We were lucky to catch up with Steven Martin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Steven, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I believe my resilience comes from well before me and has been passed down from generation to generation in my family. The phrase when you get knocked off the horse you just have to get back up again is something I am well versed in from former generations who lived by the motto. My grandfather operated a dairy for his entire life. There were a lot of ups and downs in the business. He also operated milk trucks well before they were replaced with the big rig trucks and trailers you see now. Back then milk was transported in large steel containers that were individually loaded onto a flat bed. My grandfather was so strong he would awe others by lifting the steel milk cans with one arm. And he wasn’t a large man standing approximately 5’6 or 5’7. In addition he owed 70 acres of prime agriculture land that he grew crops to feed the cattle. As can be imagined running a dairy, operating a milk pick-up and delivery business, and farming was an every day all day job. He started with nothing and worked hard his entire life and did well for himself. Then there’s my dad who is one of the hardest if not the hardest worker I’ve ever met. Its just the way he is built. He worked his way up in a large corporation manufacturing warehouse to the the title of Production Manager. He was offered to run the entire warehouse but declined. So I would say a lot of my resilience comes from my heritage.
I believe a lot of it just comes from within as well. From the time I was just a wee thing I always knew I wanted to own my own business. I pictured myself dressed in a suit, with a briefcase. I wanted to be the one running my own show.
For whatever reason I am naturally my own biggest critic and I’ve always said no one will expect more from me than me. Its like this internal competition exists and I honestly can’t say why. I’ve always liked a challenge and will quickly become bored if I am not feeling challenged. I worked for a credit union in their accounting department and everyday was just so mundane, I couldn’t take it. So after great thought and prayer, I found myself with a unhinging desire to go to Law School. Something I had never even considered in my life prior to that. My parents said I was crazy and I had to be rich to do it, but my mind was set. So I studied hard for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and was excepted to the only school to which I applied. It was a night program so I worked during the day and went to school at night. After the first trimester the Dean of the Law School announced that I was the top student for my year and I was shocked and thought there must be a mistake. I had no legal background, did not know a single Attorney, and somehow I was at the top. Even though I was at the top suddenly it wasn’t enough, my 75 needed to be an 80, when I hit 80 it needed to be a 85, and then a 90. There was just always this internal competition. The student with the second highest grade expressed frustration because she said no matter how long she spend studying in the library, I was always there longer. The funny thing is I on the other hand didn’t even notice her presence there because my focus was on what I was doing.
My second year of Law School I applied to transfer to schools in San Diego because I had decided that was where I wanted to live. I was accepted however they would only transfer half my units so I opted not to transfer. I’ll never forget one particular counselor told me I wouldn’t make it at their school. She said that coming from a small school I didn’t stand a chance. The irony is years later after I had moved to San Diego and passed the bar I was sworn into the practice of law with this same Law School whose students took the same bar exam I took. Life has a way of rewarding resilience.
Moving to San Diego from a small Law School in 2009 when the economy was in the tanks provided to have its own challenges. While waiting for the bar results I applied for every legal position posted. I didn’t care if I was hired as the receptionist, all I needed was to get my foot in the door and the rest would work itself out. Eventually it worked I was offered a job with a family law firm as a paralegal the Friday the bar results were set to come out. When I informed the firm I was waiting for bar results, they said if you pass you can start as an associate.
Family Law proved to have its own set of challenges. As an associate you don’t get to pick your client and I was challenged with representing some people whom I questioned whether or not they were fit to be parents and I was tasked with getting them custody. On a couple of occasions I went home feeling sick. I realized it wasn’t for me and sought other employment, eventually making an agreement with a nonprofit organization. I gave my notice with the Family Law Firm and made the switch. Unfortunately the agreement fell through. And this would start one of the most challenging chapters of my life where my resilience really came to the surface. If you’ve seen the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness” staring Will Smith, this is what I could most closely associate my life with. I literally made finding work a full time job from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed. I put together a custom cover letter with my resume to each and every firm in a specific area and proceeded to hand deliver them all day long. Up and down every sky scraper in downtown San Diego, up and down each road with law offices in Mission Valley, Up and down each road in Carmel Valley. Over and over again. I literally wore holes in the soles of my dress shoes. I would start the cycle all over again following up.
Eventually it paid off. My resume ended up in the hands of a partner at a firm who “had to meet Steve Martin”. We hit it off and I had a job. I had literally gotten down to my last penny and I was so thankful. Then came the next challenge, I was employed solely based upon a percentage of contingency work, but I worked hard and eventually excelled. After several years there I decided to leave to pursue a partnership with an Attorney with an existing firm. The deal was I would come in for a year and be made partner. Two years later I still had not been made partner despite having raised the issue numerous times. I also recognized I was bringing in a lot of the business. I decided it was time to hang my own shingle and that’s exactly what I did. An Attorney friend of mine had an office lease that was expiring and we decided to move to a bigger location and enter a least together. That was seven years ago and today I now have an office in my own suite and I have so much business that finding the time for this was extremely difficult. My dream of owing a business has come to fruition and I can say that it is 99% due to my resilience. In writing this I realize resilience can be displayed and instilled by others but ultimately it has to come from an internal unwavering determination.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
The focus of my practice is helping others who are in a difficult time in their life. I represent individuals who have been injured due to the negligence of another, individuals who have been injured while performing the duties of their job, and individuals who have debilitating symptoms which inhibit their ability to work and must seek disability. There is great reward in being able to help others in their time of need. It is such a blessing to have the ability to help those that may not necessarily have the wherewithal to fight for themselves. Some of my most memorable moments are getting a sincere hug from a client when we were able to finally get their disability claim accepted. I find that these moments stay with me more so than the settlements or verdicts for large sums of money. One of my biggest challenges is wanting to help everyone but not having sufficient resources to do so. There is only so much time and I try my hardest at the same time not to lose focus on those most important to me such as my family and children. It is a very difficult balancing act, one I often feel I fail.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the most important thing is just to grasp your dreams and not give up. Determination and hard work can get you there even when the odds appear against you. Also seek help from others who have already done what you are seeking to do. Most people are generous with their time and knowledge when they have the opportunity to be.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Words of encouragement, unconditional love, unwavering support, and at the same time allowing for me to grow on my own. These are the most important things I gained from my parents. Although they did not always agree with my decisions such as going to Law School, my parents always supported my decisions. I always knew I had a safe soft place to land no matter what. If I can do this for my children as well, I believe I will have succeeded in my role as a parent.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.martinesquire.com
- Other: AVVO: https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/authorized/92108-ca-steven-martin-2925855
