When Rachel King was growing up, she knew one fact for sure; she did not want to move into a career in which she could not make her own decisions.  Always an independent thinker, Rachel realized that the natural progression of a college education straight out of high school was not the path she would take.  A short stint in college was proof enough for her to approach her future in a very different way.  “When I was 18, I quickly realized, after about six weeks in school, that I just wasn’t really interested in college.  I wasn’t ready for it.”

 

Not having too many options at the time, she decided to make a move that would surprise many.  The young women who did not want to be told what to do, decided to Join the Army.  “The Army was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.  It’s a very fast way to have a pretty good income and become completely independent, which is what I truly desired.  You grow up quickly when you are in the Army.”

 

Born in Tacoma, Washington, her family relocated shortly after her birth to California, taking up residence in the Los Angeles area. , “When I was 12, we moved up to Thousand Oaks.  And I lived there until I graduated high school.”

 

Rachel’s future took shape in the Army, “I was in the Army for seven years.  It taught me everything I needed to be able to make my own decisions and be an adult.” Rachel was first stationed in Alaska, which was a big change from Southern California.    “I really enjoyed the Army, but I knew it wasn’t something I would do for a career.  But I decided to reenlist during my first four years since I finally felt ready to tackle college.  I wanted to earn my college degree while in the Army, which would allow me to use the GI Bill to complete my education to obtain the career I truly desired.  I would become a lawyer.” Rachel was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, and during her time there, she completed her degree and continued with her education as a civilian.

 

Rachel has only great things to say about serving in the Army, “A lot of the things that I learned in the military have helped me as an attorney and as a business owner.  I think even the things I didn’t like about the Army were really helpful.  In the Army, I was forced to see what I could or could not tolerate.  I didn’t do well with all the levels of authority I faced in the service.  Still, I think my experiences there made me realize that the real issue was being expected to do exactly what I was told to do in the exact manner I was told to do it, especially when I believed there was a better way to do things.”

This was the primary reason that Rachel decided to open her own law firm upon graduation, and King Law Firm, Attorneys at Law, Inc. was born.  “I learned, again, what I had learned in my early twenties that I don’t do well if I am not my own boss.  I don’t like that kind of environment.  It doesn’t allow me to be my best.  So, I contemplated how to create an environment that would make me comfortable and allow me to blossom.  Opening my own firm was the obvious decision.”

 

I do believe that the single most important lesson I learned while serving was that no matter what you were expected to do, no matter how grueling it was, you could get through it if you approached it one step at a time.  I still use this approach in parenting and as a wife, attorney, and business owner.  So, no matter how bad a situation is, you can survive and flourish if you just take the next step.  Eventually, you’ll get through whatever it is you’re doing.  I call it ‘embracing the suck,’ You just do it because it’s not going to suck forever.  If you can keep inching forward, you will eventually make your way out.  And that concept is so hard for most of us.  It happens in every area of your life.  I absolutely credit the Army, the long stupid hikes they would take us on, and all the horrible things you are expected to do.  All you can think at the time is God, this sucks.  I just want out.  I hate it.  I hate it. I hate it.  And then the minutes tick by, and at the end, you’re like, okay, I did it.  It’s over.  At least it’s over.”

 

As a teenager, Rachel decided to be a lawyer based on her viewpoint at the time.  “I flirted with the idea of being a lawyer my whole life; my dad is an attorney, so I was raised in the legal lifestyle.  Some parts of it were very attractive to me, particularly through the lens of a teenager.  I liked the power and opportunities that came with being an attorney; I remember thinking primarily about the money you could make, and at that stage of life, it was all about wanting to buy stuff.  But as I grew up, I realized that I really liked talking to my dad about it.  I was very interested in it.  I seemed to have a natural understanding of how the law worked.”

 

During Rachel’s time in the Army, she had grown up a lot, and that was when the decision became set in stone.  By age 21, she realized that she wanted to have a career as an attorney, but for the right reasons.  She wanted to help people and found so much joy in how much she could help in this profession.

