176. Christopher Ernst. The Entrepreneurial General Counsel.
Christopher Ernst
August 12, 2021
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Surveys show us that younger generations are increasingly choosing not to work for other people, but rather to carve their own way and become entrepreneurs. Simultaneous with this, many people in their 50s are leaving corporate life and into going into business for themselves.
Being in business is not only about the service or goods that you offer, but also about the business of running a business. Which is why it’s important to build a strong foundational team of advisors and experts. One of the most critical members of that team is legal counsel.
Today we’re speaking with Christopher Ernst about how entrepreneurs should be teaming with lawyers. He is known as The Entrepreneurial General Counsel and his firm focuses on the needs of small and midsize businesses.
Topics discussed include:
When in your business’ life cycle you should reach out to an attorney.
How you should envision the role your attorney will play and the skills you’ll want them to have.
Why working with an attorney who focuses on small and mid size businesses, rather than someone with experience in your industry segment, is often the way to go.
How to manage your relationship with your attorney so that you get the most bang for the buck … and don’t break the bank.
The three things you should ask yourself before you ever start litigation.
When Christopher Ernst realized that his dream of playing lead trombone for Count Basie and his Orchestra was never going to be anything more than a dream, he had to have a fall back position. So rather than entertaining people, he decided he would help them. And that’s what he’s been doing ever since…
In his career, he’s done it all. Judicial Law Clerk, Partner in a small law firm, partner in a couple Big Law firms, and now solo practitioner. He has worked with clients as small as sole proprietorships and as large as Fortune 100 companies on corporate matters. He has also been lead counsel on lawsuits for as little as $5 to as much as $160 million. He was trial counsel for the only public official in Ohio to be acquitted at trial of all corruption charges in the Justice Department’s Cuyahoga County public corruption investigation. He also served as Special Master overseeing the $420 million settlement of the Ohio BWC class action litigation.
Christopher has done a lot …
But the work he says he has enjoyed the most? Working with businesses owners, helping them in their day in, day out affairs. Addressing their legal issues, strategizing with them for future growth and helping them be the best business they can be — to both their customers and their employees — is what helps to feed the soul.
Why solo practice? Simply put? Because Christopher believes that law firms — particularly Big Law firms — are no longer geared to help small to mid-sized businesses. He thinks that Big Law firms are primarily concerned with billable hours, revenue generation, realization rates and the like. He’s been there and he believes that Big Law firms suck and bleed small and mid-sized businesses dry.
Being in a solo practice allows him to work with — and help —his clients without the burdens of Big Law … and that benefits the client.
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Christopher Ernst
Click here to purchase Christopher’s book on Ohio Tort Law