I can the best job for my client. Because at the end of the day, when I go home and spend time with my family, I can look myself in the mirror and know that I did the best job I could and that I competed with my best competitor appearing that day.
So there’s a little glimpse into who I am, the fierce competitor that so often I just don’t show, you know, I’m generally a very peaceful, patient, compassionate, understanding person, but I’ll tell you if the situation calls for it. I’m right there, ready to go toe to toe with whoever is on the other side.
I’m A.J. Grossman, divorce lawyer and certified family mediator with Leap Frog Divorce. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this time with me today. If you have, please consider liking my video or subscribing to my podcast. I’m releasing new videos all the time. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. Be well and have a wonderful day.
