My Dad the Lawyer

Michael E. Hurley, Esq. (1941 – 2021) 

I remember so vividly going to my Dad’s law office as a kid.  Sitting in his big chair, listening to my own voice on his Dictaphone, smelling the leather books and paper files.   I didn't really understand what he did, but I knew he was a lawyer; important, respected.  I also knew that when people called him (often family and friends) it was serious, and they were grateful he was there to answer.  I wanted nothing more than to be a lawyer like Dad. 

As I grew up, I learned more about what lawyers did, but Dad's work was still a bit of a mystery because he didn't bring his work home--even when he was carrying the stress of his clients on top of his own.  I continued to idolize him, but my interest in being a lawyer--and my perception of what it was like--was increasingly shaped by material desires and TV shows.  I even dreamed about having a red Porsche 911 with the license plate "NO1LWR." For better or worse, Dad let me keep these fantasies without injecting his reality. 

As I graduated high school, the TV fantasy faded, but the dream of being a lawyer didn't.  I always had a passion for justice but candidly the desire to make money became the driving force.  I never wanted for anything growing up.  Dad was his own boss, and he NEVER talked about money; I assumed we were rich.  It wasn't until after law school that I began to realize the truth: my Dad was an amazing lawyer but not much of a businessman.  In fact, his hourly rate (with 40+ years of experience) was lower than mine as a first-year firm associate!  And when I suggested he should raise his rates so he could work less as he approached 70 years of age, he didn't miss a beat when he said, “Ryan, if I did that, the people I help couldn't afford me." 

I tear up every time I tell that story, and when I remember him receiving the Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year award shortly before he passed.  But I also remember closing his practice when he passed and confronting the reality of just how much he sacrificed financially.  

My first 20 years of practicing law were lucrative for me.  And I was lucky to be able to make money while working on causes I was passionate about (like renewable energy and cannabis law reform).  But the feeling that I could be helping more kept growing, and after Dad passed, I couldn't ignore it anymore. 

While I am not nearly as magnanimous as my Dad, I left a very comfortable job and salary to launch Litix because he had one thing right: we (lawyers) are here to help people first; making money should come second. 

Thankfully, the tools that exist today (New ABS Rules and Artificial Intelligence) make it possible for Litix to help people AND be a successful business!  I'm proud of Litix and I think Dad is too.