Clarity From Calamity: How I Discovered My True Calling as a Lawyer

My name is Omid Rejali. I am the founder of Rejali Law Firm as well as the creator of the Rejali Foundation, a nonprofit for mental illness awareness, and LawPer, a lawyer-client matching service designed to make legal services more affordable.

I was born in Houston and left to live in Tehran, Iran, for 10 years of my life. I am Muslim, although I do not practice, and am married to my best friend, who is Jewish. We have two kids, Eli and Zoe, and I am proud of the life my wife and I have built together.

But the road to where I am now has not been easy or simple. To start, I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 Disorder while I was living in San Diego by myself back in 2007. I made it through law school but then failed the bar exam four times. Once I finally became licensed, my law practice almost couldn’t get off the ground financially because I believed in my clients and refused to accept lowball offers from insurance companies.

So, why am I sharing this information with you? Because through it all, I never lost hope in what I was capable of doing.

Starting your practice starts with you. It starts with knowing what your purpose in life is. I know it’s not that easy to find your purpose. One way of doing it is reflecting on the things you enjoyed growing up versus what made you upset. For me, what has always angered me the most is people who are untruthful or bully-like. From a very low moment in my life, I realized my calling and purpose, which was to be a trial lawyer for the people and fight the “Goliaths” in the courtroom. That purpose drove me to where I am today.

My journey to where I am today was not an easy one. But I never lose sight of the fact that life is about struggle. Our struggles are what shape us and make us stronger. And so, when it comes to our clients, we need to find out what their struggles are and empathize with them. It is only through the power of empathy that we can fully represent our clients.

How do we become empathetic? Through vulnerability. Through recognizing that we are all human with dreams and goals and fears. I had fears with my practice too. The key is to recognize them but still look at the bigger picture and your purpose in it. If you are in the law only for the money, you may be successful, but you will never be fulfilled.

All lawyers are duty-bound to act in the best interest of their clients. This includes charging reasonably affordable rates. For a long time, I have been infuriated seeing many plaintiff’s injury firms take advantage of their clients by taking a big chunk of their money without having to do too much work. And so, in 2020 in the bowels of COVID-19 and my depression, I found another calling — to be able to put more money into injured people’s pockets.

I created LawPer, an online client referral service founded upon plaintiff’s lawyers who share the desire to zealously serve their clients without breaking bank. LawPer facilitates connections between lawyers and clients based on the preferences and needs of both parties. Once a match is made, the lawyer receives a lower-than-standard contingency fee: 25% if the case settled pre-litigation instead of the current market rate of 33%, 33% if the case goes to litigation instead of the current 40%, and 40% only if the case goes to trial.

Success, just like life, is an evolution. I found my calling through my mental health battles and use it as my fuel, fire, and drive to help as many people as I can. Whether you feel like you are already in your dream, fulfilling job or are still searching for your true calling, keep asking yourself what your true purpose in life is — be honest and truly vulnerable with yourself, and you will find it.