Where Values Intersect Laws – The Story Behind Ju Park and Parsus Law

It’s easy to assume that most lawyers and law firms only care about one thing – making money. After all, whether deserved or not, lawyers are often portrayed as greedy and ruthless in using their profession to satisfy that greed. Smooth operators who will do anything to pad their pockets at their client’s expense. Although that description may fit some, it’s certainly not one that applies to all. One of the law firms proving that stereotype wrong is Parsus Law, which Ju Park established. 

An Early Inspiration

Born to Korean immigrants, Ju Park spent her younger years living in Korea and London before her family finally settled in Texas when she was nine. During her formative years, she saw firsthand her parent’s experiences as small business owners. 

It was this period of her life – seeing her mother as a female entrepreneur from a minority background, simultaneously raising three daughters and taking care of her ailing father, the embodiment of a strong female role model – that would ultimately have a massive influence on her professional life.

After attending West Point and the University of Texas at Austin, Ju earned her law degree at UCLA School of Law. Her legal career couldn’t have had a better start with a position at Latham & Watkins LLP, one of the top global law firms. At Latham, Ju spent the earlier years of her legal career working on significant cases for high-profile Fortune 500 companies in Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

Her time at a more prominent law firm opened her eyes to the challenges of the legal industry, including the lack of accessibility to affordable, quality legal services for private and family businesses and boot-strapped entrepreneurs. 

Ju also witnessed a mass exodus of high-caliber women attorneys from the legal profession due to a combination of physical and mental burnout, a deeper desire to align their work with their personal values, and the lack of job opportunities at established firms. In Ju’s words, “It became clear that there were many things that we could change about the practice of law. The biggest shift I wanted to make was prioritizing the way we relate with our clients as humans – humanizing the attorney-client relationship and making law more accessible.”

Carving Out A New Path

Ju went her own way and, in 2009, founded Parsus Law to demonstrate that law firms, too, can evolve and change. As a female-founded firm that is part of the BIPOC community, Parsus Law reflects Ju’s own personal values of having a positive social impact through inclusion and integrity and prioritizing relationships over money. One of the many ways this is evident is that Parsus Law does not limit its representation solely to Fortune 500 companies or big-budget organizations – “safe” clients with deep pockets whose values are aligned with the firm. Instead, Parsus Law takes pride in representing those at the margins of society, whether they be BIPOC, LGBTQ, or any other minority background, alongside some of the biggest technology companies in the world.

Parsus Law has been designed from the ground up to ensure that its actions reflect total alignment with the firm’s value and mission, not only regarding its clients but also its team and extended community. Over the 13 years of the firm’s existence, Ju has personally vetted every Parsus attorney and has chosen them for their legal prowess and dedication to client service. Parsus Law attorneys know that the firm is committed to an inclusive culture focused on personal and professional growth. Attorneys use ongoing team huddles and an open-door policy to ensure strong lines of communication and take a collaborative approach to solving problems. Ju says, “We embrace the idea that happy attorneys make good attorneys.” This team, and the firm’s adoption of cutting-edge technology and working systems, allows Parsus Law to provide its clients with excellent service at rates that would be unsustainable for most bigger law firms.

While most lawyers could be described as highly passionate about their profession, Parsus Law also brings compassion to the table. The firm understands that legal issues are only part of the challenges of staying in business. Since its formation in 2009, Parsus has been at the forefront of offering innovative and cost-efficient fee arrangements, such as fixed fee packages for projects like forming small funds or startups. 

Putting Value-Creation First

In 2020, Parsus Law made it a priority to go above and beyond for clients. For example, Parsus offered payment plans and other creative financing solutions to help struggling clients navigate unexpected challenges and remain afloat and continually monitored government relief efforts to ensure that clients remained informed of relevant programs that could help them survive. Although this is not a consideration typically extended to clients by law firms, Parsus attorneys recognized that they had the opportunity to be more than lawyers and could be good business partners.  

In the legal arena, it’s easy to assume that intelligence should be a key consideration in choosing your attorney. When it comes to Parsus Law, intelligence and compassion work hand-in-hand with creativity and innovation. Anyone looking to work with strong-minded and kind-hearted attorneys should consider Parsus Law. 

In Conclusion

Ju’s story is inspiring for all female entrepreneurs, especially those getting into the legal arena. Following in her mother’s entrepreneurship footsteps, she wants to create value and change stereotypes. These are challenging times for businesses, including law firms. Ju, however, is ensuring that Parsus Law remains relevant by focusing on the firm’s mission of developing close relationships with clients who are looking to change the world and ensuring that its attorneys remain tight-knit and motivated to practice law.