Top Lawyers: Relani Belous On The 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law

Talk to thought leaders and do your own research.

The legal field is known to be extremely competitive. Lawyers are often smart, ambitious, and highly educated. That being said, what does it take to stand out and become a “Top Lawyer†in your specific field of law? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Lawâ€, we are talking to top lawyers who share what it takes to excel and stand out in your industry.

As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Relani Belous.

Relani is an Intellectual Property transactional lawyer running her own practice in Los Angeles focusing on media and technology. Her background includes having worked in executive level business affairs roles for various media companies, including MGM and Stan Lee’s POW Entertainment. Now, in her own practice, she advises startups, creatives and entrepreneurs and helps them navigate the ever changing landscape and associated nuances.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?

Sure…My focus is Intellectual Property, branding and transactions effecting the exploitation and creation of content. I work with a variety of small/mid-sized businesses along with individuals advising on their trademark portfolios and applications, general business development and contract negotiations. I work with many clients who have never worked with an attorney before or feel that a smaller firm is going to provide them the service they won’t receive at a larger firm.

You are a successful attorney. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? What unique qualities do you have that others may not? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Integrity, passion and a sense of humor.

I think one of the qualities that I find key is to strive to keep things in perspective, and also not take things personally. Sometimes attorneys tend to catastrophize or “patronizeâ€, and that does not add value to the clients. Essentially, what makes me unique is I can relate to my clients since they are entrepreneurial like myself. But, also, I listen and learn what they do so I can better advise them. Many attorneys talk down to their clients. We all know different things and attorneys are in a service industry. Bottom line, you can’t serve others by talking down to anyone.

A brief example/story is that I have had clients come to me and I talk with them sometimes on how they can handle some tasks themselves and save costs. As well, I also have had situations where we talk things through and vet out the possibilities rather than a “cookie cutter†approach. This really seems to resonate with them.

Do you think you have had luck in your success? Can you explain what you mean?

Luck is relative. The harder I work, the luckier I seem to get. There is an old saying that notes that “luck is essentially when preparation meets opportunityâ€. I consider myself grateful more than lucky and with that, I have more to be grateful for in life.

Do you think where you went to school has any bearing on your success? How important is it for a lawyer to go to a top-tier school?

Unfortunately, some of it. I know when I was in law school and was looking for work initially, the school and how one looked “on paper†seemed to matter for some reason to this day I still don’t understand. In fact, many law firms would not even talk with me because I was not an “ivy leaguerâ€. I am not sure how important the school is these days. Life is more on what you do and how you executed, and the business world is realizing that diversity is a benefit and not a hindrance. In fact, clients are insisting on that and that all persons, regardless of the school have a seat at the table. It’s funny how much of an emphasis this is in law because I am guessing if you asked most people where their doctor went to school, they would have no idea.

Based on the lessons you have learned from your experience, if you could go back in time and speak to your twenty-year-old self, what would you say? Would you do anything differently?

Listen more. It’s true that hindsight is 20/20, but you have to stay focused on where you are going because the more you look in the rear view mirror, the more likely you will miss what’s right in front of you.

This is not easy work. What is your primary motivation and drive behind the work that you do?

Well again ease is relative… I would say it’s challenging. But at the end of the day, when I know I have added value or removed some stress from a person’s mind, it is truly gratifying.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Lots of trademarks and new brands, some metaverse matters and assisting with interesting and novel creative projects.

Where do you go from here? Where do you aim to be in the next chapter of your career?

I aim to keep growing and be better every day.

Without sharing anything confidential, can you please share your most successful “war story� Can you share the funniest?

As far as war stories, not too many. But a common theme is people threatening to walk on deals and then eventually coming back to the table.

Funniest is probably the other side is the other side sending me a contract for a deal with a totally different party and different deal.

Ok, fantastic. Let’s now shift to discussing some advice for aspiring lawyers. Do you work remotely? Onsite? Or Hybrid? What do you think will be the future of how law offices operate? What do you prefer? Can you please explain what you mean?

I work more or less hybrid now. The future is looking more remote. I do prefer a mix… being isolated from everyone all the time is not something that works for me from a creative standpoint. I like to be out there with my colleagues and the clients in person. When you are in front of someone looking them in the eye it is a very different experience than a remote video one.

How has the legal world changed since COVID? How do you think it might change in the near future? Can you explain what you mean?

It has shown that people can really work anywhere, but also it has raised so many legal challenges for clients, it is something we constantly are navigating and addressing. This means, people are always now thinking about what could go wrong first, which may be a good thing, but the laws have not necessarily caught up. For example, something like ChatGPT needs to be managed by companies to understand how that will play a role in context in business. Likely in the future there may be more consolidation as AI gets incorporated into law and also it may move to a more subscription based price structure.

Based on your experience, how can attorneys effectively leverage social media to build their practice?

By becoming a thought leader on a subject. There is always a niche for the unknown and breaking it down to simplicity so that people get a “taste†and then want to know more. We live in over information status and sometimes, people need a break of the background “noise†and need just the facts.

Excellent. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Specific Field of Law?†Please share a story or an example for each.

1. Be Confident, stick to plan A.

2. Know your Industry.

3. Attend Trade Shows & Industry Conferences.

4. Talk to thought leaders and do your own research.

5. Smile, laugh and breathe!

With regard to the above, I try to keep up with the changes in the industries I work in and also check in with colleagues who do the same to talk things through. As well, I blog about IP with a colleague of mine on our branded platform known as The Trademark Channel, and also attend and speak at a variety of conferences… all while keeping my sense of humor of course!

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂

Warren Buffett. I think because he is a legend and just an all-around interesting human!

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!

About the Interviewer: Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative. A formal federal employee himself, Mr. Pines began his federal employment law career as in-house counsel for AFGE Local 1923 which is in Social Security Administration’s headquarters and is the largest federal union local in the world. He presently serves as AFGE 1923’s Chief Counsel as well as in-house counsel for all FEMA bargaining unit employees and numerous Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs unions.

While he and his firm specialize in representing federal employees from all federal agencies and in reference to virtually all federal employee matters, his firm has placed special attention on representing Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses hired under the authority of Title. He and his firm have a particular passion in representing disabled federal employees with their requests for medical and religious reasonable accommodations when those accommodations are warranted under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA). He also represents them with their requests for Federal Employee Disability Retirement (OPM) when an accommodation would not be possible.

Mr. Pines has also served as a mediator for numerous federal agencies including serving a year as the Library of Congress’ in-house EEO Mediator. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court for federal employee matters. He has also worked as an EEO technical writer drafting hundreds of Final Agency Decisions for the federal sector.

Mr. Pines’ firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. His first passion is his wife and five children. He plays classical and rock guitar and enjoys playing ice hockey, running, and biking. Please visit his websites at www.pinesfederal.com and www.toughinjurylawyers.com. He can also be reached at [email protected].