On October 17, 2011, the Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis marked its 30th Anniversary. In looking back at our journey, it is humbling to see just how far we have come.
It all started in 1979 when I arrived in California. How I got here is an interesting story. As fate often works, I was living in New Jersey and I had no idea I was bound for California until an unexpected event occurred in late 1979. My sister, who had a round trip air ticket to visit our aunt and uncle in Playa Del Rey, suddenly became engaged, moved to London, England and left the airline ticket to me! So, for the first time ever, I visited California during Christmas 1979.
Just before I came out, I had earned a Masters Degree in Tax Law from the University of Miami, in sunny Florida. My year there was the first time I had experienced a winter outside of the Northeast and I found I didn’t miss winters in New Jersey at all! When I graduated, I returned to my hometown of Vineland, New Jersey, a small farm town in the southern part of New Jersey (yes, New Jersey does have farmland, which is why its nickname is “The Garden State”!). Unfortunately, I had graduated into a recession and the job offers I was getting were for less money than I had made working in a glass factory before I even went to law school! I knew there was something better available, but I just wasn’t sure what that was.
So, when I arrived at my aunt and uncle’s place in December of 1979, they encouraged me to throw my hat in the ring at a few tax law firms and I thought, “What have I got to lose?” After all, I loved the warm California winter! I didn’t even plan to look for work when I came out here, so I had to put together a resume, which I then hand-delivered to a few law firms.
Believe it or not, in just a few days, I received several job offers, the lowest of which was several times what I was making in New Jersey! California truly is the land of opportunity!
Well, as soon as I arrived back home in New Jersey, I began packing my car with just about everything I owned, while my parents watched and wondered what in the world I was doing.
Then, after five days of driving thousands of miles across the country by myself, staying overnight in cheap hotels in small towns like Charleston, West Virginia and Little Rock, Arkansas, I made my way here in January 1980. I had left my immediate family and all of my friends and knew only 2 people when I arrived here, my aunt and uncle.
After working for a while at a large law firm, a couple of my clients urged me to set up a law firm of my own. So, in October 1981, I took another leap of faith and started my own law firm with myself, one secretary and two clients – both of whom are with me to this very day! The rest of the story is now history. We merged in the practices of Roger Minor and Robert Otis, have now grown to 5 total attorneys and 10 staff members, and have serviced well over 10,000 clients, in the South Bay and greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas.
Oh, by the way, it’s fascinating how the “circle of life” sometimes works out. A few years ago my sister’s daughter came to visit me (her uncle), decided to investigate job opportunities while she was here, and since has moved to California too!
