Attorney
@smblawgroup
| SMB & M&A Law | Helping Businesses Thrive | Advocate for Mental Health in Law | Legal Tech Enthusiast | Vegas Native in Ohio | 🏳️🌈
Lots of new followers the past couple of weeks, so I think it’s time for an introduction!
My name is Nathan Hill and I am an Associate Attorney at
@smblawgroup
assisting SMBs throughout the M&A process. Can someone say “dream job”?
I currently live in Cleveland, OH after
I’m surrounded by attorneys who say that you can’t learn remotely. And so, I go into the office every day. Only to have assignments given to me through phone calls and emails exclusively and almost never through in person contact.
The biggest difference between law school and practice is that in law school you have the facts, but need to know the law. In practice, you almost always know the law and you almost never have all the facts, the right facts, or any facts.
There is almost no education surrounding M&A and transactional work in law schools (it would be a dream of mine to build and teach an M&A practicum in schools), so a lot of times new attorneys have asked me how I learn about M&A in the beginning.
Here is what I usually
Now that a new class of 1L’s are about to start….Here’s my list of What I wish I had known before my first year and as a
#1L
now that I just finished up my
#3L
year. Some of these may be unpopular. (🧵)
(1/12)
I cannot believe how much this resonated with people. I think it’s clear.
The employers who value flexibility and a hybrid schedule will succeed as we continue to explore this new modern working environment.
I’m surrounded by attorneys who say that you can’t learn remotely. And so, I go into the office every day. Only to have assignments given to me through phone calls and emails exclusively and almost never through in person contact.
8. Legal Writing is the most important class in law school. Sorry to all the other classes, but it’s true. You can always look up tort law. But your ability to be a good legal writer is your path to jobs/doing well on exams. It is the foundation for success in law school
8/12
1. The people you meet and the relationships you make with your classmates and faculty and staff are just as important than your grades. Having relationships will not only help you professionally, but will make your time in law school a little more bearable.
2/12
I’m glad that
@barbri
makes millions and millions of dollars off the backs of law students and can’t even ensure their program doesn’t crash on what is supposed to be the first day of bar prep
2. Speaking of grades, your grades will get you the interview, but your personality and ability to be relatable will more likely than not get you the job
3. When it comes to jobs, just apply for everything. Don’t gatekeep yourself. Take up every opportunity that comes. 3/
7. Don’t be ashamed if you enjoy law school or at least part of it. Every corner you turn students say how horrible this is or attorneys say don’t do it. Be confident enough to say you enjoy this process or at the very least do not let all the doubt damper your mood
7/12
Question for
#lawtwitter
What should young (read: brand new) associates do when the work load gets really light? Any tasks we should do or things that will help us stand out as we wait for more work (I’ve also been reaching out to anyone and everyone for more work)
@strowhiro
1) Put your answer or conclusion first! A lot of times, Partners will see that and run with it and go back later to check the supporting research. Don’t make them dig for it!
2) shorter is usually better. Coming out of law school the focus is generally on long memos and briefs.
9. Worry about you and no one else. Find a study group or don’t. Study with flash cards or make outlines or do hypos or do all of the above. You will hear all your classmates explain how they are trying to be successful. That won’t work for you. Find your own path.
9/12
Now I'm just a law student, so IDK but I have been watching the
#ChauvinTrial
for the past 4 days and the amount of time that the prosecution has to spend on humanizing George Floyd, the victim, who is NOT on trial here, highlights the strong injustices that exist in the system..
If Michael Symon is struggling to keep his restaurants open, how do you feel the small, locally, family owned businesses feel? Please I understand money is tight but when you eat out,
#EatLocal
the restaurant industry might not survive
@Kaepernick7
#ColininBlackandWhite
is an incredibly important and amazingly done tv show that everyone should watch…my jaw was on the floor within the first 5 minutes. Extremely educational. Anything that has
@Kaepernick7
or
@ava
name on it…sign me the hell up
I’ve learned more in a month and a half
@smblawgroup
than I did in almost 2 years at my last firm.
Why? Because the partners actually are taking time to teach.
One of the best parts of my job is the zoom calls and phone calls where they explain why my language wasn’t strong
I can’t believe I get to say this, but today I’m starting my next adventure. I am joining
@smblawgroup
as their first associate hire.
