The Calculated Risks Successful Lawyers Take | Matthew Mikula (Collections Lawyer)

The moment you realize that you don't love where you are, you're already one foot out the door to a better life. Matthew Mikula had just gotten married, and was straight back to work at Big Law. Immediately the warning signs were there: "Is this where you want to be indefinitely? Once you start having a family? Maybe for the rest of your life?"  Because risk becomes more challenging as life becomes more complex. Matt joins us to talk about the decision he made to step away from that particular path, to pursue instead criminal defense law as a trial lawyer, and then an even further calculated risk into law entrepreneurship as a collections lawyer, with his own firm. It's a mindset that we each need to come to in our own way and time, when life presents us a choice: which crossroad will we take? How do we calculate risk and make the ultimate decision? In addition to this big-picture conversation on forging a legal career, Matt also gives us fascinating insight into the world of collections law, including why it exists, how it works, who his clients are, and who are the people the least likely to pay what they owe. You might be surprised! " If you know what your core values are, and you keep an open mind, and you have certain things you strive for, your path will find its way." - Matt Mikula In this episode, we discuss: ◼️ The significance of calculated risks and mindset shifts in career changes. ◼️ The importance of branding, marketing, and business fundamentals for lawyers. ◼️ The role of courage and boldness in trial work and legal advocacy. ◼️ Demystifying collections work: client accounts and recovery strategies. ◼️ The importance of humility, flexibility, and the non-linear path to success. Chapters 0:00 Matt’s background and career start 5:19 The 2012 decision to bet on himself 9:40 Why he fell in love with criminal defense 13:31 What collections law actually is 20:17 Garnishments, judgments, and collections process 28:26 Transition from trial lawyer to business lawyer 34:25 AI, clients, and law firm operations 37:25 Advice for young lawyers 43:47 What people misunderstand about collections Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers Available on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and at RVATrialLawyers.com  Based out of Richmond, Virginia, Courtroom Stories & Tactics by RVA Trial Lawyers exists for lawyers who try cases to juries on behalf of people. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers. If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us. Thank you! Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki