OUR FOUNDER OF THE WEEK- Every Tuesday, Founder of the Week looks at how a successful member of Egypt’s startup community got their big break, asks about their experiences running a business, and gets their advice for budding entrepreneurs. Speaking to us this week is Hesham Foda (LinkedIn), Founder and Managing Partner of Foda & Associates.

My name is Hesham Foda and I am the founder and Managing Partner of Foda & Associates. I received my LLB in Law from Cairo University.

I want to transform the traditional perception of lawyers. I grew up wanting to be a lawyer but coming from a non-legal family was always challenging. I believed that one day I would have my own law firm, but I imagined doing so when I was much older. Back in the day, lawyers were unapproachable, gray-haired, and spoke with complexity: It was difficult to get your point across to them. I wanted to change all that but felt that I could only do so when I was older.

A controversial media client changed all that. After working for more than a decade in law firms and being in-house corporate legal counsel for companies like Eli Lilly & Company, Unilever, and Novartis, a case for a client who was a very controversial media figure at the time motivated me to open my firm sooner. It was a ground-breaking success that I owe to the many greats I worked with on that epic journey and after it was done I felt the time was right.

Foda & Associates was founded on my dining table in 2016. We started as a corporate law firm with a strong intellectual property and media portfolio. Now, we have expanded to become a full-service law firm for both companies and individuals or families.

Being someone’s lawyer is a very personal choice, the client has to trust you and feel that you represent them — which was lacking in the market and was rarely found outside corporate law firms. Most executives who work with these law firms felt that they wanted that same level of representation on their personal matters. Also, people who inherited a family lawyer their long-departed parents hired felt that they needed someone relatable who understands them, lawyers who can think out of the box, proposing solutions and following them through to fruition. That is what truly sets us apart.

Being plagiarized was one sign of success. When I received an email to review a contract sent by opposing counsel from a much bigger law firm I found my initials on the author name of the file — it was a contract I had written years before. So when your work is good enough to be stolen, then you’re clearly ahead of others.

It will be very interesting to see how we can pair AI with what we offer and still retain this personal human connection. I see my business growing consistently to a size where we can take on more clients and serve them alongside our existing ones. Once again, what our clients appreciate is that we act as ‘consiglieres,’ rather than just paper pushers. Even with today’s technologies, we do not strive to be scalable as what we offer is very bespoke and made to fit. AI may be a component, it does help greatly in document production but can AI detect corruption? Is it familiar with all the intricacies of the Egyptian legal system? My firm looks forward to seeing how we can work with the new technology to make us serve our clients better.

Economic challenges haven’t hit us as hard. Having a small headcount made us thrive recently and raise salaries without hurting the bottom line. The recent economic challenges also brought in more business as economic trouble is directly proportional to business growth for lawyers.

Lawyers should be hired to consult on an issue before it reaches the courtroom. If hiring lawyers and litigating in Egypt is as expensive as the West, opponents would be more willing to sit down, negotiate, and settle issues amicably. This change would mean society would manage its disputes more efficiently rather than throw them in an overcrowded court system for the next five or ten years for the next generation to pick up.

The sense of purpose is the most rewarding aspect of my business. Winning a case or settling a dispute for someone who has been suffering at the hands of bereavement or a slow judicial process is the biggest reward.

Managing your client’s expectations is the toughest part of this job. Our client’s only reference to lawyers are TV and movies, which picture them as Supermen or — even worse — Harvey Specters. This does us a lot of injustice and gives our clients very high expectations that are far removed from reality. Lawyers need a lot of patience in getting their clients’ interests from A to B. Good lawyers know how to transfer that patience to their clients as well.

Work-life balance is one big juggle. You have to plan leisure travel, nights out, family commitments, and children pick-ups between calls, hearing prep, and court appearances. No amount of boundaries or planning can prevent a client from ruining your evening plans because they just got arrested, or even worse, were victims of a crime — and it happens more often than one imagines.

I am currently reading Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming. The detail he goes into describing the exotic locales, the action, and the background of the characters reinvigorates the imagination far better than seeing it in 4K. Fleming is a very talented writer and the James Bond films have reduced the universe he created to kitschy pop culture.

If I hadn’t founded my firm I would be cooking in the kitchen. For most of my day, tremendous mental effort is exerted. At the end of that, you want to do something less mental and more sensual. The flavors, sounds, and scents of the kitchen can be very rewarding and therapeutic…and you usually end up with really good food.

My advice for entrepreneurs is not to be too hard on yourself. Hard work is the best investment that comes back with compounded rewards over time. For young lawyers: Gain experience and be patient, the right time will present itself to you clearly. Nobody builds a reputation in a day, but it can be destroyed in an hour — so select your clients wisely, as their reputation will be inextricably bound to yours.