I have been obsessed with their vision for the SMB and legal communities and can’t wait to get started. I’m thankful to
@KHendersonCo
The week of July 4, 2022, only a couple weeks before the bar exam, I had a panic attack in the middle of the night that kept me awake for almost a full 48 hours. It was only the second panic attack I’ve ever had (the first the result of law school as well). Julia was out of town
10. Nothing is fatal! You may think you failed an exam, but if you were prepared, you did not fail. You may not have been able to read last night and bombed a cold call…no one will remember it.
10/12
5. Take time away from law, law school, and anything legal-ish for an hour, a day, something. Take some breaks and spend time with friends and family that have nothing to do with law school.
5/12
A beautiful iced coffee courtesy of
@RilezTweetsEsq
tweet and
@SchmittRobSaid
generosity!!! Thank you
#LawTwitter
for getting us students through bar prep!!! And thanks again Rob for the coffee!
I have been working for one month now and I really only have one question….why in the hell did I have to go through three years of law school?? The learning curve is STEEEEPPPPP
6. Ask current students at prospective schools how the faculty and staff treat students/how available they are. This is so important. Lawyers are leaders and you will likely have more interaction with faculty and staff more so now than ever before.
6/12
Started my Monday morning by seeing the
@chrisronayne
ad on TV!!! Really excited to hopefully have him as the next County Executive!!! And what a great start to the week.
@BenWestCatLaw
If I’m feeling even the slightest bit under the weather, I work from home, but I still work the whole day! Which is definitely a benefit
At my last job, I’d work 2-3 deals at a time, close em, and wait a couple weeks or maybe months for the next one. I would get so bored and anxious in those breaks. Not sure if the work would come.
Now, at a new job, it’s just absolutely rolling in transactions and it’s a blast.
10 (cont). Every obstacle, hurdle, and seemingly devastating moment in your mind isn’t as bad as you seem and once you realize that nothing is fatal, you can start to enjoy the journey that is law school a little more.
11/12
I don’t come out and say this a lot but my biggest regret career wise was not going to BigLaw post-law school.
I had the grades, I had the options, I wanted to become a great M&A Attorney, but I psyched myself out with all the rhetoric surrounding BigLaw.
I ended up at a
I've been getting a lot of e-mails from law students recently. I don't know if it's the time of year or what, but there is a noticeable uptick in the number of 1Ls asking for advice on OCI. I love talking to law students and friends/former colleagues tend to send them my way.
A
I want to be a partner in a law firm. I always have been. And I’d prefer to do so at my current firm. But I also have this insane entrepreneurial spirit I want to explore. It will be interesting to see how these desires develop side by side.
What M&A Attorneys Look for in Due Diligence Reviews
One of the first things we do after engaging a new client is dive into the due diligence of the selling company. When we dive into due diligence, we are essentially playing detective, uncovering the hidden truths behind a
I had a pretty crazy event happen to me professionally in February, but the law people on Twitter/X checked in on me, gave me referrals, kept an eye out, and spent time on zoom calls with me and I will forever be thankful. Now I’m on the bigger and better things and for that I
Bar exam is tomorrow across the country. Don’t overdo it today! Go to a nice meal. Relax outside. Do something for yourself. Cramming today isn’t going to help you. Make sure you’re relaxed, rested, and ready to just absolutely go in and crush it tomorrow.
Y’all got this!
@Ruth_Mensch
You’re tired and starting to get burnt out. But so is everyone else. Just stick with your plan! Keep doing small things that bring you joy every day. And most importantly, take care of yourself!!
This is the point where everyone feels they’re going to fail, it’s natural.
This is unreal!!!!! Excited to graduate from
@CMLAWSchool
Summa Cum Laude and in the Top 5% of my class. While it broke me numerous times, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anyth…most things!! On to the bar exam…
#lawtwitter
#lawschool
#lawstudent
#barexam
More and more we see potential clients looking for attorneys they can relate to rather than just picking a firm with a big name.
I have long admired attorneys who have been able to build such a strong personal brand. Attorneys like
@SAOliver_Atty
,
@mindfullyemily
,
@SMB_Attorney
,
It’s me, Hi! I’m the problem it’s me!!! (Jk)
At my last job, with a decent size corporate department (about 40 attorneys), I was never able to unplug. No one would cover and it was just an expectation to always be on.
Now at a firm with like 7 attorneys, I was able to take 7
One of our key team members is out on his honeymoon and we’ve been working hard to cover the gap.
