Top Lawyers: Brooke Borg of Borg Law Group On The 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law

An Interview With Chere Estrin

Love of the job: You genuinely have to love what you do or it will show. I love talking with people and getting to know their stories. I love helping people and giving them peace of mind when they leave my office. If you don’t love what you do, you will resent your job, employer and clients, and it will show. I have been in jobs I didn’t love before and I couldn’t get out fast enough.

The legal field is known to be extremely competitive. Lawyers are often smart, ambitious, and highly educated. That being said, what does it take to stand out and become a “Top Lawyer” in your specific field of law? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law”, we are talking to top lawyers who share what it takes to excel and stand out in your industry.

As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brooke Borg.

Brooke Borg founded Borg Law Group in 2010 to specialize in corporate law, estate planning and probate law. She and her team provide one-on-one, approachable and knowledgeable legal services not often found in traditional firms. Borg Law Group recently expanded to two locations in the Las Vegas Valley and focuses on designing cost-effective strategies to protect clients’ interests while bringing them peace of mind.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. What is the “backstory” that brought you to this particular career path in Law? Did you want to be an attorney “when you grew up”?

I knew I wanted to be an attorney very early in life. In first grade a female attorney came to our classroom for career day, and for me, as a young girl, it didn’t matter so much what she did but how she got to dress. She wore fancy heels and a dress and had a fancy bag, and I knew that whatever she did, I wanted to do it, too. Of course, as I grew up I found I really enjoyed helping people, and I also loved learning so much I could have been a professional student. As a lawyer, I am not only helping people, but also constantly learning — and, ironically, I rarely dress like that “fancy lawyer” I met years ago. The final push for me in deciding whether I wanted to be a lawyer came when I was planning my college classes. I discovered if I pursued a major in political science, which naturally led to law school, no math classes were required. True story!

Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?

Our practice focuses on estate planning (wills, trusts, medical directives, etc.), business law and probate.

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?

Empathy, willingness to learn from others and adaptability are three important traits for working in law. I often am told by clients that I’m “too nice” to be an attorney. Although I can think of a lot of genuinely nice colleagues, I think there is a certain assumed toughness that comes with people’s perceptions of attorneys. I learned very early in my career that you get more flies with honey than vinegar, and being polite and easy to work with gets you far in life. However, a client of mine heard me on the phone with opposing counsel one day, and I had to get stern with him. When I got off the phone, the client’s eyes were as big as saucers! He said, “I didn’t know you had that in you, but I like it.” After that he told me I was his “lawyer for life.”

Do you think you have had luck in your success? Can you explain what you mean?

I don’t believe in luck. I believe in blessings, and my faith is important to me. I also believe in taking advantage of opportunities that come your way. Sometimes, I think you make your own luck by taking advantage of opportunities that arise, and I believe a lot of those opportunities are blessings in disguise.

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?

Attending Boyd Law School at UNLV (the University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and being a part of the first graduating class has a special meaning to me. There are several people from that first graduating class I still keep in touch with today. We share something special. Beyond the lights and glitter, Las Vegas is actually a small community, and the legal circle here is an even smaller subset of that. Being a Boyd graduate makes you part of a community that many practicing in Las Vegas are a part of as well. I have never been one to believe that a better-ranked school necessarily gets you a better education, so for me, it was more about choosing a school in a location I loved, one I felt I could thrive in and be confident encouraging my kids to do the same.

Based on the lessons you have learned from your experience, if you could go back in time and speak to your twenty-year-old self, what would you say? Would you do anything differently?

I would tell her, “Everything is going to work out just fine.” I wouldn’t change a thing, because if I’d made different decisions I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

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

Everything I do is for my family. I’m not speaking monetarily but rather in terms of setting an example — to show my daughter that you can have a career and a family, to show my son that you can be your own boss someday and have a job that you enjoy and to show my husband how we can successfully run a business together. My staff is a primary motivator as well, because we employ seven people — that’s the well-being of six families that depend on this practice being a success. And of course any practice hinges on clients, so helping them solve problems fills me with constant motivation every day. I got into this business to help people, and the thanks and appreciation shown to me by each client when they leave my office feeling well-served is all I need.

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

We are handling a double probate of a husband and wife who died days apart from COVID-19. All family members are out of town, so they are relying on us for referrals and handling of junk removal, selling property and making distributions. This takes so much off their plate, and knowing they trust us to handle these personal matters means a lot.

