The Morning Formation Podcast
Hosted by KP Phillips—a U.S. Army combat veteran, former law enforcement officer, and seasoned instructor in tactics, firearms, and combatives—The Formation Podcast is built on the core pillars of Survivability, Situational Awareness, and the mindset to Adapt & Overcome.
Drawing from over two decades of real-world experience in combat zones and high-risk environments, KP leads authentic conversations with warriors, protectors, and everyday individuals who’ve faced adversity head-on. This podcast is more than content—it's a movement for those who understand that the fight begins before the event.
Through storytelling, lived experience, and expert insight, The Formation Podcast equips its listeners with the mindset, tools, and awareness to remain vigilant and prepared—whether on the battlefield, in the streets, or in everyday life.
The Morning Formation Podcast
Breaking Barriers: Marine Vet Leo Fuentes Launches His Own Law Firm
Leo Fuentes, Marine Corps veteran and attorney, shares his journey launching a personal injury law firm and the challenges of building from scratch in a competitive field.
• Transitioning from enlisted Marine to law school graduate to law firm owner
• Continuing jiu-jitsu training while building professional career
• Military experience providing foundation for entrepreneurial mindset
• Importance of having legal representation after accidents or injuries
• Common mistakes people make by talking to insurance adjusters without counsel
• Creating a brand identity with the lion logo representing strength and advocacy
• The approach of "stepping into the arena" for clients
• Building trust through transparency and honest client communication
• Balancing business needs with moral values in legal practice
• Vision for future growth and giving back to the community
If you're interested in law school, becoming an attorney, or have questions about legal careers, Leo invites you to reach out via his website at www.leofuenteslaw.com or through his social media channels.
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Warriors fall in. It's time for formation. Today, we welcome back attorney Leo Fuentes. He's a Marine Corps veteran. In our last conversation, we learned about his journey as a Marine and his transition into law. But today, Leo is entering a new chapter, launching his own law firm in the personal injury space. We're going to talk about his vision, the challenges of building from scratch, and what sets his firm apart in a crowded market. Formation Nation, you're about to hear lessons in resilience, branding, and building something that leaves a mark. Leo, thank you for joining me on the Morning Formation today.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you, KP, for having me again. It's always a pleasure. Yeah, that's the news. I launched my own firm and here we are.
SPEAKER_02:I am extremely proud of you, man, because I know I I talk to a lot of people and they talk about starting their own business. And it's scary. It's scary because you're literally taking all the risks and you're pivoting. No one's telling you when to pivot. It's not like you have a boss now. Like you have to get yourself up in the morning, right? And you have to get yourself ready to go.
SPEAKER_00:Right, right, yeah. Yeah, it's literally um you you eat what you hunt, kind of thing. Yeah. Um, but you know, thankfully, uh it's going well, and I have a couple client stories to talk about when uh when we get to that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, man. Um I you're I in my opinion, you're a very big inspiration for a lot of people. Uh you were enlisted in the Marines, and then once you got out, you put yourself through law school. And I think for a lot of lower enlisted people out there, they sometimes don't see themselves like achieving that high of a profession. So, in my opinion, you're you could be a great mentor for many folks out there that may be thinking about going that route and starting your own business, man. That's a whole new venture in itself. Um but before we get into your uh law firm, I want to ask you, how's your jujitsu training coming along?
SPEAKER_00:Man, I it I've been gone for a little bit, but uh I it's good to be back. I want to be more consistent. And I was there yesterday and it was fun. It was fun. It was promotion day, and you know, sometimes when it's promotion day, some people go a little harder, and I'm like, relax, bro. We're not trying to injure each other here. We gotta we got jobs to go to tomorrow. But it it was good. It was good. Um still uh still training, still trying to get better and taking it day by day. And I think the best thing, like a lot of people say, I'm sure you think the same. It's not about the promotions or the belts, it's about just learning and you know, that headspace you get into when you're there takes you away from from the world and whatever's going on, at least for that hour or two hours that you're there.
SPEAKER_02:You know, I I was thinking about it earlier this week. Um, when you get promoted through the ranks of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it's not just a mark on how good you are at doing that specific uh martial art, but it's also a mark on you becoming a mentor and you becoming uh someone who others look up to. Because I don't think it's a good idea to continue on, become a brown belt, become a black belt, if you're not of good character. I think all around it paints, it should paint a picture of like this is someone, especially if you're an owner of a gym and you're promoting people, you need to make sure that you're promoting not just people who have skill, but people who have the right character. So I hope you continue that journey, man, because I think uh a lot of others out there will be like, well, this guy is a lawyer, like and he's a marine veteran. That's badass.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, thank you. Yeah, I um I I started uh in law school at the time that law school was uh offering a free membership to a gym downtown, and then that gym had two black bowl instructors that uh had classes going on. But it got to the point where, for me at least, um I had to tell myself, all right, do I want to pass this class uh in law school or do I want to go train? I was like, I gotta pass the class. So I kind of stopped going and I just never got back to it. I got back into it until after law school, after I started working. But uh there is this law student in uh at our gym, and he he trains, he studies. I'm like, man, good for you. I'm always giving props, like, good for you. I'm like, what are you gonna do now? He's like, I gotta go do this contract uh reading or whatever. I'm like, man, that's my hat's off to you because I I just kind of said I gotta focus on school.
SPEAKER_02:It's hard to get it in, man, sometimes. So, what inspired you to start your own personal injury practice? And and let's talk about what sets you apart from the others in the in this industry.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so I think I was so before I went to the private firm life, I was with the county of San Diego uh and you know, shout out to the public defender's office in San Diego because thanks to them, all the mentors, there speaking of mentorship, I was able to uh work with a lot of great attorneys, great trial attorneys, and learn from them, and they were always willing to teach and guide. And and then there, I didn't know at the time, but I was essentially my own little law firm there because you have your caseload, you have your cases assigned to you, you have your clients, and then you essentially run your cases and make decisions on what motions to file, what research you need research you need to do. And essentially you are in charge of those cases, and nobody really tells you anything. You don't really, as long as you do your job, you just kind of handle your cases, and then it didn't come to uh mind, or I didn't realize it until after the fact. Um, there's nothing wrong with the the private firm. Um, I just think uh for me, everybody's different, right? There's people that like to be at a private firm, they like to be uh associates, and that's that's fine. Um, it's just something that for me I realized, wait a minute, like I just realized I was my own law firm when I used to work at my own job, and now um I'm part of a law firm, but it's not my law firm. And there's nothing wrong with it, it's just different different career choices, right? And for me, it was more like um it's time to to do it, right? It's just uh to be honest with you, it was uh one of a dream that just came to light. Um there's only been man, like when I when I joined the Marine Corps, when I went to law school, when I left my first job to go to the private firm, and then now the same feeling, um, some people call it the feeling, I I just it's just overcome me and overwhelming, feeling like I need to do this. I need to do this because if I don't, I'm gonna live in regret the rest of my life with what if? Yeah, what if I could, right? And I want to I want to take a moment to like you mentioned the the uh military, whether you're Navy, Marine Corps, Army, any other uh branch. I wanna I wanna encourage everybody to just pursue their their vision, their dreams, because I I was there too, and then there's a lot of people that were scared to get out. They're like, man, I gotta get out. Like, I gotta leave this a steady military paycheck. I already know what I'm doing. And you know, unfortunately, they don't tap into their full potential. And I I I seen it, I see it now, unfortunately. And you know, I'm I'm always I'm an open book. Uh military members have reached out. Um actually, this young Lance Corporal, E3 from uh Camp Pendleton, reached out to me and he's like, hey sir, because he's still late, he's like, hey sir. Oh, he called me Leo. It's all it's good, it's all good. And uh he's like, Yeah, I I'm a Lance Corporal, Camp Pendleton. I want to go to law school. But this guy, he already had everything set. And I was like, wow, like I mean I never even thought I was gonna be an attorney, but he already has this plan, uh, saving his GI bill for law school. So um, yeah, I mean that that's the reason why I I decided to essentially uh go for it, you know, and and I I I'll rather see what what what's gonna happen versus what if.