It’s been a challenging week.
But he’s an important part of our team, and we value him for the long term.
Our mission is to be the best law firm for small and mid-sized
I have closed a ton of deals before but this one was special because it was my first official closing with
@SMB_Attorney
and
@smblawgroup
! And, it couldn't have happened for a better client. Congrats
@SantiagoIzzy
on your closing. Can't wait to see what you are able to do in your
I'm thrilled to share that I've successfully finalized my first business acquisition. This achievement wouldn't have been possible without the support of my exceptional deal team and many others on this platform. Thank you all for your guidance and encouragement throughout.
I will be taking a brief break from social media as we have more deals than ever and I’m under two weeks to my wedding!! See you all on the other side!
One of my biggest regrets that I think about often is not going into BigLaw after law school. It's all good now because I believe I ended up where I should have with
@smblawgroup
.
Before the BigLaw dissenters come marching in, I had the option both during law school and after
@iplitigate
I go into the office for the reason mentioned in the tweet and the camaraderie. I totally understand what you’re saying but I also work with many attorneys who aren’t in my office so going in wouldn’t change much.
Julia and I are officially homeowners!!! We closed on our new house in West Park today! Excited to be a Cleveland resident in a great neighborhood.
Also gotta give huge thanks and a shout out to
@osuadamr
for talking with me and connecting me with his west park friends!
I got asked today by
@SMB_Attorney
how long I plan to be at
@smblawgroup
My answer was simple: for the foreseeable future
I didn’t birth the SMBLG baby (all credit to Eric,
@KHendersonCo
, and
@Sam_Rosati
on that), but I feel like I adopted the baby and I’m all in to help see
Won some awards for Outstanding
@ClevStLRev
Associate of the Year for last year and Outstanding Student in the Law of Evidence!! Six weeks till graduation!!! Here we go!!
I was never a hater of the
#BillableHour
but I did see its faults. However, now that I’m working on transactions that are flat fee, it’s crazy how much more productive I feel.
I can get an assignment done in the time it takes me and I don’t have to worry about slowing down so I
I don’t know why and I don’t know if other associates feel the same way when/if partners do this, but there is no better feeling than when
@SMB_Attorney
gives me the “get this closed” message and takes a small step back and lets me do my thing to close the deal.
He’s always
Junior attorneys in firms often wonder what the beginning of their career will look like. While you're there to learn the ropes, the
#1
job of a junior attorney is to make the lives of the people above you easier. Yes, it's not entirely what you thought of when you went to law
If you are a young lawyer,
@mindfullyemily
is a MUST FOLLOW (here and on LinkedIn). Her advice and posts are incredible and I hope to only provide a quarter of the value she does some day. She makes being a lawyer real and practical and not seem so bad all the time.
I will not stop being open and honest about two things: (1) the realities of
#biglaw
and (2)
#lawyerwellbeing
--two things I have deeply struggled with, leading to a passion to pull back the curtain on life in this gig and to destigmatize getting help when things get hard. 🧵1/9
Since a whole new class of 1Ls are about to start this week, I’m bringing back what I wish I had known before my first year and as a
#1L
when I was finishing up my
#3L
year. Some of these may be unpopular.
🧵🧵🧵
When I left my last job their “parting words” (lol) were to “Stay off social media, nothing good has ever come from it.”
That’s when I decided to take this online thing more seriously and try to build a personal brand.
And, then I joined what is probably the first social media
Last year at this time, doing middle market M&A, I was sitting on my hands begging other practice groups for work.
This year, doing SMB/Main Street M&A, it’s absolute chaos, with deal after deal ramping up.
No summer slow down in SMB M&A!!!!
Seeing
@bradford_hardin
tweet out the cover of one of my favorite books by a leadership inspiration of mine has convinced me to finally send out that thread that’s been sitting in my drafts for months:
As someone who grew up in the hospitality capital of the world (Las Vegas)
Graduated law school. Passed the OH bar exam. Got engaged. Saw many different places. 2022 was extremely difficult but extremely rewarding.
Let’s have a great 2023 and continue to make amazing connections. Happy New Year!
LOIs in business acquisitions: the age-old debate of general vs. super specific.
This is a conversation
@SMB_Attorney
and I seem to be having daily.
General LOIs allow flexibility in deal negotiations, keeping the conversation open-ended. They can lead to faster initial
The reason I’m a transactional attorney and not a litigator is the “team” environment! Thankful to this team for crushing it as we head to the end here.
Doing deals is a team sport!
It’s not Buyer vs. Seller.
It’s not a war.
It’s a game. The goal is to get the deal to the finish line.
Everyone is on the same team if the goal is to close the deal.
Your deal TEAM makes all the difference.
Thank you to
@saoliver_atty
Apparently
@SMB_Attorney
has a subscription base now. Can’t wait to subscribe.
Will update you all on what
@KHendersonCo
reaction is when I submit it for reimbursement 😂
When I was starting to look for a new job,
@SAOliver_Atty
was one of the first to reach out and see what he could do to help. And, at that time, we hadn’t connected more than through a few tweets.
Now, we’ve done a deal together (hoping for another one soon), and I know that if
I've been fortunate to have outstanding mentors in the profession.
While I still have a lot to learn, I try to pay it forward by serving as a mentor to law students and younger lawyers.
If you message me, I will respond.
If you need an introduction, my network is open to you.
So thankful to have a girlfriend who bought us tickets to Cabo for a post bar exam trip…without her I wouldn’t have made it through law school and certainly wouldn’t have gotten through the bar — with Twitterless Julia
My favorite people to bet on are those who’ve overcome failure, major setbacks, tough starts, those who’ve made mistake, been counted out, faced embarrassment, had to share tough news w/ their family.
Those experiences light fires.
And the fire typically doesn’t go out.
I’ve said this to a lot of people since making the move to
@smblawgroup
. I’m working just as hard, if not harder but it’s so much more fun and more gratifying than my time at a traditional firm.
(It may also have something to do with the people and the lack of billable hours)
Two months into building my office of
@Latitude_Legal
and I'm working as hard as I did in Biglaw. But I'm having way more fun. As my wife remarked, the hours sometimes seem just as long, yet I'm in significantly better spirits. Not because Biglaw is bad, but because I found, I
Bar exam is about a week away.
You either are or will start to experience 6-12 hour intervals of thinking you just want to take it and get it over with vs feeling like you didn’t have enough time to study. Just trust that you have done the work and can succeed.
Buying a business with SBA financing?
One thing to know upfront: your timeline might not go as planned. SBA deals come with their own pace—think lots of paperwork, waiting for approvals, and the occasional surprise hurdle. If you're expecting things to move quickly, you might
Want to say good luck to an incredible human
@shammasmalik
in his race to be the next
@AkronOhioMayor
I’m sad I’m not able to cast a vote for you, but sending as much good energy as possible your way (and telling all my Akron friends to go vote for you)!!!
One of my great joys in life is having phone calls with law students to calm their nerves and talk them through study tips for such a stupid exam (the Bar Exam). I've had 3 of those calls this week and they always seem to bring me a sense of joy even though I remember being a
The bar exam is rough. Two (or three!) days of high pressure testing, with your license to practice law hanging in the balance. 😰
Ten Julys ago, I remember sitting for the Florida Bar, stress and anxiety washing over me. It wasn't fun and it wasn't easy.
So, with the summer
I went to a state school that most people have never heard of on a Speech and Debate Scholarship (
@uakron
) all the way from Las Vegas. It was the right choice cause I could compete nationally and had essentially no student debt. The latter was important cause I knew I wanted to
UF undergrad, Vandy Law here. And I could’ve be happier I did it that way. Folks should do what works for them. But for me, picking the lower debt state school option for undergrad gave me more financial flexibility in choosing my law school.
This job can be chaotic sometimes, but one of my favorite times is when I get to spend an hour with
@SMBootcamp_
and answer their legal/deal questions.
Grateful to
@Sam_Rosati
and
@ChandlerReedSMB
for continuing to have me back (and that I haven’t screwed up too much each time
@FloridaManEsq_
Got a sassy email from an opposing counsel this week that started with “in my 40 years of practicing corporate law” to which I just stopped reading. But it gave me a good laugh 💀
Our firm’s production year ended yesterday and I was just able to get to my billable goal. I have to thanks
@mindfullyemily
because the process she lays out for tracking hours really helped me ensure that I stayed on track and didn’t panic when I had low months. Onto year 2!
I wrote about a 1,000 word article on law firms implementing AI but now I don’t know what to do with it. Do I try it get it published online? Should I post it on like a blog? I’ve never done this before…HELP lol