Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher D. Lerch, P.A.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My father was an important figure in my life. He loved people well. He believed in them, fought for them, and utilized his vocation as an attorney to serve and advocate for them. He passed away when I was in college. It was then that I really began searching for purpose and direction (in all spheres of life). In that search, I became comforted by the concept of redemptive suffering. Redemptive suffering is taking our losses and our heartaches and using them to help others going through similar hurts. In that spirit, I started a little fundraiser called Taking Back November – an annual event organized for the purpose of redeeming life’s hurts and losses by using them to help others with similarly situated needs. It’s mission is to help all of us find meaning, hope, and purpose in our losses.
For me, the month of November marks the month I lost my father. However, taking back November has transformed that loss into something beautiful for myself as well as some of those in our community. In addition to starting Taking Back November, I ended up following in my father’s footsteps and became a lawyer. During my time as a young lawyer, it became clear to me how critical legal representation can be for the success, growth, and prosperity of the community. Yet, a variety of things act as a barrier for many in accessing an attorney. After years of struggling with the feeling that I was getting further and further away from the model my father had given me with respect to the practice of law, I made the decision to start my own firm. So, my Firm was founded in an effort to help reform and revitalize the nature of legal services in our Orlando community. We’ve abandoned much of the traditional law firm model and embraced simplicity and technology in order to make our services more accessible.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Different seasons have been marked by different challenges. There have certainly been some rocky times but it was during those times that I have certainly grown the most. Though I wouldn’t want to go back and “re-live” certain moments, I would definitely not want to lose the growth/lessons learned through those hard times.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your practice?
It has been my experience that extravagant, unexpected, and unpredictable legal fees have created a barrier for many in accessing an attorney. To make matters worse, large law firm overhead coupled with billable hour requirements have impacted the attorney’s stewardship of their client’s legal needs. Unfortunately, it seems attorneys are can be more influenced by their billable hour quota rather than seeking the most cost-effective solution for their clients. As I mentioned earlier, our Firm was founded in an effort to help reform that.
Our focus is helping our clients achieve their goals, not treating them like a billable number. So, In an effort to better serve our clients, we offer alternatives to hourly fees that we tailor to the specific needs of the client. Also, we believe in the importance of serving our clients as “counselors” at law. There are always issues underneath a legal issue. In order to comprehensively handle them, we consider all of the surrounding circumstances—including the economics of the situation. Our mission is to help our clients flourish. Our belief and our hope is that as our clients flourish, so will our communities and, through them, our city.
What makes you happy?
I really enjoy helping people find their calling – whether it be vocationally, spiritually, relationally, etc. In that journey, I love helping people know their value and that there is a purpose for their lives and how they are wired. I’ve been greatly benefited by those that have stepped into my life to help me along the way, so I enjoy doing the same for others when I can.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@lerchlegal.com
- Website: https://www.lerchlegal.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lerchlegal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lerchlegal
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lerchlegal
Image Credits
https://www.photographybyavery.com/