SPEAKER_02:So many things that you mentioned, I I identify with a thousand percent. I'll tell you this, much Leo, you're the type of person that accepts new challenges. You're not stagnant. And that that is you've proven that over your resume and your career, um, going from the bottom to where you are right now. I mean, enlisting in the Marine Corps, I remember the last time we spoke, you just went in. Like you just went to the Marine recruiter and you signed up and um, you know, and and you talked about how proud your father was, you know, of you graduating boot camp and and going into the Marines. So you're not the you're not the type of character to just fall into formation. Like you're in front of the formation, you're in charge of the of the uh of the group and and getting out of the military. I remember when I resigned my commission, I had other officers walking up to me at that time and they were like, Well, what are you gonna do? What are you gonna do? Like, oh my god, like you're gonna be poor, you're gonna be unemployed, and you're gonna and I was thinking to myself, I'm like, well, I I'm getting out because I believe in myself. Like, I'm going to figure this out. You know, I'm not here for a paycheck. And um I did my time, I did my deployment, and it's just time for me to move on. That was my plan from the beginning. Um, and I tell people all the time, like, the military is not bad as long as you manage your career. And what I mean by that is what you just talked about with that Lance Corporal, properly managing your career for transition is what you got to do from the beginning when you first get there. And that I can completely identify with everything that you're talking about. And those are some great, great pieces of advice for people out there who are listening who may be going into the Marines or may know someone that's going into the military in general for them to actually think about. But how do you think your Marine Corps background, your training, your experience, and everything has shaped the way that you have approached starting this new business?
SPEAKER_00:I think one of the first things that they ingrain in you in BootCamp is um attack the hill. Um the challenge. Go go for the challenge. Um, fear is one of the things that they kind of uh ingraining you to put to the side. It doesn't mean it it's not existent, it just means um you you do it anyways, right? Um it's kind of like that saying that says, you know, courage doesn't mean you're not you're not scared or there's no fear. It just means you have the will to go despite that. Um and I think that that's what has been driving my life decisions since I joined the Marine Corps and then I left, and then um, you know, I'm just I'm just so grateful that uh it's all worked out, and you know, I I I'm able to provide whatever I can knowledge to other people, you know, like um there's veterans that have reached out too that's like, hey, I've always wanted to be a lawyer, man. It's like you can, you can still go. Like, you still have your jab bill. Like, and one of them took me up on it too, is uh like, yeah, so this is my plan. I want to do this, I want to do that. I was like, okay, cool, just look into that, look into that school. Um, and yeah, just I think um I'm grateful that I that everything has worked out so far, but also that I'm able to provide any sort of guidance or mentorship, like you mentioned, to um former military, active duty, and even non-military uh law students or just undergrad students.
SPEAKER_02:You know, you you mentioned um fear. Uh when you when you launched your new business, what uh doubts or fears or if any came up for you and and how do you think you pushed through them?
SPEAKER_00:I think the most common uh concern and or fear for anyone who's going on their own is oh my god, where are the cases gonna come from? Right? How am I gonna get clients? Um You know what the cases will come. The cases are coming. And it's people told me that. Um shout out to everybody who's been supporting me, because I also had a lot of people that were encouraging me to to to essentially make the move for a while now. They they've always told me like, hey Leo, like like what are you doing? Like you you you are the type that can um do your own thing. Like, um, what are you waiting for? And I was like, I don't I don't know. Excuses basically, you know. To be honest, it was just me, like, oh well, I gotta wait for this, or I'm gonna wait for that. But um just it came to the point where um I think it just vanished. The fear was more like I'm gonna embrace embrace it, embrace the grind and and let's go, you know, let's go, let's do it. And yeah, that's the main the main concern that everybody has, and it's true. Uh the the second third day that I I started um the firm, I I got client calls and the cases came, the cases are coming. So um little by little, day by day, you know, like with anything, um, just stay positive and then just they they're gonna come. What they told me, the other attorneys that have their own practice too, um, is true. They're like, don't even worry about it, the cases are gonna come, man. And I'm like, man, they were right, you know.
SPEAKER_02:So you know, I I really think fearless, uh fearlessness starts at an early age. I don't know if you can think back to a time, maybe in your teen years, where you were joining the football team or the wrestling team and you've never done it before in your life, but you did it and you stepped into that dark room for the first time, and it wasn't that bad. It worked out. I think that for a lot of uh people coming up through the ranks in their teen years and and whatnot, it being fearless almost becomes kind of a a thing that you embrace, a thing that you become comfortable with over time. And would you would you agree with that? Do you think that was part of your upbringing?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think um as being being the oldest out of four boys, my poor mom, uh no girls, but my brother gave her a granddaughter, so I guess that's that's okay. Um but so I'm the oldest out of the four boys, and I had to essentially take on the first of everything. The first of joining the Marine Corps, the first of going to college. And yeah, I think little by little, like little small accomplishments, whether it was um the first two uh join the uh soccer team, right? Or the first to join the military or go to college, I think um uh the way I like to explain to some people, some people that I ask, like, oh, how hard how hard is law school? Um I tell them, look, it's it's like a stamina thing. If you think about it, I tell them because for me, you know, I I I went to community college, which is where I met the Marine Corps recruiter, and I tell him, look, think about it this way high school, you start preparing to go to college, whether it's community or undergrad. And then I went to uh community college. That prepped me to go to the undergrad university. That prepped me to take on uh graduate graduate school. Um, and at the time I I didn't know what I was gonna go do. I knew I wanted to do graduate school. So yeah, I think it little by little, like you're saying, it it tends to um it just go away, or you should learn to adapt and do it anyways.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, it becomes like second nature for you, and it's uh it becomes one of those things that you don't mind doing after a time because a failure is is there's such a thing called failing forward and um and trying new things out, and that's how we achieve. Leo, I want to ask you overall, talking about some of your clients and stuff, why do you why do you think it's so critical for injured people to have an advocate on their side?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think it's it's very important to have somebody that's on your side because a lot of people think that um the insurance adjusters and the other side are are on your team, right? Because you think, well, I'm paying them every month, they're looking out for my best interest, but it's all a numbers game. Um it sounds bad, but at the end of the day, that's what it is, right? Because there's no way they can pay out all the claims uh for what they're worth because then they won't have any money left, right? It's it's their business. So um it's important to talk to an attorney before you give any written statements if possible, or uh any recorded statements when the insurance adjusters calls you, or when anybody from the other side calls you, sometimes the attorneys from the companies or the corporations sometimes uh want to get a statement from you. Um the investigators like for like Walmart or Target or any other stores, sometimes they email uh the clients and they they tell them X, Y, and Z, and they've even sometimes said, Hey, you want to go ahead and settle uh that this claim for a couple hundred bucks? And I seen the email's like, wow, like good thing you said no, you didn't reply, right? But um it's super crucial. Um recently uh there was a a a case that came to me good good uh I guess policy you can say. It was a good but they made a mistake of not talking to an attorney before they they resolved their case. And they resolved it for a little under a grand. When I saw the video of the dash cam and I saw what happened and now the injuries that they have and they haven't treated, I'm like, man, I wish you would have come to me before. Essentially they signed they signed a settlement agreement and they they there's no remedy anymore. They they signed it. Um they can't really argue that they didn't they didn't know because they were advised and they they were told, you know. And yeah, I mean it's super important, you know, especially the injuries that you don't realize are severe, or you don't really feel it sometimes because of the adrenaline, right? You don't feel it a couple days later, a month later. Right. And yeah, it's super it's super crucial. And then you never know what's going on in your in your back or in your brain. Like some people have concussions. So it's always good to get connected with an attorney that's gonna connect you to the appropriate uh treatment providers so that you can get the the best uh result out of your case and just more than more than anything, your health. Nobody wants to be in pain or hurt. And you know, that's one thing I I say, I I I think you agree too, like there's no price on health. It's like when I tell the jurors, right, uh in jury trials, like we can't put a price on health, we can't put a price on Mr. So-and-so's back or Mrs. So-and-so's neck or whatever the injury is, right?
