Tyler Roberts

TELL US YOUR STORY. WHAT KIND OF LAW DO YOU PRACTICE? HOW DID YOU GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?

Hey, my name is Tyler. I’m a lawyer turned journalist turned entrepreneur, but I still consider myself to be a little bit of all three. My wife and business partner April and I are co-founders of a legal marketing agency, NOMOS Marketing.

I went to law school with full intentions on becoming a practicing attorney at a more traditional law firm. It wasn’t until after I worked in a few early stage startups that I realized I could leverage my legal background to really make a real go at the entrepreneurship thing.

When I graduated law school, I had just finished a year-long internship at the Royalty Exchange, a platform that auctioned off music royalty streams as securities to accredited investors, and had a job lined up as a contract negotiator with another fast-growing startup in the clinical industry space. It was a great first job with exposure to complex legal issues that accompany conducting an international business. But after two years of working in the corporate world, I realized that pursuing a corporate counsel position would not be my ultimate career path.

I loved the legal industry and dealing with legal issues, but looking at contacts and government regulations all day was not going to satisfy the more creative passions I knew I needed to pursue. April and I both felt like needed a new adventure. After a weekend trip to California, we decided to pack up our Honda and move to San Diego.

I left my first job after law school to work as an editor for three law-related magazine titles, and we started providing legal marketing services as a side hustle to cover the cost of rent for our garage-turned-studio apartment.  Around the same time, April started working for Wonderist Agency, a dental marketing agency that serves over 200 dental offices. We started thinking of ways to scale our little side hustle into a real business.

Over the course of a year, we became good friends with Laura Maly and Michael Anderson, co-founders of Wonderist Agency. They had successfully scaled their agency and provided a model for how we wanted to build NOMOS Marketing. One night over dinner and drinks, Laura and Michael brought up the idea of a partnership.

A year later, we’re proud to be serving lawyers across the U.S. and pursuing other projects in the legal space like Advocate’s Close.‍

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Why did you become a lawyer?

When I was a freshman in college, I was involved in a head on collision with another driver. I don’t remember much from the time of the accident, other than when I woke up in the hospital I learned that my friend and I were hospitalized for our injuries, and that another passenger, who was sitting in the back seat, had died in the wreck.

It took several years before I made a full physical recovery. During that time, I interacted with both the civil and criminal justice system on a regular basis. Not only did the driver responsible for the collision not have insurance, but he was also drunk at the time of the accident. I consider myself very fortunate to have had an attorney that I could trust by my side during this time. Even after our case was closed, he stayed in touch to make sure I was doing ok. The experience showed me how profound an impact a lawyer can have on someone’s life, and ultimately led me to pursue a legal career.

I don’t practice law anymore, but my motivation to serve others has not changed. As a marketing professional, I now have the opportunity to connect lawyers to their communities in a powerful and positive way. Everything we do at NOMOS Marketing, whether its web design, social media, SEO, branding or PPC, is focused on putting our clients in a better position to serve their communities.‍

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Was it a smooth road to becoming a lawyer?

Without struggle, there is no growth. I think that is why they make law school and passing the bar so difficult. I have such respect for anyone who works hard to make good grades in college, spends weekends taking practice LSAT tests, and gives up three critical working years all for the chance to serve others. Is it an easy road? No. Is it worth it. Definitely.

But as any lawyer will tell you, law school is just the beginning of the journey. Those first few years, you’ve got to hustle to make things happen: find a job, make clients happy, make employers happy and so on. It never gets any easier, you just get stronger and learn to push harder.

Without struggle, there is no growth.

As an entrepreneur and business owner, every day comes with its own set of challenges. I think any lawyer can agree that there are no shortage of gut checks that keep you humble, even when you are performing at the top of your game. Every road has its own peaks and valleys. When one mountain is climbed, a bigger one waits for you on the other side. Becoming a lawyer teaches you that. Getting into law school? Peak. Being in law school? Valley. Graduating and passing the bar? Peak. First year of practice? Valley. That first promotion or big case? Peak.

I would never say that my personal journey has been an easy one, but I am very fortunate to be doing something that I love and delivering real value to the people I work with.

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WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF AS A LAWYER? WHAT SETS YOUR PRACTICE APART FROM OTHERS? WHAT DO YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT WHAT YOU DO?

I am proud to be a member of a profession that shapes the world we live in. Though imperfect, I believe all lawyers (at least good ones) really want to make a positive impact in the world. And I’m not just talking about non-profit workers or government agents. Even a corporate lawyer can use their judgement, skills and expertise for good.

Our marketing agency gets a chance to connect people to legal services through content, design and marketing. With everything we do, we keep in mind that this may be someone’s first interaction with the justice system, and that they may be apprehensive or anxious to meet with a lawyer. I get excited every day coming into our office thinking that something we create for a client can help alleviate those concerns and provide the resources that someone needs to take full control over what can be very stressful situation.

With everything we do, we keep in mind that this may be someone’s first interaction with the justice system.

What sets my path apart from most lawyers is that I get to work outside of the day-to-day practice of law. It’s a unique perspective that only a few lawyers really get to experience while still being involved in the profession. I love that I get to help lawyers work on their practices, rather than in their practices. It’s a total shift in mindset. I live for those teachable moments when I can tough answer questions and help lawyers work through their vision for whatever the project is we are working on.

Transitioning from law to marketing has allowed me to participate in the profession while using a unique skill set that adds value to my clients’ practices. I am incredibly proud of what we are trying to build at NOMOS Marketing, and look forward to giving more of our team’s talents to serve the legal profession.

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IF YOU COULD CHANGE, IMPROVE OR DISRUPT ONE THING ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF LAW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Access to justice is a real problem that needs to be addressed with immediacy. Millions of Americans attempt to navigate the legal system on their own because they either can’t afford a lawyer or they don’t know that they need one. There is no silver bullet to fixing the A2J problem. It’s going to take sufficient buy-in from thousands of stakeholders willing to take the charge.

Right now, technology and process appear to be our biggest opportunity to close the A2J gap. As legal services become increasingly commoditized, more people will be able to afford legal services. And this shouldn’t be bad news for lawyers. Technology won’t take a bite out of our pie - it will expand the size of the pie  (that’s my armchair expert opinion).

Fortunately, law schools are beginning to focus more on legal tech, design thinking and other creative skill sets that every modern professional needs to thrive in today’s competitive markets. There are also over 2,000 legal tech startups listed on AngelList. That being said, I think the legal market is poised for major positive changes in the next decade, and I hope we can be a part of that change.

I believe that we are doing our part to help close the A2J gap through good marketing. We are always studying how people are shopping for lawyers online, what they look for when making hiring decisions, and what makes them pick up the phone. We consider it a success anytime we can increase exposure to resources and knowledge that help someone in need of legal help connect with one of our lawyer clients.

It’s a small role to play in a much larger issue, but it’s one that we are proud to play.‍

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What are you doing when you're not lawyering?

Saturday mornings usually start with a quick hike down to my favorite surf spot in La Jolla followed by a cup of coffee and a few hours tinkering on the business. Slowing down on the weekends, finding time to be outside, and spending time with my wife and friends are critical to my well being and mental health. That is not something I always prioritized (bad habits from law school), and I think every lawyer/professional needs to fill their cup so they can fill their clients’.

Oh! And I love working on my passion project, Advocate’s Close. So glad you found us, and hope you will join our growing community!