Recently, our office received a call from an attorney. At first, I was reluctant to answer the phone, because who wants to talk to an attorney? Despite my misgivings, I went ahead and answered the phone.
I’m glad I did. This local attorney was looking for the expertise of a Long Beach architect to help with some issues that are outside of their firm’s area of expertise. His law office represents several homeowners associations in the Long Beach area, and sometimes needs guidance on issues related to local building code issues.
The attorney said he had found us on the internet, and that I seemed like an “enterprising young man.” He asked if I would be interested in providing occasional consulting services to his firm. After laughing about the “young” part, I explained that I would be happy to help his firm, but that I wasn’t interested in “going after” anyone. (In retrospect, I realize this was probably an offensive thing to say. I’ve since learned that attorneys’ jobs seem to have a lot more to do with keeping people from going after each other rather than “going after people.”)
Since that initial conversation with the attorney, I’ve worked with the firm on three separate occasions. I have been able to provide clarity on various code issues, and the attorney’s office has been grateful for my guidance, even when the guidance I provided didn’t necessarily go the way their client had hoped it would. Overall, I have enjoyed working with the attorneys in the office and hope to continue building that relationship.
I never anticipated that I would take on the role of a “consultant,” since I am one that really enjoys the architectural design process and working directly with clients on their residential or commercial design projects. But working with this attorney’s office has been gratifying in the sense that I can use my years of experience as a Long Beach architect and help bring clarity to issues that, for someone who isn’t an architect, might be confusing. Our Long Beach architectural firm isn’t planning on becoming a consulting firm anytime soon (or ever), but we are happy to offer our expertise on certain occasions (like when we consulted with the City of Long Beach’s Development Services Department to help them streamline their systems).
Are you looking for an experienced architectural firm in Long Beach? We’d love to hear about your residential or commercial design project and see how we can help bring your ideas into reality! Contact us today!