SPEAKER_02:Right.
SPEAKER_00:But the law, the law allows us to at least try our best, right? But nobody wants to be injured. Like you can offer me any amount of money. I'd rather be able to go to sleep and be healthy, right? And work.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. Um, I've known people before that have tried to buy real estate on their own and they don't know a whole lot about real estate. They go in without a real estate agent and they end up getting burned. That the house has a lot of issues with it. Um it's the same thing with veterans too, man. Like when you get out of the military, a lot of veterans don't want to put in any type of like service connection at all. I, you know, the pride, resiliency, the suck it up and drive on kind of kind of sets in. And and like you mentioned, man, like sometimes we can be our own worst enemy with um with those injuries too. So having an advocate on your side, um, I can see where that would be of immense importance for someone to to take on. What are some of the what do you think are some of the biggest mistakes that you've seen uh people make after an accident? Things like not documenting injuries, delaying treatment, or talking to insurance adjusters alone, like you just mentioned.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's one of the biggest mistakes talking to them without an attorney settling without getting the appropriate uh medical care or treatment. Um saying, I'm fine, everything's gonna be fine, right? Um that's that's that's in not just car accidents, but also whether you fall out the store or something happens at work where you get injured because of somebody else's fault. Um and that that's the main mistake. They don't they don't lawyer up, right? The word is lawyer up, and it applied it applies in other areas of law, it also applies in the personal injury uh area.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it totally does. Um, as far as making sure you have that representation. Um what do you think is your number one piece of advice for someone who's just been injured in an accident and doesn't really know what to do?
SPEAKER_00:Seek medical treatment, document it, document it because they love the other side loves to hold on to that. Like, well, if you were really hurt, you should have gone to the doctor. Or you didn't go to the doctor. Um, sometimes I think it's a little hilarious because like you waited a whole week to go see a doctor. It's like people have things going on, they have lives going on. Like, it's not that they didn't want to, right? I ideally you want to go the same day or the next day, right? But there are there are situations, there are explanations as to why, but yeah, um try not to delay the medical treatment or the yeah, the scene by a doctor so they can diagnose what your injuries are uh on uh on paper and document it. That's one of the things that I would say. Um earlier we were talking about um fear, right? How it goes away after you do a couple things. Um I don't know, I just thought about how for us and my my colleagues that um that practice law, whether it's criminal defense, uh employment law, personal injury, when you get to trial, um we we like to say if you're not a little bit, little bit scared or still feel that that adrenaline, however you want to describe it, then that means you need to find another job because in the in the in essence that kind of also drives you to to do your best and and prep the case, prep the witnesses, and basically do a good job for your for your client. And uh yeah, I mean it's interesting how fear can work in your favor in a way, um, but also uh it it goes it it can stop people from doing what they want to do too, or what the vision they have for themselves.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. Like I mentioned, you can be your own worst enemy. I've known people before that have just uh slipped, fell, busted their back, and they get up and they go back to work, only to find out years later they have a major issue going on in there, and now it's now it's too late. They've moved on to a new employer or they've they've uh you know, whatever the situation is, they can no longer go and get the um the the help that they need. Um and they're just having to deal with it on their own, man. And you know, it's and talking about just your overall law firm and your core mission of the law firm is what I want to talk about. How do you want to be known in the personal injury space?
SPEAKER_00:I think uh in general as an attorney, I want to be known as someone who who obviously uh you can trust who's gonna fight for you, and step into the arena as a colleague. I call the the the courtroom uh jury trial the arena, and I step into the arena and let the people decide. Um, the the 12 people from the community are gonna decide what the verdict is, right? Um I know earlier you said what sets Fuentes Law APC apart. Um I think a good way to answer that is just sharing my what my clients' feedback to me, right? Um recently there was a lady who reached out to me. She had a uh a bigger case with another law firm, and she had another case, she reached out a new case, and um she's like, Hey, like I was recommended to you by so-and-so, and cases come, remember? So I was like, Oh, cool. I haven't talked to that person in a while, but thank you, right? Um, so she's uh I I talked to her, walked her through A, through Z as far as what to expect, what my goal is gonna be, and how everything goes, right? And she was just so thankful. She's like, she was like, Oh, thank you so much. I got the the other firm didn't even talk to me. Like uh I to be honest with you, I'm not really um happy with them, right? And I'm not gonna really like I'm the type of person that just hear them out, right? I'm never gonna be talking bad about any other attorney or any other law firm because why? Right? There's cases for everybody, like do your thing, right? But I I'm focusing on me. So I told her, um, oh, I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am. Um, but for this case, like I want to make sure you know everything. She comes back a couple days later and she's like, hey, I do want to retain you. But I was wondering um if you can take my other case too. So it's very common for a client to just like they have the right to uh hire different attorneys, the attorney can also terminate the attorney-client relationship for whatever reason, reasonable, right? You can't just be saying, You may you annoy me today. I'm I don't want to be your attorney, right? So um that's what she wanted to do. She wanted to basically leave the other firm, which is a big firm out of LA, and and then come to me and said, because I want you to handle both my cases. And I think that speaks for for me and the law firm I'm building, the Fuentes Law APC. And I told her, I'll be happy to, but my goal is always your best interest. I want you to get the best outcome. I need you to go back and ask the law firm these questions. So I told her what questions to ask. And I told her, because the last thing I want is for you to bring your cases with you to my firm, and then you you not only have to pay uh my fee, so for personal injury cases, it's contingency. So until like, you know, the commercial said, We don't win, you don't pay, right? It's basically a contingency fee. So I told her the last thing I want is you having to pay the contingency fee for contingency fee for my firm, and then you have to owe them money. And she's like, What do you mean I owe them money? He's like, Well, there's this thing called an attorney lien, which means the other firm is gonna likely say, Well, hey, guess what? We worked under a case for I don't know however months we've done this, that, and this. So now you owe us this amount. So she was like, I didn't even know that that was the thing. It's like, it's a thing. And I'm like, I and usually uh firms uh exercise those liens, right? It's not common for a firm not to. Sometimes you know the other firm and you're cool and you talk about it like, yeah, it's fine, we just pay us our costs, right? But um, I think uh I I had a feeling uh when she asked them, they said, Yeah, like we would exercise the attorney lien. So she came back again, called me back. It's like Leo, like thank you so much. I appreciate you. Um, I think I'm gonna stand stay put. Uh, you're right. So by the end of the the cases, by the time the cases is over, I'm not gonna have a lot left for me. Like, and like I totally get it. She's like, but I'll keep you in mind. Thank you so much, you were great. So I think that's what sets me and my firm apart. Um, and then also um that takes me back to uh um an army veteran client I had. Uh this was when I was with the county. It was my first um case where there was a dece decedent. Uh, and the family actually paid a private attorney at the time. All paid told my client at the time, hey, we already paid this attorney. He's a private attorney. Tell tell your attorney that's appointed by the court that you're gonna go with him. Well, the rapport have built with him, not just because of being a uh veterans, right? Just me talking to him, taking the time and hearing him out, he essentially told the family, no, I'm staying with Leo. I trust Leo. I I I'm sorry, like go get your money back. