Naz Barouti is a lawyer, author, entrepreneur, media commentator, and public speaker best known for legal advice. She has also been featured on platforms such as Fox News Radio, Bloomberg TV, USA Today, and more.
Barouti immigrated to the United States of America at four years of age. She and the rest of the Barouti family would immediately have to adapt to a new culture, culture, lifestyle, and language.
“Throughout my childhood and well into my adult life, my parents worked incredibly hard to build their businesses while remaining ethical and never forgetting their roots.
Having them as an example has affected me tremendously in positive ways and forced me to not only be grateful for everything that I have, but also to work as hard as possible to gain what I want,” Barouti shared with The Source Magazine.
“When I was around seven years old, I began to religiously watch Judge Judy while most children my age were still enjoying cartoons. I knew from very early on that I wanted to have a career in law. Not many people can say that they pursued their childhood passion! A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Judge Judy and thanked her tremendously for helping me to discover my true calling.”
Over the past ten years, she has run a successful business in the estate planning sector and has five offices throughout Southern California. They focus on helping their clients to avoid probate, protect their assets, and reduce their taxes.
When asked what motivated her to start her own firm, she said, “I came to the realization in law school that the legal industry was filled with money-hungry attorneys that cared more about filling their pockets than the best interest of their clients. I pride myself on treating each client of mine with care. I know how intimidating law and finances can be, and from day one, I have wanted to be able to use the knowledge and skills I gained in law school to help the largest amount of people as possible.”
If you have ever attempted to start your own business, there is a lot of trial and errors at the beginning. Barouti was not exempt from this process.
“In the early stages of starting a business, there is a lot of trial-and-error until you arrive at a point where things become second-nature. I began my firm ten years ago when I was twenty-six. On top of that, I look younger than my age, and my much-older clients seem nervous to trust me when we first meet,” said Barouti.
“As a young woman in the legal industry, I feel as if I have to work twice as hard to prove myself. Another enormous challenge that comes with starting your own firm is that you are not just a lawyer. You have to wear multiple hats to make sure that all aspects of your business are running smoothly until you find trustworthy teammates to divvy up the responsibilities.”
We all had to overcome obstacles throughout our personal and professional lives. Being young in any industry, you have overlooked talked down to. However, Barouti sees it as an advantage.
“Being young has been difficult, but I have used it to my advantage and have been able to market to a younger demographic that does not yet think about the importance of estate planning. On my radio show, it has been a challenge to present concepts like death, divorce, and taxes as exciting, digestible conversations,” she said.
As for the project that she is currently working on, she spent the past year working with World Financial Group educating the masses about how money works.
“Before COVID-19, I was set to do a twenty-city speaking tour teaching people across the United States about financial literacy. I hope to get back on the road soon and am brainstorming ideas for a new book.”