Why Did I Start Jacobs Counsel?

I never had the vision of starting my own law firm ever.

Since I was a kid, I’ve been obsessed with improving things, thinking differently, and putting my own spin on things.

When I was at Seton Hall Law School, I saw how the professors pushed everyone toward the traditional legal path — judicial clerkship, big law corner office, etc. — which, to me, seemed like my previous corporate life in disguise. I had no interest in playing another game on the rise to the top of a ladder (to nowhere).

As I graduated Seton Hall Law and began to practice, I grew uncomfortable with the way legal service was being delivered.

See, I started practicing in the tech age. I saw the hourly billing, the lack of transparency, and the complexity associated with solo/small law firm practice — which doesn’t really coincide with the transparency associated with new tech and the variety of options on the market.

I can’t speak for big law firms, but I noticed how the legal profession and delivering fundamental legal service seemed to evoke largely negative emotions in people.

Most people don’t realize it until they need a lawyer, but the solo/small law firm legal system is a closely guarded black box. And in that black box, a lot of trust gets lost.

That’s the problem I wanted to take on when I started Jacobs Counsel.

The Why: Leaving the Default Path

I grew up doing everything “the right way.” I always got good grades, had leadership roles, was the captain of my teams, and won a basketball state championship before attending the Honors Program at Boston College and walking on to the basketball team.

My first job after undergrad was at a big company. Six months in, I already saw the 20-year track ahead: predictable promotions, office politics, slow-motion growth. It scared me. Not because I couldn’t do it, but because I knew if I stayed, I’d suffocate the parts of me that wanted to build something of my own.

On paper, it all looked like great progress — I was “winning the game!” But inside, I felt boxed in.

So I quit… one year to the day of my start.

Going to law school and working on professional service became my vehicle to rebuild, but even in law school I realized the same “default path” mentality dominated the profession.

Students lined up to chase firm jobs where billing 2,200 hours a year is considered normal. The few who didn’t want that path were left to figure things out on their own.

I didn’t want to be another cog in a system that already frustrated clients and burned out lawyers. I wanted to create a different kind of legal practice — one that helped ambitious people move faster, not slower, and utilized the crazy advancements in tech to achieve those goals.

The Problem: The Way Law Has Always Been Done

Ask an athlete, a creator, or a startup founder… or pretty much anyone in the market for solo/small law firm or fractional legal services… about working with lawyers, and you’ll hear the same complaints:

• It’s too expensive. Costs are unpredictable, and hourly billing makes every question feel like a liability.

• It’s too slow. In fast-moving industries, waiting three weeks for a contract draft is like waiting three years.

• It’s confusing. Legal language can make even smart, capable people feel out of their depth.

• It’s reactive. Lawyers are called only when something goes wrong, which often means it’s already too late.

Traditional big law firms don’t adapt because they don’t have to. Their clients (especially big corporate clients) are locked into relationships that tolerate inefficiency.

But for athletes negotiating their first endorsement, or a creator turning their brand into a real business, or a founder raising their first round of capital, the stakes are different. One mistake can cost them equity, ownership, or years of hard work. For families looking for protection of their legacy through estate planning — firms were charging an arm and a leg for solid protection.

That’s who I wanted to help.

The Who:High-Performing Clients Who Deserve Better

Jacobs Counsel exists for people who live outside the safe, predictable path:

• Athletes, who are often surrounded by noise and short-term offers, but need structure to turn a career into lasting wealth.

• Creators, who know their work has value but don’t know how to protect it or scale it into something bigger.

• Entrepreneurs and startups, who are moving faster than the market and need a lawyer who understands speed is an advantage, not a liability.

• High-performing families, who don’t want to just accumulate wealth but protect it — to pass something forward, not leave a mess behind.

These clients are ambitious & are not looking for hand-holding… they’re looking for legal to be their point of leverage. My job is to give them the legal structure that lets them focus on building.

The Vision: An AI-Native Law Firm

To solve the problems above, Jacobs Counsel has to look different from the ground up.

This means:

1) Pivoting away from the dying billable hour model in favor of transparent, flat-fee pricing.

2) Building systems that turn routine legal processes into something clear and predictable.

3) Being proactive, not reactive — designing playbooks that prevent problems instead of just fixing them, and

4) Most importantly, embracing technology.

While most law firms are still figuring out email templates, we’re building AI-native systems that make intake, drafting, and client communication faster and sharper. When someone comes to Jacobs Counsel, they get a legal system designed to operate with the same efficiency and adaptability as the clients we serve.

I had to teach myself how to “vibe code” — building the website, backend automations, and AI integrations by hand — because if I was going to build an AI-native law firm, I needed to understand it at the core.

And here’s the crazy truth I keep shouting from the rooftops: if lawyers don’t evolve, they’ll be replaced by the very tools they’re ignoring.

Jacobs Counsel is my bet that the future of law will belong to the firms that adapt fastest.

What We’re Trying to Achieve

Our mission is simple: turn law from a black box into a competitive edge for our unique clients

1) for a startup, that might mean creating the right structure early so they don’t lose ownership later.

2) for an athlete or creator, it’s making sure the first deal they sign doesn’t trap them.

3) for a family, it’s knowing their wealth is preserved and protected.

I want every client to walk away knowing that their legal team is their trusted teammate for the future.

Why It Matters to Me

I know what it feels like to be “the golden boy” who did everything right and still felt trapped. I know the cost of following the safe path. That’s why I’m drawn to clients who are defying convention — the ones building businesses, careers, and legacies in real time.

Jacobs Counsel is my way of making sure those people don’t waste their potential because of preventable legal mistakes. It’s about giving them clarity where others give confusion, speed where others drag, and leverage where others just bill hours.

I get to use my legal training with my desire to build cool, future-forward businesses.

When I left the corporate track, I made myself a promise: if I ever built something, it wouldn’t just be about me. It would be about creating systems that help other ambitious people win.

And Jacobs Counsel is my attempt at just that.

Let’s build the future of legal service together.