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna change attorneys. And I that that was I was so like taken back, and I was super grateful that whatever it is that he he uh he liked about me or whatever trust uh report we built, like it was enough for him to say, no, I'm staying put uh with the free attorney, basically, appointed by the court, right, at the time. And most people, uh it's common for most people to retain attorneys when they're facing uh certain certain issues, right? And yeah, long story short, we we went to trial and got a great result, and then he just ended up paying like a$200 fine, right? And um the uh the resilience, I think we I think in that case actually, I was going up against three opposing counsels, uh, the senior one, and then the other two that were not as experienced. So it kind of went like down, like kind of the chain of command in the military. It was it was like the the gunny, the staff sergeant and the sergeant uh put coming together to uh go against me and my client. So um we uh we we went at it and the jury saw it our way and he was super thankful and we stayed in touch. Every once in a while we check in, like, hey, how you doing? Um, because you know, being uh an army combat uh veteran, he was a medic. So you can imagine all the things he saw during the the time of war. And he obviously has uh PTSD and other issues that he has to uh live with and uh you know adapt. He still has a job, he's doing, he's doing good.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:But uh yeah, I think those are the things that that set me and my law firm apart. Um, our clients, our clients say it for us, right? My clients say it for us.
SPEAKER_02:I think just on the interviews that we've had and the conversations we have, you have a very good demeanor about yourself. You have characteristics. Characteristics of leadership. Um, you have also characteristics of fearlessness, obviously, from your time. From you talked about in the last interview how you lived in gang territory growing up. You were recruited to join a gang when you were a kid, you said no, and then you finished up school, decided to go into the Marines on your own, um, and now here you are today in your law firm. And I think sometimes you can't throw money at somebody who just inherently has the right characteristics to be a champion.
SPEAKER_00:Well, thank you for that, KP. Um, I totally agree with you. Uh, one of the things that conversations I have with my my colleagues that super close friends that are also um the type of attorneys that just go all out and step into the arena for their clients, um, we like to say you either have it or you don't. Why do we say that? Because when it comes to trial, um you see it, you see it. I you see people get up there and try to say verbatim lines of other attorneys that have worked. It's worked for them, but I can't, I'm not, I'm not going to stand there and repeat Johnny Cochrane's sentences because it worked for him or whatever attorney, right, that's doing great and he's super whoever the attorney is that's super successful, and whatever works for him, he has to style his thing. But also when you're in front of the jury, um, you can see who freezes up, you can see who who has that flow or that that it factor, right? And you know, I'm just thankful that again, just based on the the mentors I had coming up, the uh uh attorneys and other people I can brainstorm with, I think uh we we come up with uh the best solution. And when I get in there, I I try to be myself also. Um, you know, that's I just try to be myself, and then sometimes you gotta you gotta lock it up or you gotta be super serious when the right moment is. But I think I think it works. I mean, sometimes you even have to go against uh judges, right? Not to come across as mean or anything, but sometimes you just have to put your foot down uh as attorneys and you can't be scared um or intimidated, right? Um you just gotta find a way to uh to kind of maneuver, right? Maneuver around it. Like um, like one time this judge uh he admitted a lot of bad evidence for the case. And you know, I I think I mentioned it not on purpose, but then the other attorney was like, objection. And then it was sustained, which means you can't talk about it, right? Like shut your mouth, basically. So then I was like, okay, but I was like, there's a reason why they don't want me to talk about it, ladies and gentlemen. I'll leave that up to you. And then that was the way that you kind of like remember it gets him thinking. That's old, man. No, but I mean, at the time, because you get in the moment and you're like, you get passionate, right? You get passionate, but you gotta walk a uh a thin line. You can't just be uh unprofessional or disrespectful, which I've seen too, actually. Uh I was watching a trial in LA and I couldn't believe what was going on with one of the attorneys. I was all like, man, I was like, I was like, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna be the one that does it because I don't know him, but somebody needs to talk to that guy and tell him, like, hey man, you can't be yelling at the judge or talking to him like he's your brother or something, or like your homie because he's not. You know, you gotta have some respect for the for the bench, for the position, and just be tactful about it. So what was the judge's response when you said that? Nah, nothing. It wasn't really it wasn't really uh a jab at him, it was just more to get the jury thinking. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They were just thinking, and um uh they they came back and it was a favorable outcome for the client. And yeah, I mean, I was super grateful.
SPEAKER_02:And you know, a lot of people ask me, do you know what it's funny because I've never heard that before. I've always heard sustained and then they they just shut up, but no one's ever kind of counterpunched that with a statement like that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and you know, it just it just happened. Uh it's one of those things where like edges you yeah, you gotta adapt and overcome, like we say in the military, right? Um but um those are the type of things like you you can only learn to do or they come up just by reps. Get the reps in, right? Kind of like jujitsu too or anything, right? Like you you get your trials and you get the courtroom experience and and you're able to see different situations happen and then you know how to adapt, right? Um and that's another re another thing that sets uh my law firm apart. You know, like we have nine years of over over nine years of of experience, right? Um it's uh I think it's more difficult, more challenging when you launch your firm straight out of law school. Not impossible, right? By no means I want to discourage anybody. If if you're uh a new attorney and you want to open your own law firm or are, good for you. And you're gonna do it, it's gonna work out. Yeah. Um but uh for me, I think it helped me build myself first with the experience and just uh when it comes to the legal research and the courtroom experience itself, I think that really helped me become the attorney that I am now.
