Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Hill.
Hi Jacob, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am the owner of Utah’s Premier Workers Compensation Law firm. I have been managing the legal & business operations for 15 years and have owned the law firm for 5. I am married with 6 children. My two oldest are twins who are currently serving LDS missions in Peru & Cote d’Ivoire.
I grew up with a father who was Active Duty US Army. My dad’s assignments took us all over the United States and to Germany two separate times. I graduated from an american high school in Germany.
After high school and a short stint in college, I found myself living in Germany a third time as a missionary for my church. This was a wonderful experience because I got to see a different side of Germany.
I returned to the states and kept working on my Bachelors degree, met a Utah native and we were married. Within 6 months of getting married, I took a job with a Utah based company who shipped me and my new bride to Germany to set up and manange their European Distribution Center operation, in Mainz, Germany. My wife and I had an amazing 3 year honeymoon in Germany, and the cherry on top was that my parents were there for the 3rd time, so we had family close.
With my 3 year experience in Germany, I found a liking for international logistics, warehouse management and distribution. This lead me to get a business degree at BYU with an emphasis on business operations and supply chain management. Upon completion of that degree I took a supply chain job with Honeywell in Phoenix, Az. After nearly 2 years with Honeywell, my father in law, an attorney, pursuaded me to come work for him running his legal operations.
I’d always had a desire to be an entrepreneur and saw this opportunity to work for my father in law and start a business on the side. After managing operations in the law firm for 3 years I applied to law school but those plans were eventually abandoned. I continued to manage and grow the law firm until 2020 when Utah became the first state in the nation to allow law firm ownership to non-attorneys. The Utah Legal Sandbox allowed my father in law to sell me the firm.
When I began my career with Just Work Comp Law – Davis & Sanchez we were 6 employees with one office. We are now 18 employees, including 6 attorneys, and have offices in multiple cities in Utah.
At Just Work Comp Law, we focus 100% on helping injured workers who have been hurt at work and mistreated by the workers compensation carrier. With this focus we are able to help people understand their rights, know when is the best time to hire an attorney and get our clients results they wouldn’t be able to get with less specialized firms. We love what we do, we’re good at it and we guinely want to do what is best for our clients.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, not at all. When we were much smaller, cashflow was a major pain point. We had some months where the previous owner and I had to go without paychecks. One of the first discussions I had to have with my father in law was that the law firm could not afford my salary of $50K per year.
Being a smaller operation has also necessitated that management has had to wear many hats and have deeper knowledge in a broad spectrum of business functions. This is no different than most small businesses. The biggest way we’ve been able to overcome this challenge is to hire good employees willing to take on multiple functions and thrive in those functions.
Our most recent challenge comes with scaling our business. With our number of employees tripling and the addition of satelite offices we have had to delegate functions that once were in 1-2 people to a team of 6 administration staff. We’re still working through this, but again having great people makes all the difference in the world.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Davis & Sanchez?
At Just Work Comp Law, we focus 100% on helping injured workers who have been hurt at work and mistreated by the workers compensation carrier. With this focus we are able to help people understand their rights, know when is the best time to hire an attorney and get our clients results they wouldn’t be able to get with less specialized firms. We love what we do, we’re good at it and we guinely want to do what is best for our clients.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
After Utah created its Legal Sandbox, other states have followed suit. Arizona has created a whole new governing body around “Alternative Business Structure Law Firms” and other states have made legal sandbox committments with many more considering the same.
There appears to be a “access to justice” issue around the country and many states are rising to the occasion in helping close the gap. In 5-10 years I can see many more states embracing alternative business structures for law firms. The legal industry is ripe for improvements that could be brought about by technological and ownership innovation.
Pricing:
- Contingency Fee – you only pay us out of what we win for you
- Fees range from 15%-33.3%
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.davis-sanchez.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@justworkcomputah
