Today we’d like to introduce you to Lillian Loeffler.
Lillian, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My beginning was influenced greatly by my mother. She worked all the time and was rarely home to support the family. She would always talk about her desire to go back to school and work in the legal field. She loved to watch Law and Order. Her not being able to achieve that dream left a deep impression on my education and career path.
During high school and college, I became aware of the significant difficulties and hardships faced by certain segments of the community in getting legal help and/or representation. My own family and friends would describe circumstances where they felt hopeless because consulting or retaining an attorney was too expensive. It opened my eyes to the realities faced by the underserved communities and disadvantaged youth in accessing the legal system. I felt a strong need to help these communities access the legal justice system.
During law school and in my career, I joined several groups and programs aimed at helping individuals who may not have had the access and/or resources to get legal representation. One program I found to be a true inspiration was The Street Law program. It was a way to educate young people in an underserved community about the legal system, laws, and litigation. Currently, I am the legal chair of the San Diego Domestic Violence City Council. I am a Board Member for the non-profit organization, Reading Legacies. One of the many invaluable programs Reading Legacies has is their Family Connections Program which allows incarcerated parents read to their children and maintain that connection. I am a member of the Lawyers Club Community Outreach Committee. All of these organizations and many others help families and children that would otherwise have no resources. I will always work to be a champion for disadvantaged youth and the underserved communities.
After many years of working for reputable San Diego firms, I decided I needed to pursue my dream. Working for myself was always a dream of mine, and that drove me to start Loeffler Law. For the first few years, my firm focused exclusively on family law including divorces, child custody, financial issues, adoption, restraining orders, etc. However, Loeffler Law is now a family and personal injury law firm with the addition of my husband, David. He is a civil litigator with 20+ jury trials representing both plaintiffs and defendants. We met in law school, sat right next to each other taking the Bar exam, and have three beautiful boys. We are excited about the future of Loeffler Law to continue to help those in need of legal help, advice, and/or representation.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For anyone working towards achieving a worthy goal, the road is never smooth. If it were, then everyone would achieve those goals. I consider myself extremely blessed, but there were times that I questioned whether I was on the right path.
I vividly remember breaking down during the first year of law school to the point of wanting to quit and go back home. As the first in my family to go into any post-college program, I did not really have anyone to turn to for support. This obstacle really pushed me to a point that I had never been, so my overcoming it gave me great confidence in my capability. It was from that point that I really just put my head down and focused on graduating and passing the Bar exam.
Upon entering the legal field, it was intimidating to be in such a male-dominated area of law. There were those attorneys that would make condescending remarks about my looks and being a younger woman. Being a newer, Latina female attorney, I realized there were some colleagues of mine that held unfair and inaccurate presumptions because of my youth, gender, and ethnicity. This frustrated me terribly until I realized that such perceptions are none of my business, and I used it to drive me to work harder. Now, if another attorney wants to make the mistake of underestimating me, I welcome it.
Another obstacle was actually leaving my last employment position to start Loeffler Law. I was told that running your own firm is not as easy as it looks. There were naysayers that seemed to want me to give up on my own firm or, worse, fail. The hardest issue for me to overcome was to believe in and convince myself that this was a necessary step for my legal career and family.
As cliche as it is, each obstacle and difficulty created character and/or cultivated a skill that I would need to get to where I am. Looking back, I am thankful it was not a smooth road.
One of my favorite quotes from Richard Castle speaks loudly to me, “Sometimes the hardest things in life are the things most worth doing. It’s because we haven’t figured them out yet, doesn’t mean we won’t.”
Please tell us about Loeffler Law.
Loeffler Law is a family and personal injury law firm.
The family law department handles divorce, domestic violence restraining orders, adoptions, child custody/support/visitation, spousal support, property division, and post-judgment matters.
The personal injury department represents anyone who has been injured because of the carelessness of someone else. We handle all types of vehicle accidents, wrongful death, brain injury, dog bites, premise liability, and products liability.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Maya Angelou – I come as one but stand as 10,000. This quote encompasses the role that luck played in my life and business.
I always had a solid emotional support system in my father and mother. Growing up, there were difficult financial hardships, but I always knew that my parents would do anything to help me. When I hear some of my clients’ family situations, I consider myself lucky/blessed to have been born into my family.
The role of luck was prevalent in my life because it always seemed that a mentor would appear at pivotal moments in my life. In high school, Ms. Shatkin was undoubtedly the person that inspired and convinced me that I could go to college. Candidly, I don’t know if I would have went to college without her help. Then in college, I met David Cons when I was an intern with his program. He instilled in me that I was not only an intern. He made me believe that I could run an at-risk youth program. He showed me how to work with law enforcement and city council members. David Cons did more for my confidence than any other person in my life.
In law school, I was lucky to meet a good friend named Maria. Maria, as a Hispanic woman, showed me early on that nothing would be given to us in law school. Her work ethic and level of focus rubbed off on me as we became study partners. Maria was a great support because of our similar backgrounds and what we both were encountering going into the legal career.
My luck was only getting better. I met David in law school as well. He has been my #1 fan. David has shown me that perseverance is what will allow us to succeed. He cheered me on through law school and was an even bigger supporter when I could not find it in myself to take the leap of faith in starting my own practice. David reminded me daily to believe in myself because if I didn’t no one else would. We now have a successful practice and three beautiful boys.
Contact Info:
- Address: Loeffler law
4154 Voltaire Street
San Diego, CA 92107 - Website: https://llfamilylaw.com/
- Phone: (619) 821.4324
- Email: lillian@llfamilylaw.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loefflerlawsd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loefflerlawsd/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lillian-m-loeffler-atty-san-diego-2?osq=loeffler+law
- Other: https://goo.gl/maps/MxPyYjgJEXn79rZ96
Image Credit:
Leah LaBourde Photography
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