SPEAKER_02:Gives you an opportunity to put yourself in a public defender's shoes. It gives you uh an opportunity to put yourself in different positions and different roles. Uh you were talking just a minute ago about um managing sort of judges, making sure you're not inappropriate, but you're also pushing and challenging at the same time. And anytime I've been in leadership roles and I've had an upper and a lower, like where I've got people I'm in charge of, and then I've got people that are in charge of me, I've I've always said 90% of that job is managing personalities. You gotta know what wags the tail in that dog. So if you're if you you get to know these judges, you probably know what they like to hear. You probably get to know their personality, their character. Um some people when they walk into a room, they command respect. And that's all they want is respect. Some are more like laid back. I mean, would you agree that that's kind of how it is in the arena?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. You definitely uh when you're in front of a judge, you you learn their style, their demeanor. Um some of them are more uh chipper than others, others are more like to down to business, right? And then there's other judges that I've had where they said, uh, counsel, go ahead and take a load off, take your jackets off, roll up your sleeves if you want. Let's talk about these motions in limit, which are the motions uh before a trial gets started, right? Basically, it's both sides requesting what they want to come into evidence, what they want to talk about. Then the judge decides yes or no, right? So in that situation, yeah, he came up and he was just super chill, like, hey, take a load up, let's just let's knock this out, right? As as gentlemen, basically. But then there are other there are other judges that are like, no, like that's not gonna, that's not gonna fly with that, with that judge, right? Other judges like to joke around also, you know, believe it or not, you know. Um, one of the things that uh people have told me colleagues that uh when I was with the county, and um just in general, uh they're like, how how is it that only you can get away with saying certain things? And we're like, what do you mean? It's like I would never be able to tell that to judge so-and-so, or like to um uh this prosecutor or opposing counsel. And I'm like, I don't know, I just I'm I'm I just I'm just me, I guess. I mean, I don't know, I just I don't really think about it, right? It's just well it just happens.
SPEAKER_02:I think you've probably through your military experience and your upbringing, you probably have really honed the craft of reading the room, which is really important for a lot of people to understand. Um, you know, you walk into an environment, you need to read the room. Like who in here is the alpha, who is like not the alpha, who is expecting this, expecting that, and that's that's huge. I've known so many people over the years that have stepped on their own toes um because they just don't know how to read the room, they don't understand that this is all about managing personalities, managing expectations, and it sounds like you've got that mastered just through your years of experience overall. And I'm drawing the line now. Leo the lion, the arena, and then you've got your logo, right?
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yeah, my logo, yeah. My logo has a lion, yeah. Um I actually did you do that on purpose? Yeah, yeah. I actually just got my cards. I don't know if you can see it on it. Let me see. I can try. So I just got the these cards. Uh I ordered them like um a couple weeks ago. Um, and let me see. I don't know if you can see it. Can you see it a little bit? Yeah. So um yeah, so it's a lion. The lion and the scales of justice. The lion, um, my name Leonel, my full name means uh lion, right? And then people know me as Leo at work, outside of work, and then um I'm not saying that I follow like like religion, but my zodiac sign is Leo, and the animal for that zodiac sign, Leo, is the lion, too. So those are the three reasons why um I went with I I told myself I have to have a lion. Like, you know, everybody has their own animal, like my their own animal, their favorite animal, right? Like my buddy has a horse, he has a horse statue at his desk, right? But for me, I feel like I identify with a lion for those three reasons. My name is Lion, my Zodic lion's the lion, and then people know me as Leo, right? And I think um when it's the right time, I I I I take on that that lion, I guess, uh approach when I need to get things done, whether it's for a client or just in life in general, and you step into the arena, like it's kind of like, you know, um, you gotta let the lion roar, you know, like type of thing.
SPEAKER_02:But uh, reminds me of like Sparta, like gladiators and everything else, man. Like I I see you someday doing a commercial where like you're saying step into the arena.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah, yeah. There's uh yeah, that that's how that came about. But then the scales is basically the the law of it, right? And that's how I I I created, I came up with my logo, and I was just kind of like, I gotta do it because why not? You know?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and I don't think, I don't even know if you really realize or not, man, but you've come a long way. I mean, you when our last conversation we talked about where you started uh and how you got to where you're at right now, I mean, you've literally ha had the heart of a lion to be where you're at. I think that a lot of people like yourself, um, I have another good friend of mine. She was um enlisted in the army. She's from another country, uh, enlisted in the army um as just an E1, um, didn't know what she was getting into. And today she's now a doctor of radiology, Dr. Nicole Donrosh. And I I love when people can see themselves further than the end of their street. And I think a lot of people struggle with that, with seeing how far they can go in their careers by looking over the horizon and seeing something greater than or bigger than themselves. And that's why I love doing the show, man. I love highlighting people like you who came from almost nothing to making your own business now. And I I really think that your brand is awesome, man. I think that freaking uh Leo the Lion step into the arena, you got the logo. I mean, I see big I see big things for you, man.
SPEAKER_00:I do. Yeah, one day at a time, and yeah, it's uh you know, uh it's interesting you say that because sometimes um you forget, you forget to uh think of it and and just pause and just look around you and just be like, man, you know, um it's like that that one uh saying that I I I've seen online and social media, uh it's something along the lines of um you've dreamt about where you are now at some point and now you're here, so enjoy it, right? Enjoy it. But um I I think sometimes I you move so fast that you forget, and you know, I gotta do a better job at passing and just looking around and just being even more grateful, right? I'm already grateful for uh where I am now, but even more I think uh gratitude is key and it's gonna set the set the vibe, set the the uh route to where you headed.
SPEAKER_02:You hit the nail on the head. Gratitude is key, man. And you know, I I've talked to people before, um, and you know, pe people have asked me, like, well, why do you compare yourselves to others? I don't compare myself to other myself to others, but what I do think is that we are all in a marathon together, and you have to look to your left and to your right and to your front and have an idea who's behind you. Because life is a marathon, and at the end of the day, if you don't know where you're at, your age, your career progression, if you're not keeping track of that in this marathon, then you're gonna lose focus on what you're doing. And sometimes you can lose faith in yourself. And yeah, 100%. Yeah, and so that you hit the you hit the nail on the head with that one. And you know, in the next year from now or five years from now, where do you see your law firm headed?
SPEAKER_00:I think that uh definitely is going to grow. I'm gonna have to uh hire people, get help from people, and put together a team, put together a team. And I I'm excited because I I've been around uh different styles of leaderships ever since I was 18, right? Since I was at 18, I was leading 30-something year olds, right? Um and being uh an attorney, I've been exposed to two different leadership styles, leadership styles, and take take uh the good and the bad, and then I know what I what I want to build. I know the type of uh vibe I want to build at my firm, and I and I want to make sure everybody's happy and taken care of because you take care of your people, they'll take care of you, right? And check in, check in. Um I see, I don't I I uh I'm already thinking about it before even growing uh as big as I see, I see the uh the firm growing, right? But I'm already thinking, I'm gonna check with Joe. Hey Joe, how are you doing today? Um what do you see? What do you see in the trenches, right? Because you're not in the trenches with them, right? What in whatever they're doing. So like what do you see? What do you think will make the process better or faster, right? And then, oh hey, uh uh Jose or hey uh um Stacy, like what do you see? What do you think? You know, like um what could make us make make us better, right? What can make everything better? And rather than all right, guys, we're doing it like this because I want it this way, right? Like because I don't know everything, nobody does, nobody knows everything, and it's always good to put your heads together and come up with with a plan to level up together.