Where do you go from here? Where do you aim to be in the next chapter of your career?

We just opened another office location in Henderson, Nevada, in May of this year, and we are moving our main office to a new location in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas in December. We are looking to add a few more people to our team and in the next five years, I would like to explore expanding our practice area to Reno, Nevada in the northern part of the state.

Without sharing anything confidential, can you please share your most successful “war story”? Can you share the funniest?

We were able to probate an estate worth over $1 million and find a missing heir who, unbeknownst to them, stood to inherit the entire estate from their long-lost relative. It was a lengthy process, but being able to help him and make sure this money went to him instead of the state was very rewarding.

Ok, fantastic. Let’s now shift to discussing some advice for aspiring lawyers. Do you work remotely? Onsite? Or Hybrid? What do you think will be the future of how law offices operate? What do you prefer? Can you please explain what you mean?

We are currently working onsite. We were remote for about six weeks during the beginning of the pandemic, and it was difficult. I’m a people person, so not seeing my clients in person to give hugs and share a laugh or smile was hard. I think most law offices will operate in person in the future. However, some solo practitioners have seen the benefits of working from home (more flexibility, lower overhead, etc.) and have chosen to stay remote.

How has the legal world changed since COVID? How do you think it might change in the near future? Can you explain what you mean?

People have taken a closer look at their priorities since COVID. They have seen what truly matters, and I feel like life has slowed down a bit. Although that was nice for a while, I do see people generally getting busier again. I think, eventually, we will get back to our pre-COVID, fast-paced society, but that makes me sad. I liked the low-key, spending-more-time-with-family and “doing-nothing” times. The legal industry is as busy as ever. All of my colleagues are looking to hire. With what we do (wills/trusts, medical powers of attorney), we have been swamped because of the uncertainty that comes with a pandemic. So, while it has been good for our business, this surge is because fear drives people to do what they typically put off.

We often hear about the importance of networking and getting referrals. Is this still true today? Has the nature of networking changed or has its importance changed? Can you explain what you mean?

I just stepped away from a networking group I was a part of for 15 years because I’m too busy! That is a good problem to have. Networking and word-of-mouth referrals will always be the best form of advertising. I think now, with the number of lawyers we have in Las Vegas, good old-fashioned networking and referrals is a must and even more important than ever. You need to be able to trust your lawyer, and a referral from someone else you trust is the best source for that.

Based on your experience, how can attorneys effectively leverage social media to build their practice?

Social media has become so important in getting your name out there and educating clients about what you do. Videos, Facebook Live and Instagram stories are all the rage. When we first started turning to social media for our practice, I was shocked at the number of our older clients who found us on social media sites. I expected younger clients to come from sites like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, but it’s not limited to that demographic any longer. People of all ages turn to social media to find solutions to problems, and finding an attorney there is no exception.

Excellent. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law?” Please share a story or an example for each.

1. Empathy: In dealing with planning for a client’s incapacity or death every day, you have to have empathy. You have to put yourself in their shoes when they are contemplating what type of legacy they will leave, who they will include or not include in their planning and who will be able to handle certain things when they are gone. It’s tough when you have a client come in who was just diagnosed with a terminal illness and knows they only have so long, or a client who has to change their will because their son no longer speaks to them. Listening is the best skill I have learned over the years.
2. Knowledge: Any attorney has to continually learn in their field. You cannot stay static because the law certainly doesn’t. Continuing education in your field is very important to provide the best service to your clients.
3. Perseverance: You have to be willing to wait patiently for that client to call or that commercial to pay off or the practice to build. Nothing comes easy, but if you put in the work consistently, it will yield results over time.
4. Relatability: You have to be relatable to the client. The client has to like you, and you cannot act as if you are better than anyone or you know more than anyone. Some clients are embarrassed because they feel like they should know certain legal terms. I always assure them that this is complicated stuff and I will guide them — that is my job. They are not supposed to know these complicated words or plans. That’s what I’m for.
5. Love of the job: You genuinely have to love what you do or it will show. I love talking with people and getting to know their stories. I love helping people and giving them peace of mind when they leave my office. If you don’t love what you do, you will resent your job, employer and clients, and it will show. I have been in jobs I didn’t love before and I couldn’t get out fast enough.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this. :-)

Marc-Andre Fleury because I’m a big Golden Knights fan (even though he’s not here any longer) and I’ve heard he’s a really nice guy!

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