The Business Side Of Law: Michael Berger Of Berger Schatz On 5 Things You Need To Create Or Lead A Successful Law Firm

An Interview With Eric Pines

Trust your people. You cannot do everything yourself, and you need people around who can lend their expertise.

Law school primarily prepares lawyers for the practice of law. But leading or starting a law firm requires so much more than that. It requires the entrepreneurial skills that any CEO would need to run a business; How to manage personnel, how to hire and fire, how to generate leads, how to advertise, how to manage finances, etc. On the business side of law, what does an attorney need to know to create a successful and thriving law practice? To address these questions, we are talking to successful law firm principals who can share stories and insights from their experience about the “5 Things You Need To Create Or Lead A Successful Law Firm”.

As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Berger.

Michael Berger is a founding partner of the matrimonial law firm, Berger Schatz, which has offices in Chicago and Lake Forest, Ill. Michael represents professionals and high-net-worth individuals including some of the most well-known, high-profile Chicagoans. Michael counsels clients in all areas of matrimonial and family law, providing, above all, fair, honest and winning counsel they can trust.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you ended up where you are? Specifically, we’d love to hear the story of how you began to lead your practice.

I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. My father and uncles were attorneys, and I envisioned myself following in their footsteps from a young age. Entering the field in the 1970s, I began working in family law. There was so much change happening regarding the normalization of divorce and the laws regarding divorce, and as a young man, I saw the potential to help those going through that process. I was made a partner at a different firm when I was 28. Then in 1987, the firm as we know it today was born. Teaming with other like-minded lawyers has helped Berger Schatz become a leading matrimonial law firm in the country.

I’m a huge fan of mentorship throughout one’s career. None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Who has been your biggest mentor? What was the most valuable lesson you learned from them?

My father, Samuel Berger, took on many roles in the Chicago community, and I deeply respect the way he carried himself. In addition to being a lawyer, he was also a judge, rabbi, civic leader and politician. He always said your word and your handshake mean everything, and that is something I follow daily and instill in everyone I work with.

From completing your degree to opening a practice and becoming a business owner, your path was most likely challenging. Can you share a story about one of your greatest struggles? Can you share what you did to overcome it?

As we established and built Berger Schatz, one of the biggest challenges we had was to ensure our firm was respected and trusted within the community and the area of the law. We started with a mission of creating a firm where our people would be put first, and we do everything in our power to help them be successful and help their clients. We wanted to create something that would be generational, which is what Berger Schatz is today. My assistant recently retired after spending 36 years at the firm, and we have many lawyers and staff who have been in the firm for decades.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story about how that was relevant in your own life?

The biggest thing I live by and impart to those I work with is not to judge others. Everyone makes mistakes and has ups and downs in their life. It is all about how you handle each situation. You are never too old to learn and be a better person.

This is not easy work. What is your primary motivation and drive behind the work that you do?

Divorce can be one of the most challenging times in a person’s life. It is emotional, and having a lawyer who can help you navigate all the complexities that come with it is essential. I want to ensure that those who are going through the process are treated with honesty and fairness and to help secure the best future for them.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I work with many clients who are going through complex situations and issues. The outcomes of their cases can determine the future and security of them and their families. People come to me during a difficult time and need to figure out what the next few weeks, months and years will look like. As we figure it out together, it is rewarding to help them through the process.

Fantastic. Let’s now shift to discussing the business of law. Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?

Berger Schatz is one of the premier matrimonial law firms in the nation. We handle all aspects of matrimonial and family law: divorce, assisted reproductive technology and adoption matters, as well as drafting pre- and postnuptial agreements. I primarily focus on complex financial cases.

You are a successful attorney. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? What unique qualities do you have that others may not? Can you please share a story or example for each?

One thing I am proud of is that I am self-taught in many skills. Good lawyers learn as they go. When I first started I was not the best writer, but I learned from others around me. Judges will read everything, and it is important to be clear and concise in your writing. I also learned how to read and understand financial documents and business valuation. This knowledge allowed me to succeed and represent high-net-worth clients and spouses including entrepreneurs, business owners, hedge fund managers and more.

You also need to be able to trust those around you. If you are running a firm, you have to rely on those around you to contribute to the success of the business. At our firm, we have built a strong team of attorneys and managing partners who take part in the decision-making and help run the business side of the firm.

Another important skill is investing in your culture. Some of the employees at Berger Schatz have been around for decades, and we have always made it a priority to take care of our people. We were one of the first law firms in the Chicago area to offer flexible time schedules to attorneys and other employee benefits.