SPEAKER_02:So starting this new venture, have you had any um early adjustments or uh had to pivot um as you've been setting up your your own business?
SPEAKER_00:Um I think that it's just different different things happening day by day, right? There's the the setup of uh the logistics of not taking clients, even though you could uh, for example, that lady that had the case, she wanted to bring it with me. Like I had to pivot there because I could have taken a case, but I wouldn't be able, it wouldn't sit right with me. You know, it wouldn't be good sit uh well, like my conscience would be like, no, like that's just not how I do things, that's not how I want to run my business, that's not how the type of person I am or the type of attorney I want to be. So I just pivoted, even though I knew that there was a that was a case, two cases actually, but I felt much, much better giving her my time, talking to her, and then she's happy and then I wish her the best. So, you know, and yeah, so far, um, yeah, so far that's the the main thing right now, and just setting setting up things like uh you need this program, you need that program, uh, you need to pay for this membership, right? So um yeah, it's been a it's been a learning adventure and it's been it's been good.
SPEAKER_02:In the Marines, uh, when you were out training in the field, did you ever have Fragos?
SPEAKER_00:No, no, no.
SPEAKER_02:Fragos is like a Fragos is like a it's like a change, a change in plan. Ah, okay. Yeah. So I mean, yeah, like being being in the military, we're used to that, right? We're told to go here, do this, do that, and then as you get there, they're like, all right, we got a frago, we're gonna go somewhere else, we're gonna be over here now. Like change becomes becomes something as uh as common during some operations and some some different types of training out there. Uh leading your law firm, comparing it to the Marines in the field, how does how does that compare? How does leading a law firm now compare to leading Marines in the field or managing cases as a trial attorney?
SPEAKER_00:I think uh it's definitely helped me because uh you see you have the uh or I have the um the experience of knowing what to do in order to make sure the entire unit or operation is running, right? Um, in the military, you have to make sure that the mission is completed, whatever the mission is, right? Um, whether it can be just getting your unit uh to do the training or get them qualified with the shotgun and the rifle and the pistol, right? Um logistics, you have to get everything together, plan everything out step by step to make sure nothing falls through. Same thing with the with the the law firm, right? You gotta make sure you get the case and you take the right cases. What I mean by that is um something that that's gonna be uh a good case, not just for you, but for the client too. Um, because I'm not I'm not the type of person that's just gonna be taking whatever case just because, and let's see what happens, right? Because it's a kind of like not a good use of your time. So, and then you gotta see what the what like what the injuries are, what motions need to be filed, what needs to be um litigated, right? Argued in court if or a case may not need to go to court, it can be maybe resolved before a lawsuit's filed, right? These are the type of things that you have to keep in mind and kind of run through your your to-do list, right, on a case. And that's that's helped me out to be organized and just you know, take it on and and do the same thing.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, I'm sure in your field you have such a spectrum of values, morals, and money in business. So how does that how does that work for you when it comes to taking cases and just take right? You know that you know that that that question because always people always talk about the crooked lawyer, like you're talking about like uh what's that called, breaking bad um?
SPEAKER_00:Uh better cost all.
SPEAKER_02:Better cost all, right? You you see that in Hollywood. Yeah. Um how would you how would you say that that you manage those those three things? You got values, morals, and then you have the business side of it all.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for me, morals and doing the right thing, number one on the list. Doesn't matter whether it's gonna pay X amount, um, because I that's how I I want to run my practice, that's how type of attorney I want to be, and type of attorney and person I am. And if if it means not taking the case or not getting any money out of it, then it's fine. But it's interesting you say that because coming from public service as an attorney to private law firm, and now that I I'm getting clients to where I have to charge them right, depending on the case, right? Um because even though personal injury uh is contingency uh contingency fee, sometimes friends reach out and if I can help them out, why wouldn't? Or uh a friend of a friend, right? Um for example, right? I I've uh I've had someone reach out. Uh yeah, thank you for having me. Yeah, yeah, no worries. Yeah, even if it's just talking to people and guiding them in the right direction and telling them what to expect and things like that, yeah. Um, so I it got to the point where like I felt bad for for a little bit like charging money, but the way I balance that is I ask around what the market value is, right? So that person needed help with a criminal defense case, right? So to me, it's like I can help and I have the experience to help, so why not, right? Why wouldn't I help a friend out, right? And it would be kind of a waste not to use that experience to help him out, right? So when it came down to the price on the retainer, I was like, I told my friend, like, man, I feel bad, but that's the market value. It's like, hey man, it's the market value. Like, welcome to the private world, welcome to the to the business side of it. I was not like, yeah, you're right, you're right, man. Um, I still give him a discount, but you know, I think it it was difficult, like at first, uh adapting coming from public service where you don't charge him anything to now coming to the private, private law of life, and you know, it's just part of uh it's just business, no hard feelings, but yeah, I always try to do the right thing. I'm never gonna take advantage or try to take advantage of anybody because why? You know, you do good things in life, good things will happen to you. But the opposite, I think also, you know, if you screw people over, it's gonna catch up to you.
SPEAKER_02:You're right, you're right, you're totally right. I think that's the one thing that military veterans struggle with is giving up too much volunteer time, giving up um giving up too much and just doing things for God and country. Um in the private world, in the civilian world, to be successful, you can't always do things for God and country. And I always tell people, like, yeah, I don't want to do it, but I'm gonna do it for God and country. Because it's the right thing to do for my family, my community, my neighbor. Um, and it's the one thing that I think I've struggled with with this podcast is trying to monetize um because I do have to pay myself back for the expenses of what I've purchased to set this up and then all the subscriptions that I have. Right, right. But I struggle with it because it's like I enjoy doing this. I enjoy talking to people like you. Like I enjoy people that are just whole natured and just humbled. And um, but I I struggle with that as well because it's I always say God and country, it's not about me. So yeah, yeah. That's why.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for that, KP. Yeah, thank you so much for that. I mean, yeah, for keeping this this podcast, uh first of all, for starting it, creating it, and keeping it going. Um it it's it's a lot, it's a good you put a lot of good good videos out there, different people. I like the fact that you bring on different guests and they talk about different things, right? All the way from from uh smashing people on the jujitsu mats to to what they do, right? For a living.
