Meet Jessica Shraybman: Attorney to Tech Startups and Creative Professionals

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Shraybman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
Before starting Shraybman Law, I made a promise to myself that I would build work around life, not life around work. Especially as a business attorney, it can be difficult to maintain boundaries with clients, but I knew from observing colleagues that once you let down your guard, it’s nearly impossible to reestablish. So I set a few rules for myself: communicate with clients only during regular business hours, schedule the gym like you’d schedule your most important meeting, and be there for family when they need you because they are always number one. Of course this means we’ve turned away a few potential clients here and there, but overall it has helped me maintain my strength so I can show up for my clients at 100%.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Becoming an attorney was never on my life’s to do list. I wanted to go to art school, but as a first-generation immigrant (I’m a Russian Jew), my parents had a different vision. When I started at the University of Miami, I had no clue what academics I’d enjoy. I started pre-med, then shifted to business, then to political science, then back to business, before finally landing back in Arts and Sciences, where I majored in Philosophy and Entrepreneurship. After graduating, I applied for and was accepted to a Philosophy Master’s program in California, but a week before I was supposed to move, I deferred admission for one year. When the next Fall rolled around, I deferred again. When I did this a third time, my parents all but begged (or commanded, depending on your perspective) me to “just study for this law school exam.” I resisted, but eventually gave in because I had nothing to lose, and candidly, have always enjoyed studying. Fast forward – I did well on the LSAT, got accepted to several South Florida schools, and ultimately chose Florida International University’s College of Law. Still with no real idea what I wanted to do, I mostly used law school as another opportunity to immerse myself in interesting subjects, like international human rights, capital punishment, and entertainment/intellectual property. About a year after law school, I finally made the transition into what, I think, is what I am meant to do. After a three year stint with another start-up focussed firm, in 2017, I founded Shraybman Law. Today, it’s an awesome boutique firm focussed on exactly what I envisioned – Business and Intellectual Property. I started as a solo, and now we are a team of eight. From working with startup companies to representing nonprofits and creative professionals, we are our clients’ trusted advisors and allies. Now I get to spend my days collaborating with creative and inspiring people to help them grow their businesses and succeed wisely. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing of course, and I’ve learned some hard lessons. Ultimately, though, I  keep focused on the positive and what’s important (like maintaining relationships, being reliable for my clients, and providing the highest quality legal counsel and service we can). As long as I maintain that mentality it turns out, it’s pretty fun to be an attorney.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
oooo I am SUCH a Miami cheerleader! A few absolutes I always do with visitors include: fresh baked goods from True Loaf Bakery along with a delicious almond miel latte from Vice City Bean; a bike ride from Cocoplum down Old Cutler Rd and through Mattheson Hammock park; of course a day of sun, salt, and sweat on Miami Beach, followed by a Lincoln Rd or Espanola Way stroll for either fresh handmade pasta or Yardbird fried chicken; an evening of jazz and cheese at Lagniappe is always on the agenda (::sigh:: for live music) or if we’re lucky, Buskerfest! We have so much culture here, and I love a good immersion of old cuban heritage, haitian culture (Libreri Mapou is a local favorite), ballet and live arts at Adrienne Arsht… ah, I could go on! There is so much more to Miami than the night life (though a late night dance party to 90s music at Foxhole is always a blast). If anyone needs a tour guide, hit me up!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Amanda Julca, Photographer and Director of Creatives for Connection, Inc.

Website: www.shraybmanlaw.com
Instagram: @shraybmanlaw
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrshraybman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shraybmanlaw

Image Credits
Amanda Julca