Travis Russell stands by the sign in the lobby of his offices on Raybrook, which welcomes visitors to the law firm that bears his name.
LEGAL NEWS PHOTO BY CYNTHIA PRICE
by Cynthia Price
Legal News
“My best advice for anyone starting up a law firm, and I can’t say it enough, is keep your overhead as low as possible,” says Travis Russell of Russell Law Firm, P.C.
Judging from how Russell developed the firm and the success it has seen so far, that seems to be very sound advice indeed.
”It’s very likely you’re going to have a bad month or two, and when you’re new you don’t have much in the reserve account, so a bad month can kill you,” he continues. “So, don’t take that step until you have to. Whether
it’s office space, personnel, whatever, only make the leap when it’s absolutely necessary.”
Of course, this means a lot of self-reliance, and Russell was lucky to have a strong background in technology to help him fill in the gaps.
“The first struggle was getting the clients through the door,” he says. “But you can embrace technology not only to lower your overhead but also to bring in business.
“Luckily, I realized when I was first interviewing for jobs that a lot of small firms miss out on using their websites to reach clients, so I learned how to use Dreamweaver, Word Press, and some others to create websites. I also know SEO (Search Engine Optimization), I know what Google wants in order for you to be in the top results of a search. A lot of firms have great website but don’t know how to drive traffic to it.”
In his first years, he also used a telephone answering service to save money and did his work virtually, while renting a room in a downtown office space for the address.
The Russell Law Firm specializes in bankruptcy, but also concentrates a bit in Social Security Disability and family law. He hired Jacob Tighe in August 2015 to spend more time in those areas of the law, as Russell’s bankruptcy load increases. Tighe is authorized to represent claimants before the Social Security Administration as well as the Federal Courts where Russell’s cases are heard.
Prior to taking on Tighe as an associate, Russell also hired Meghan Murphy, a paralegal; and after Tighe, a general support staffperson, Tyler.
In keeping with his cautious approach, Russell adds that it is unwise to bring on an associate without the certainty that he or she will be able to continue at the firm. “We’re committed to hiring on another associate whenever our work load is more than we can handle. But I’m going to wait until I really know it’s too much for us before I do that,” he says. “You don’t want to let people go, though of course I understand there can always be things you don’t plan for.”
Russell did not hang out his shingle directly after receiving his J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law. Nor did he go directly from his undergraduate study at Michigan State University to law school.
While majoring in Political Science with an emphasis on business and finance, Russell — interesting in engineering at the time — took a job at a law firm as a courier.
“A partner in the firm, Mr. Murphy, really changed my life. After talking with him, I changed to pre-law,” says Russell. Russell’s little dog, who sometimes hangs out at his law offices on Raybrook off of the East Beltline, is named Murphy after that early mentor.
Russell moved to Washington, D.C., after graduation, working first for the United States Chamber of Commerce.
“I enjoyed it,” he says. “My focus there was working with nonprofit associations showing them how the Chamber of Commerce could benefit them — that they could get more accomplished by pooling their resources, especially in terms of advocacy. But the position was changing and I felt like I was going to be mainly a salesman.
“So I became a research assistant at Dickstein Shapiro. It’s a huge law firm with over 1,000 associates. If anyone needed help doing factual research, we could either do it for them, or guide them towards resources,” he explains.
The Grand Rapids area native, who graduated from Forest Hills Central High School, wanted to be back in the Midwest, and when the University of Dayton offered him a scholarship, he took them up on it.
He had another incentive too: his wife-to-be had remained in the area. The couple continues to live in Grand Rapids, and now has two boys:?a three-year-old, Lincoln, and a one-year-old named Sullivan.
His law school career included serving as Director of the University’s Tax Clinic, and as a board member and treasurer of the International Law Society. The University appointed him as Student Ambassador. He also published Advising a Small Business in a Volatile Economy through the University of Dayton.
Russell then worked with Mark F. Haslem PC in family law, but when he worked on a bankruptcy case, he was hooked. “When I?was in engineering originally, I loved numbers, so I loved the bankruptcies,” he says. “Soon I was doing more of that than anything else.”
In 2012, he decided to open his own firm for two reasons: first, he wanted to have control over pricing and make filing for bankruptcy affordable for his clients. He currently does most work on a flat-rate basis, and offers the unique service of working with clients to repair their credit ratings after bankruptcy.
And second, “I saw where the bankruptcies were going. I knew I could do it on my own because I’d handled all the marketing and all the cases, and I thought I could make more to provide for my family.”
Russell acknowledges that the limited number of active bankruptcy attorneys in West Michigan is an advantage, though he emphasizes that they are all collegial. “We’re all on an email list, and if we run up against something we’ve never seen before, we can shoot questions back and forth,” he adds.
One important factor in his success, he feels, is his commitment to strict client management. He lets them know ahead of time in writing what will be expected of them and in what time frame. “It’s important to let clients know they have to meet those deadlines, and if they don’t nothing is guaranteed. I tell them, ‘I’m working for you, but I’m going to set very strict rules that you have to follow.’ I’d say 95% of the clients come through and the case goes smoothly.”
All in all, Russell says he is very happy with both his bankruptcy focus and his choice to go solo.
“I would say the first couple months I was scared, and even began to question it,” he says. “But that faded quickly, and looking back I realize it was the best career decision?I ever made.”
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