Attorney Dennis is the go to attorney for companies and creative individuals residing in Los Angeles.
Your Title/Business Name:
Law Office of Don R. Dennis Jr.
Website
www.dondennislaw.com
Instagram Handle
www.instagram.com/attorneydondennis
Describe what your hometown was like. Where were you born and raised?
I was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. The area was predominantly comprised of Black and Latino people. Due to the lack of opportunities around, several residents operated in survival mode and sometimes made decisions to engage in detrimental activities. I was fortunate to become exposed to spectacular school and extracurricular activities to engage my curiosity.
Where do you currently reside?
Los Angeles
What is your zodiac sign?
Sagittarrius
What is your favorite cereal?
Oatmeal
How did you get started on this road of business? What began it all, and what did the path look like along the way?
In my junior year in high school, I began attending James Monroe Law and Government Magnet School in the valley of Los Angeles. The school was the first law and government magnet school opened in the Los Angeles Unified School District. At that time, I was interested in law and wanted to learn more about it. However, I was also interested in engineering. I was interested in a way to combine my two interests. During a high school field trip, I found out about patent law and that in order to become a patent attorney, you needed to have an undergraduate degree in science. Thus, I researched the U.S. News and World Reports College rankings in order to identify the best engineering program in a major U.S. city that I could attend. I decided to attend Northwestern University since it was highly ranked and near Chicago, IL. After graduation from Northwestern University, I returned to Los Angeles to practice as an engineer for ten years and then decided to obtain my law degree. I applied and was accepted into the UCLA School of Law and I specialized in Business Law and Policy.
Give us some business advice or one success tip in your field.
It is always important to ask questions and perform ample research concerning areas that you are unsure of. In addition, I have found it valuable to identify smart successful people, in your profession, to mentor you. This will enable you to bypass certain pitfalls that may abound.
What has been the hardest part of being a business owner?
Marketing can be difficult. This occurs because of the laws concerning how attorneys are allowed to present themselves. Also, sometimes with the level of detail that is required to be devoted to your clients, you can easily run out of time to spend on marketing campaigns.
What’s in store for you this year?
I will be delving deeper into all of the changes that are unfolding in the area of privacy law. Data is important and collected through devices, on websites, and in person. Significant attention is being paid to the safeguarding of that information. I have begun and will continue to work to identify methods to keep my clients protected and in compliance with the law.
What is one mistake that you see business owners make?
I see business owners think that they can copy and paste pictures from the Internet on to their business websites and social media platforms to market their businesses without obtaining a license or permission. They place themselves in jeopardy because they may be engaging in copyright infringement.
What is one thing that you are proud of, in relation to your business or personally?
I am proud of the fact that I have been positioned to participate in the Tungsten Proteges Male Mentoring program for disadvantaged youth in Los Angeles County. The program is not a photo opportunity but a chance to sit down with young men on a bi-monthly basis and provide character development training. In addition, the program provides a Parenting Resource Group that is conducted by a trained counselor. The program can be found at www.malementor.org.
Being a business owner teaches an individual a number of things. What has it taught you?
To remain resilient and focused on my goals.