On starting a law firm
Taking the plunge and founding Rushing McCarl LLP.
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In summer 2019, one of the most serendipitous events of my life occurred: I met attorney and entertainment guru John Rushing in Los Angeles. John is a larger-than-life character — a Texan with an Oxford degree who has sailed to Antarctica and filmed it with virtual-reality cameras. He’s one of those rare individuals who radiates talent and charisma such that when they enter the room, they become the center of the action. When I rack my brain for comparable people, the first one who comes to mind is Bill Clinton — but John comes across as more sincere and caring.
John and I met because he hired me to tutor him for the California Bar Exam. He was already licensed in two other states and had nearly a decade of experience working as an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP and elsewhere, but California’s exam is no joke. John put in full days of intense study and hired me in three-hour increments to talk through practice questions.
When John passed the exam in November, he invited me to a steak dinner at Musso & Frank in Hollywood to propose that we start a firm together. As he jokingly put it, “You’re too smart and I’m too old to work for someone else.” And so Rushing McCarl was born. In the months that followed, we formulated business plans and gradually deepened our commitment to the idea before signing a partnership agreement, building an incredible website, and jumping into the deep end. I’m excited to join Rushing McCarl full-time in July, once my fellowship at UCLA Law ends.
If you’d like to support Rushing McCarl, the best way to help is to keep us in mind for referrals. Another thing that makes a big difference is when people follow us and share our content on social media. We have a blog and are active on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Meetup, and Twitter.
Here’s a video John and I made this week to introduce ourselves:
I’m thrilled to be going into business with John and confident about our future.
Ryan McCarl (LinkedIn | Twitter | Home) is an attorney and educator in Los Angeles who is committed to lifelong learning and growth. If you’d like to receive new Second Stage posts by email, please click the button below to subscribe:
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