SPEAKER_02:So well, the podcast is just me. Like it's just me, my personality, my experiences. I've I've told some people I'm not interested, no. I really thoroughly enjoy bringing people back that I think are just authentic and honest. So I mean, it's it's an honor for me to sit back down here and and talk to you again.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, speaking of um Sorry, go ahead. No, go ahead, man. No, I was gonna say, I just thought of um when you were saying you you do things for God and Country. I I one of the questions you asked me earlier was, where do I see my firm and what I what what do I want right with it, right? Um one of the main things, to be honest with you, is I want to be able to grow enough for me to get involved with the community way more, uh, give back way more, right? And just because it's the right thing to do, if I'm able to, why not, right? Like I would love to uh at some point be able to um donate scholarships for undergrad uh under undergrad students or law students, right? I want to get to that point, to that level. I want to get to to where I'm able to tell this uh breast cancer organization, hey, um I got the podium fee or whatever, you know, whatever it is. I want to give back and be able to give back. Um, and it's interesting because uh before I launched my firm, uh I I uh I would talk to people and then I would um there's hopefully they don't they don't catch this, but it happened. Better way to say it is some people thought that I was able to write it off as a tax deduction, and then I had to sound like no, like this is me. Like, like I I work for a firm. I I don't get to write off anything, you know. So I think they're like, really? They're like, um, oh, we thought you were on your own already. And that's another thing that I I wanted to share. It's like it was it's interesting because a lot of people um already uh would tell me, like, you're not on your own. I'm like, no, I work, I work for a firm. And they're like, oh, I thought I thought you were. But um, like going back to you do it for for to get back to the community, right? You do it for for yourself, or like you said, forgotten country, and and yeah, that's that's what we have we do things sometimes, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and you really got to find that that middle marker somewhere of moderation where like you have to get paid, but then you provide value and you provide quality and personal quality. And I'm sure that's the difference between hiring a gigantic law firm versus hiring a smaller law firm, you get that personal touch of like you when you call, you're gonna talk to Leo. Or you're gonna talk to Leo's assistant, right? You're not gonna talk to some attorney of an attorney of an attorney or an intern that's gonna show up for you. I've heard people that that have done that before. They've hired an attorney and then they expected the attorney to show up, but instead some new rookie intern shows up and they're like, what the heck? I didn't hire this.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think it, I think it happens. Um, look, there's a lot of great law firms that are really, really big um in California and Texas. And I think it comes down to just the attorney that gets your case assigned, right? Just kind of like what prosecutor, what public offender would get your case assigned. I would hear it all the time, right? Um it's interesting because you would never think that somebody would complain about a prosecutor, right? But they do. They're like, oh, that they didn't get like what was supposed to happen, X, Y, and Z. Same thing like with a public offender, like, I got a crappy public offender, they didn't do this, they didn't do that for me. Um, and then in the private world, in the the PI firm law firms, I think it just depends also who you get as an attorney, right? Because there's a lot of law firms out there that are huge and have great, great associate attorneys, and they're like amazing. And some of them might be like, man, I want I need to learn how to do that, right? I need to learn how to do those type of cases. But you're right. With my with me, like you talk to me, I'll talk, uh, I'll walk you through the process and just try and see what I can do for you. And if I can help you, because I'm not gonna uh just sign you up or sign up the case when I know that there may not be a remedy or there may not may not be a a good resolution for you, right? Um I literally just told this to uh a client I have a meeting with um this next coming week. I told him, okay, so from what from what I'm getting, you need X, Y, and Z. And that requires uh payment up front. Um and it was a a friend of a friend. Remember, I told you how I'm not I'm focusing on on personal injury, that's my my main practice. But if I can help, why not? Right. So I told him, let me let me talk to uh my buddy because I need to find out what exactly you need. And if I can help you, I will because I'm not gonna take your money just to take your money. Like, why would I do that? So he's like, Oh yeah, I appreciate it. Thanks. Anyways, called him back and told him, like, I can help you. Um, and then we're gonna meet and talk more details about it. But yeah, you you gotta be you gotta be able to talk to the client at least a couple times. Um, I still hear it nowadays. Um people um say, unfortunately, that they've never talked to an attorney, right? I I don't I really don't know who's doing it out there, but I've heard it too. Like um some clients say like, I haven't talked to an attorney the the entire time that my case started. So it's just it's kind of like uh in every profession, there's there's uh like in the military or professions, there's the the the the great uh attorney, the great police officer, the great doctor, the great um whatever profession. And then there's also kind of like the nozzle grade or like the bad apples, right? Like I think that that's also um, which I think is important to for people to look into who they're gonna hire, right? When you go talk to an attorney, and I remember when when me and my dad went to talk to like nine attorneys, um, because he had uh he had uh some some court issue, nothing, nothing, nothing crazy. It's just he needed an attorney, right? And we went to talk to nine different ones, and it was the last one that we we sat down, we talked to them, and you could you could just feel their vibe, you feel who they are, what they're about, and you the trust, you could just feel it, right? And that's what I aspire to always provide for whoever contacts me, whoever wants me to help them on their on their uh case, right? And I want to make sure that I even tell them like look, um, talk to different attorneys. I I always recommend it because that way you I tell them literally you get to feel that their vibe, talk to them, see who they are, what they're about. And then you decide, you know?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Yeah. And I understand what you're saying, because even doing this podcast, I get that too. I've had guests on before, and I don't know what it was. It was something about their vibe. And I was just like, yeah, this is not, this is not like someone that I'm gonna ask to come back on again. And I this is probably a mistake.
SPEAKER_00:Um this is not it here.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, man. Like, you know, it's exactly, and it it that's it's important. It's important to resonate with people, it's important to read people, it's important for them to trust you, first of all, because it's like the their livelihood is in your hands, you know, and and that's that's huge for people to to have that that type of trust when when they hire you on board to represent them uh in the arena, you know, like as you like to say.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. And and you know, not all cases have to go to court, right? It's always uh I always tell the clients if if we can get the other side to take responsibility and actually uh provide a resolution or compensation that's uh fair and that's deserving of whatever injuries you have, or and if they don't want to take responsibility, then we have to proceed with the lawsuit, and then they still don't want to do it, then we have to go to court in front of a jury and let them decide. Um but that that yeah, you're right. I mean, it reminds me too of um uh a person that reached out and uh they they they literally said, Um, yeah, I talked to all the attorneys, but to be honest with you, like they're all sissies. Like, can you think you can help me? I'm like, yeah, yeah, I can help you. It's like, yeah, man, I just I don't know. I just didn't I didn't like like I didn't like that. I was like, all right, well, look, let's do it. You know, I'll help you out and let's go. And you know, I think like I said earlier, like what sets Lafuente Lao apart? The clients and their feedback to me. And it's just that tells me, and it's very encouraging for me, like that I I'm doing the right thing by the clients, I'm doing the right thing, I'm on the right path. I'm not where I want to be yet, but guess what? Day by day, day by day.
SPEAKER_02:Day by day, you're setting yourself apart just through your character, personality, values, morals, all that stuff, man. And I I feel it. I mean, at the end of the day, like even on this end of the mic and this end of the camera, man, I I really think that you're gonna go extremely far. Um, what do you think, what do you hope your legacy will be, both as an attorney and as a business owner in this space?
SPEAKER_00:I wanna, you know, like that that saying goes, you know, it's it's it's how you it's not what you do for people, it's how you make them feel, how they remember you, how you impact their life. I wanna be able to impact people, not just as my not just my clients, but also people outside of that attorney-client relationship. Just people in general continue to do good things and impact their life in a in a meaningful way. Um, whatever it is, right? The little things matter. The little things matter, you know, like I you could see somebody and just offer them to pay for their breakfast, whatever, you know, whatever the case is, like, that's what I want my legacy to be. That's what I want to be known for. Um, impacting people in a positive, meaningful way. That's huge, man.
