Stephanie O. Joy, Esq.
PH:201-317-0610
65 Madison Avenue, Suite 320
Morristown, NJ 07960
sojlaw@ptd.net
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Education, Professional Experience
The First is the Golden Rule: Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You .
The Second is the fact that: What Comes Around Really Does Go Around -- it just doesn't have to be by our hands.
Around the end of the Year 2000, beginning of the Year 2001, Stephanie decided to, finally, "hang her own shingle". (And unbeknownst to some of the less knowledgible out there, this is not so much a literal undertaking, than one of substance, particularly in light of municipal sign ordinances and lease requirements.) For the two years prior to this time, but after leaving the "firm life" for good, Stephanie worked as an independant consultant on assignments for corporation and law firms -- a method that ensured she would not become entrenched in a committed employee-to-employer law firm again, while paying the bills and strategizing the future.
After six years of the law firm experience, Stephanie knew ONE thing -- this restrictive environment was definitely not for her. Unlike many of her attorney colleagues, however, Stephanie had fortunately not yet become dependant on the employee/employer relationship, nor its steady salary. Being unmarried (at the time) with no dependants, Stephanie had less impediments to taking the risk of stepping out on her own--and she felt she owed it to herself to find happiness and/or contentment with her career, rather than continue to be the underling to other lawyers.
So, without a client in sight, nor a penny in the bank, but with astronomical law school loans which had only increased over the course of the prior years (due to deferments), Stephanie decided to make this committment to herself. She would begin practicing law solo, for herself and her clients-to-be. She began at home, seting up shop in her dining room. She also immediately sought a evening moonlighting position in order to bring in an income while building her business and keeping her days free for legal work. The hours were rather grueling, and not having strong sales experience, she knew she would have to rely on word-of-mouth to grow her Practice.
During this time, Stephanie also began to to adhere to a Practice Philosophy (see below), and in time, word-of -mouth and nice base of referrals enabled her to not only make a living, but to slowly pay down her school loans, by a home, and establish a Law Office in Morristown, New Jersey (although she often works out of her home office, as much as possible).
PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY:
1. If She Wants to Take a Case, She Takes It, Regardless of Its Monetary Value: This was a dilemma for her when at the firm. At many firms, if a case is lucrative enough, it is accepted regardless of its moral constitution. Conversely, if a case is not lucrative, is it rejected, notwithstanding the strong principles and sense of justice inherent in the matter. Now, if a case strikes her the right way (or the wrong way, depending on how you look at it), Stephanie can decide to take it on, notwithstanding the fact that it means she will be moonlighting a bit longer than originally anticipated. Likewise, if a case is clearly lucrative, but either the client or the morals of the case leave a bitter taste in her mouth, she politely declines.
2. Related to #1 above: Justice should not be for the financially sound only-- it should be for all. Because she has the skills to help justice be achieved, she should utilize them not only for those who can pay, but for those who can not. CAVEAT: There are actually very few people who can not pay at all -- most people are simply in need of assistance, via payment plans or discounts, or both. If good faith and hard work are shown, generally something can be worked out. However, there are those individuals that simply DON'T WANT TO PAY OR TO WORK HARD. Over the past two years, Stephanie has learned how to eliminate these types of clients and simply won't accept their cases. Although she will work day and night for her clients as necessary, she expects the same hard work from her cients.
3. Stephanie has her law office centrally located in Morristown, New Jersey. However, to the extent possible, she prefers to work from her home office, where modern technology enables her to work beond the 9 -- 5 word day, where necessary. She finds that this greatly helps clients who find themselve in need of a consult in the evening or during a weekend and it allows her to provide a greater legal service to her clients at a far greater cost that she could provide while subjected to the constrictions prevailing in the larger law firm sector..
4. House calls -- Stephanie often meets clients at their home or office when necessary or at the client's convenience. Depending on the attorney/client relationship, a meeting over breakfast or coffee is also not out of the question.