Jennifer H. Copus, Co-Founder of Copus & Copus, on Achieving Success in the Legal Industry

In the field of law, success can mean something different to everyone, from an attorney to a client. Dedicated to the time-consuming and competitive industry, Jennifer H. Copus, Co-Founder of Copus & Copus, P.A., reaches for it with authenticity and the dedication to stand out. Bringing a welcoming attitude to the legal industry, Copus is expanding the possibilities to enact change and furthering her reach to protect the lives of others.

Inspired by her mother’s experience in the legal industry, Copus uses the examples from her childhood to defend the rights of others. “My mother had always worked throughout her career in the legal field, so I was around lawyers growing up. That’s what motivated me to think about going to law school in the first place,” she shares. This would later lead to successes that continue to fuel her passion for the profession. “Once I got into law school, I worked on a federal death penalty case and other criminal matters. I loved the criminal aspect of law and did that for the first six years of my career,” she adds. Now in civil litigation, Copus’s positive upbringing remains a key factor to make a difference for people every day.

Together with Co-Founder and husband, Steven W. Copus, Copus and her team work to stand out as a leading law firm by resolving issues in Florida’s Okaloosa County and along the Emerald Coast. “We previously worked for a midsize firm that was prestigious in the area and did things well. We do things exactly the way we did there and it has always worked for us,” she states. This includes a warm and casual approach to deliver strong counsel on family law, civil litigation, real estate, and contract matters. “That helps people to see you as a real person they can relate to, rather than being in a stuffy three-piece suit environment and huge conference room,” she says. For Copus, this mentality is imperative to developing and maintaining authentic relationships with clients.

Respecting a mission to be accomplished, experienced, and thorough, Copus explains the process as an attorney to a business owner while finding a balance that lives up to those values. “My first six years were working for the government and then I went to work for a private law firm where I didn’t have to worry about paying the bills. It is a big transition when you have to balance both practicing law and running a business, which doesn’t happen overnight,” she says. Despite the challenges that accompany different roles in a business, Copus understands that cultivating success is a journey worth every reward. “Devoting a certain amount of time every day to the management of your practice outside of your billable hours and other obligations to your clients takes time. It’s a steep learning curve and it takes a while to reach that balance.”

Going forward, Copus plans to continue enacting change for those in her community, putting forth the time to defend the rights of clients. Already effective in these efforts, she and her practice remain committed to manifesting and achieving success at every opportunity. “Sometimes success means to have their voice heard and other times it means compensation or a compromise between the two. Most of all, you have to spend time with them and understand what success means to them for their case.”