By many standards, Aaron Baer had it made.
He was young.
He was a Partner at a major law firm.
And had already built an impressive book of business.
His continued trajectory up the Partnership ladder seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
Yet, something was missing...
As an improvement and progress junky, Aaron was getting frustrated by his firm's lack of innovation, and their unwillingness to depart from the traditional method of practice.
Despite his professional success, Aaron made the unconventional decision (especially for a Partner) to leave the relative safety and comfort of his big firm, to join Renno & Co., a modern law firm where his future was much less guaranteed.
At the same time Aaron left BigLaw, he Co-Founded “4L Academy” and “Build Your Book”. 4L
4L Academy provides modern, interactive training for young Canadian lawyers and law students.
“Build Your Book”, focuses on providing modern sales training to lawyers.
Needless to say, Aaron is not afraid of hard work, long hours, or taking risks to pursue an unconventional path that better aligns with his values and aspirations.
My conversation with Aaron covers a lot of ground including:
His decision to make the jump from Big Law and dealing with the fears of leaving a successful traditional practice;
How Partners at law firms are paid, and why becoming a Partner may not be the opportunity it once was;
Why “being patient” may be terrible career advice in the legal profession;
Why the future of the legal profession is small & boutique law firms;
Why he Co-Founded 4L Academy and the importance of improving mentorship and training in the legal profession;
How implementing and adopting tech can allow smaller firms punch above their weight;
His thoughts on maintaining your sanity and mental health while working in a demanding role;
The importance of sales skills and how his company “Build Your Book” is focused on helping lawyers develop these competencies; and
Arron even gives masterclass on how to build and structure a modern firm that will attract top talent.
I am confident this episode will leave you full of inspiration and ideas on how you can level up in the New Year.
If you want to hear more from Aaron, be sure to follow him on LinkedIn where he posts regularly, and be sure to check out 4L Adamy, and Build Your Book.
4L Academy has new courses starting in January so if you are interested in improving your legal skills, be sure to check those out.!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronbaer2/
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On a final note, Goodlawyer is expanding and we are looking for qualified lawyers from across Canada to join us on our journey to revolutionize the way we practice law!
If you or someone you know is interested in joining the platform, you can find more information and apply at: www.goodlawyer.ca/for-lawyers