Do you think where you went to school has any bearing on your success? How important is it for a lawyer to go to a top-tier school?

The school you attend does not determine whether or not you will be a great lawyer. I did not go to a top-tier school, but I was motivated to become the best lawyer I could be. Once you are in the field for a few years, your track record and your reputation will be more important than the school name on your resume.

Managing being a law practitioner and a business owner is a constant balancing act. How do you manage both roles?

If you want to run a business right, you have to be all in. When we first started Berger Schatz, I was involved in every aspect of the business to ensure that we would become successful, hire the right people and do the very best for our clients. You also need to trust the people around you. As we became larger, we hired more help in various areas to run the firm. Be ready to invest the time necessary to create the business you want.

Can you help articulate the entrepreneurial skills a lawyer needs to run and lead a successful law firm?

You need to clearly define what it is you want to do. Berger Schatz was established as a firm that would do matrimonial and family law cases. In the beginning, we had some lawyers who were doing other types of legal work. But, that was not where our expertise was, and we stopped doing any legal work outside matrimonial and family law. Understand where you have an expertise and stay in that space.

As a business owner, you spend most of your time working IN your practice, seeing clients. When and how do you shift to working ON your practice? (Marketing, upgrading systems, growing your practice, etc.) How much time do you spend on the business elements?

That always needs to be in the back of your mind. Whether it is buying new computer software, investing in employee benefits and salaries or balancing revenue and expenses, you need to keep a pulse on the business part of it at all times.

Can you share some specific, nonintuitive insights from our personal experience about how a leader of a law firm should:

• Manage personnel: We were one of the first law firms to offer flexible time off for attorneys in the 1980s and 1990s. We knew we had good people, and we did not want to lose them after they had children. We made sure to treat all of our employees well so they wanted to remain in the firm.
• Hire and fire: Find the people who have the skills necessary to do the job and have the same character and values. If they do not, no one will be happy, and it may be best to part ways.
• Generate leads: As you gain respect in the industry and the community, word of mouth will help you get new clients. Focus on making a good impression on those you work with, and the leads will come.
• Advertise: When you are the best of the best, your reputation will speak for itself. Create a great team of attorneys, other employees and clients who will speak highly of you, and that will be your best source of advertising.
• Manage finances: It is impossible for one person to do everything, especially as you grow. Hire those whom you trust and have them report back to you regularly, so you can focus on doing what you do best.

What are your “5 Things An Attorney Needs To Know In Order To Create A Successful And Thriving Law Practice?”

1. Always respect others, whether they are employees, coworkers or clients. Everyone makes mistakes and should be given the opportunity to learn and grow from them.
2. If you’re going to be the best of the best, be prepared to invest the time and energy necessary to make it happen.
3. Hire good people who are aligned with the mission and values of the company. If they buy into what you stand for, they will do what they can to help the business succeed.
4. Trust your people. You cannot do everything yourself, and you need people around who can lend their expertise.
5. Have fun. This is a stressful business, but it is important to enjoy your work, step back once in a while and celebrate the accomplishments with friends and family.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I enjoy my life and am truly blessed. If I could inspire anything it would be to bring peace to the world. I wish that we could all get along and have respect for one another.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can follow me on LinkedIn and find more information about the firm at bergerschatz.com.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!

About the Interviewer: Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative. A formal federal employee himself, Mr. Pines began his federal employment law career as in-house counsel for AFGE Local 1923 which is in Social Security Administration’s headquarters and is the largest federal union local in the world. He presently serves as AFGE 1923’s Chief Counsel as well as in-house counsel for all FEMA bargaining unit employees and numerous Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs unions.

While he and his firm specialize in representing federal employees from all federal agencies and in reference to virtually all federal employee matters, his firm has placed special attention on representing Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses hired under the authority of Title. He and his firm have a particular passion in representing disabled federal employees with their requests for medical and religious reasonable accommodations when those accommodations are warranted under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA). He also represents them with their requests for Federal Employee Disability Retirement (OPM) when an accommodation would not be possible.

Mr. Pines has also served as a mediator for numerous federal agencies including serving a year as the Library of Congress’ in-house EEO Mediator. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court for federal employee matters. He has also worked as an EEO technical writer drafting hundreds of Final Agency Decisions for the federal sector.

Mr. Pines’ firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. His first passion is his wife and five children. He plays classical and rock guitar and enjoys playing ice hockey, running, and biking. Please visit his websites at www.pinesfederal.com and www.toughinjurylawyers.com. He can also be reached at eric@pinesfederal.com.