Founded in 2023, Westwood-based Annaguey McCann was formed out of a partnership between Maribeth Annaguey and Kathryn McCann, as well as co-founder Jason Kelly.
Annaguey and McCann first worked together well over a decade ago, crystallizing a relationship as business litigators. With their own firm, the pair aims to be more client-focused than they were able to be at prior, larger operations. Their work is focused on resolving business relationship disputes, employment issues and class actions, among other areas.
The pair answered a series of questions from the Business Journal about growing their professional partnership into an entrepreneurial one.
How did you two meet and what was the genesis of forming your own firm with your other business partner?
McCann: We met in 2009 when we were both litigation associates at the law firm of Liner Grode Stein Yankelevitz Sunshine Regenstrief & Taylor LLP (“Liner”). In approximately 2012, after Maribeth became a partner, we began working on cases together and found that in addition to being friends we have very similar litigation styles and just worked together really well.
In 2017, after the Liner firm announced that it would be merging with DLA Piper, we both joined the law firm then known as Browne George Ross LLP (“BGR”) as partners. In our seven years there, we helped grow BGR from just under 30 lawyers to nearly 70 and spearheaded several new initiatives including a diversity committee. Maribeth was also elevated to name partner in 2020.
After nearly two decades of working for other people, we decided it was time to strike out on our own with the goal of engaging in a smaller, more client-focused practice. Along with our other partner, Jason Kelly (who we hired at BGR as an associate), and two long-time staff members who have been with us since the Liner days, in May 2023, we founded Annaguey McCann LLP. The firm focuses on business litigation. Since opening, the firm has grown to five attorneys, two of counsel and three full-time staff, all colleagues from previous firms.
What are the hurdles you’ve faced in building your business?
Annaguey: The biggest hurdle was just figuring out how to start – what forms to file with the different agencies, picking the right insurance, finding office space, dealing with accounting and payroll, and just generally navigating all of the other day-to-day administrative things that come with running your own business (and that you do not learn in law school).
Financing the firm was another hurdle. We quickly learned that banks are not eager to lend money to brand new businesses. So, for the first couple of months we funded the firm ourselves. We are also very lucky that all of our clients made the leap with us to the new firm, meaning that within a couple of months we saw fees start to roll in. Having a steady income from the start really helped ensure we could put together the firm we wanted.
Finally, another hurdle has been finding time to market ourselves to new clients while running the business. We are eternally grateful to our network – ranging from attorneys we worked with at our previous firms, as well as friends, family and other clients – who continue to introduce us to new folks and send cases our way.
As a follow-up, do you feel that any of these hurdles were because you’re women?
McCann: If this question is about gender bias, while we both have had to confront gender bias in the past, when we started this firm, we did not experience gender bias from anyone. On the contrary, most folks have shown great enthusiasm and embraced us.
If this question is more about dealing with our own self-imposed hang-ups as women – almost all women experience some form of imposter syndrome, particularly in male dominated fields like the law. We have made conscious efforts to overcome this and recognize that not only do we belong in this industry, but that being women gives us an edge in serving our clients. We listen and emphasize with them, which all clients, big and small, appreciate.
What have you enjoyed most about being a business owner? Least?
Annaguey: The best part about being a business owner is having the freedom to build the firm we want to work for. We often remark that we can’t blame anyone else if the firm culture isn’t right. So, we make a conscious effort to create a positive and healthy work environment where everyone feels valued and part of the team.
The least enjoyable part is anything having to do with accounting. We have found our stride with a great vendor. This has freed us up to focus on other things.
Did you have any mentors and how did they help you?
McCann: We have both benefitted from mentors over the years, and we hope to pass that along to the next generation. Litigation is a fast-paced and male dominated field. Young female lawyers are often pushed out of litigation roles because without strong mentors, they gravitate into other types of law or even leave the legal industry altogether. We are grateful that our mentors took the time to teach us and took chances on giving us bigger and bigger roles until we were able to take responsibility over our own cases.
Is there anything you’d have done differently?
McCann: No – all of our experiences shape who we are.
Annaguey: We should have done it earlier.
What has been your experience in breaking into Los Angeles’ legal market?
Annaguey: We are grateful that throughout our careers we worked with some of the best lawyers in Southern California (and, indeed, some of the best lawyers in the country). We have also both been active in local non-profits for years, so we had a solid foundation in the Los Angeles community before starting the firm. Despite this, we recognize the need to keep reaching out and growing our L.A. presence.
What’s your strategy for attracting clients and growing your firm’s reach?
McCann: Our firm philosophy is to personally connect with our clients – it sharpens our focus on who we are fighting for and why. We strive to provide our clients with the highest level of personal service at more efficient rates. To that end, we can be more nimble and don’t have layers on layers of lawyers between the client and lawyer. We have found that clients appreciate this – resulting in more return clients and referrals from clients and our amazing network.