SPEAKER_02:I always tell people, legacy to me is really important. I think I saw an interview not too long ago where a young lady was asking Mike Tyson about legacy, and he's like, Legacy, who gives a shit about legacy? Blah, blah, blah. But that's Mike Tyson. Like, legacy is to me is really important. We don't know how long we have on this earth. Some people die very young, some people live to a very old age. To me, I don't know how much time I have left. But what I want to do is I want to leave a mark, a meaningful mark, um, to help our human race, to help our society, to help the future generations to come. And that's really what gets me up to do this podcast over and over again. It's not I don't I don't make any money off of this, um, not yet. I hope to. Um so I can pay myself back. But um what gets me excited about it is the hope that maybe we can help tread the path for a better future. Because especially in our country, our society today, our world needs it more than ever. Yeah. 100%, yeah. And you know, that's probably something you'll do at some point where you'll you'll hire new attorneys and you'll be in charge of mentoring them and bringing them along in the process and kind of molding them into your template of character. Would you agree?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that would be that would be great. It would be great to to get the opportunity opportunity to do that for sure. Um I'll we kind of um get a little uh experience of that with the interns that we had when I went for the county. You see them coming, they're first year, second year, third year law students, and you know, you you get to you get to see them, you get to uh teach them, and you know, it's uh it's great. I mean, like uh going back to impacting people's lives in a meaningful way, right? One of my um interns, uh he lives up in San Francisco somewhere. Anyways, he he was asked, do you know any California attorneys that can help with this issue or whatever, right? And he thought of me right away, but you know, even though he didn't say it, I think it's just the way that I treated him, what mentorship I provided, and the fact that I I I always treated him as my peer, not as below me or as my intern, right? Like, like I always talk to him, even when I introduced him to clients, like, hey, this is this is my colleague, uh, so and so. And uh, and I think because of that, that's why immediately he's like, Leo, right? Because imagine if I would have treated him the opposite, yeah, like um, like if he was like below me or like not worthy. Yeah, yeah. Like, Leo, no, I don't know anybody. I know this guy, but I'm not gonna I'm not gonna attend it, right? Um, and you know, one of the things that reminds me, um so, so I was just so grateful and also like I appreciated the fact that so there's um investigators that I we work with closely on cases at my uh my first uh law law job. And when I left, we were at some gathering and I was uh at a table with them and they literally told me like, hey, like we want to say thank you because you were always chill. Like you always talk to us, like like other attorneys, they were so condescending, and they would like yell at us and try to like talk down to us, and like you never did that. I was like, I'm like, oh well, like, oh thank like thank you, but I mean, but also why would anybody do that? Like I was actually surprised that there was people like that treat like talking to them like that or treating them that way because I if I would have known about it, I would have been like, hey man, like chill, like why are you talking to them like that, right? But um, yeah, I think yeah, I think that's that goes back to the the type of impact and legacy like we were talking about. Like, I want to be known for somebody who never does that, does the opposite, right? Encourages and lifts people up and you know, just does that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's a great way, a great foundation to start a business. I just want to finish up the podcast by asking some specific questions for you. Um, right now, like what's a book or a podcast or tool that you're leaning on right now that helps you grow this business?
SPEAKER_00:Right now, um, so I'm I'm I'm listening to that older book, uh Rich Dad Poor Dad. Again, I already read the book. I listened to the to the podcast or the audiobook, but also this book, I forget the author, I can look it up, but uh it's called Um You Could Just Do Things. And that book basically talks about um entrepreneurship and people's stories of how they started, what steps they took. Um, and to me it's it's inspiring reading about that. And even the author himself, um, let me I want to look it up because I want to make sure um I get it. But that author himself, um he he also he actually quit college. He's uh he his uh the the expectation you know is usually like um go to college. Which another thing I believe in. Yeah, like some some there's some great trade schools out there, like for electricians, and doesn't you don't have to go the conventional way, right? No.
SPEAKER_02:Um let me see. I actually had a conversation not too long ago with some coworkers, and um, you know, my with my daughters, I've I've told them, I've told them like, hey, you know, you don't have to go to college. I would rather you understand how money works. I would rather you understand how business works. Some of the best innovators of this country um did not go to college. So I was told I was told to go to college. I went to college, I've got two graduate degrees, MBA and MSA in organizational leadership, MBAs in project management. Let's go. Congratulations, yeah. And I'm telling you, like, that's not always the route. Like, trade schools are great too. I know guys that are just killing it, and gals that are killing it, doing uh either beautician stuff, they're doing stuff like nails, they're they're running their own businesses, killing it. Um, electrical businesses out there, because they understand how business works and they understand how money works, and that's more important than just checking the block. Yeah, you got to get away from that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. I found the book. So, yeah, so it is called You Can Just Do Things, and the author's Jay Yang, and it pretty much advocates uh to take initiative and creating your own opportunities, and he tells stories that inspired him to essentially pave his own way to get to where he is. He actually shares his uh his first move was he not cold called, but just sent a letter to this marketing company, and he was, I think, like 17 or like super young, and he landed it. And it was just one of those things where he just did it, right? To see, let's see what happens. What's the worst that could happen? You know? So, yeah, so he goes through that that that book essentially tells uh stories and and and talks about taking initiative and creating opportunities for yourself and just kind of putting that fear to the side when needed.
SPEAKER_02:Stepping into that dark room fearlessly and figuring out where where's the light, right? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So, Leo, uh, as we wrap up the podcast, was there anything that I didn't mention that you'd like to cover?
SPEAKER_00:No, just uh thank you so much for uh having me back, having to podcast, and thank you for everything you do for the community, the military, the jiu-jitsu community, and uh let's go. Without fear of success, it's what I in Spanish is similar lexito, without fear of success. Let's do it, man. Do you have your website up yet? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's uh www.leofuenteslaw.com.
SPEAKER_02:All right. We'll make sure you put that down in the show notes as well as the Instagram account that you have. I know that you're also on TikTok too, so I'll make sure I put those down there as well and tag those. And uh it's always a privilege to have you back on the Morning Formation podcast. Uh today you've shown us that launching a business isn't just about opening doors, it's about building a brand, creating trust, and standing up for people when they need it the most. Um, you know, the Formation Nation, if you've learned anything from this conversation, it's that the fight for justice isn't fair. But without the right advocate in your corner, you can never level the playing field for sure. Leo, I want to thank you for sharing your journey and your vision for this new chapter. We'll be watching and rooting for you and for your success. So thank you for the uh for the time today. I know you're an extremely busy professional.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you so much. You know, and uh before I go, I want to offer, like I always do, anybody that wants to talk about how to get to law school, how to become an attorney, just anything, reach out, send me a message. I I've done it many times, so I'm here.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you. Yeah, yeah. Great mentor right here. So make sure you, if you're going down that that track or that career field, I mean, just even someone to talk to. I mean, Leo would be your guy. Uh, if you're a Marine currently serving right now, or you know a Marine that's currently serving right now, maybe it's a son or a daughter, or anyone in the military in general. Um, talking to folks like Leo is going to help you figure out which path. And it's gonna clear the the overall vision on where you're headed to. So, as always, formation nation, I want you to stay tuned, stay focused, and stay motivated. Warriors, fall out.