 

While in the Army, I started in community college, using the Army College Fund to pay for my tuition.  Then I ultimately got my bachelor’s degree from Cal State San Marcos, with a degree in literature and creative writing.  I chose this major specifically because I had heard from multiple attorneys that it doesn’t matter what major you take while completing your bachelor’s degree.

So, when deciding on my major, I thought lawyers have to write a lot, so this seemed a good choice.  I was told that majoring in an area like criminal justice or political science made things harder to succeed in law school as you had to learn about similar topics using a completely different thought process.

 

When Rachel finally started law school, she had already met and married her husband Dan, who was also serving in the Army.  They had a six-year-old daughter, Kaya, and a ten-week-old son Adam.  Talk about loving a challenge!  Then to challenge herself a bit further, she had her third child, her daughter Abigail, in her third year of Law School.  “Yes, I planned that last pregnancy so I would deliver during the summer and not miss a day of school, and it worked out perfectly.” 

 

While Rachel was attending law school and raising her family, she always tried to stay in the moment.  She remembered her Army training and knew she just had to take one step at a time to get to her end goal, a law degree and passing the bar.  “I was a little older than most of the other law school students.  Law school was tough, and in order to succeed, I had to make sure that the rest of my life was in order.  To do that, I never looked too far ahead; I just looked at what I had to do that day.  One day I had to concentrate on being a mom; another, I had to focus on school.  It wasn’t until the day after I passed the bar that I decided to open my own law firm.  I had a one-year-old, a three-year-old, and an eight-year-old, and I knew I didn’t want to be away from them 60 hours a week as a new lawyer working at a law firm.  I preferred working 60 hours a week for myself at my house with my children.”

 

This fact, along with her need to be independent, were the primary reasons Rachel decided to open her own law firm upon graduation, and King Law Firm Attorneys at Law, Inc was born.  “I learned, again, what I had learned in my early twenties that I don’t do well if I am not my own boss.  I don’t like that kind of environment.  It doesn’t allow me to be my best.  So, I contemplated how I would create an environment that would make me comfortable and allow me to make my own decisions about the cases I would take and how I went about helping people.  Opening my own firm was the natural decision.”

 

King Law Firm, Attorneys at Law, Inc. opened in December of 2014 and specializes in Strategic Litigation in family law, elder abuse, financial elder abuse, conservatorships, and trusts.  Rachel has never looked back or regretted her decision.  “I think most people that become lawyers have some internal desire to do good.  I really like to solve people’s problems.  So, if I can help solve your problem, that makes me feel good inside, and I feel like I’ve benefited you.  

 

Rachel has a physical office in Wildomar, a small town in Riverside County, and a remote practice that allows her to practice not only in California but also in Kentucky, Texas, and Arizona, where she is also licensed.  In addition, she also has clients globally who have businesses located in California.  This allows Rachel to expand her practice while spending more time with her family and makes herself available to meet with clients who prefer an in-person meeting to a remote one. 

 

Having her own law firm has been a blessing to Rachel, but she admits there was a learning curve.  “My learning curve was very steep, but fortunately, I had previous business owner experience, which was helpful.  But it was still a challenge, learning how to be an attorney, how to get clients and show up at court, and all of the nuances that they don’t teach you in law school.  Not everyone is meant to be a business owner.  But I do love a challenge!”

 

I asked Rachel what she loved about her job, “I love that I solve problems.  I really like helping people.  When they come to me, they are faced with one of the most difficult experiences in their life, which is a legal problem.  I get to help solve that so that they can move on and become better by putting whatever the legal situation is behind them.  Sometimes my clients walk into my office feeling defeated, as if there is nothing they can do, and I can say, well, sure there is; let’s just figure out what it is we can do.  I wholeheartedly believe there is a solution to every problem that enters my door.”

 

Rachel’s least favorite part of owning her own law firm is dealing with the financial aspects and balancing the fact that she went to law school to help solve problems for her clients, but at the same time, she must also run a business.

 

As the owner of a ten-year-old successful law firm, I asked Rachel what she would suggest to a new lawyer starting in her profession today.“ I suggest keeping an open mind about what areas of law they want to practice.  I never thought that I would ever want to do anything in probate.  I never thought I’d want to do trust litigation.  In fact, I went to a bar meeting when I was a brand-new attorney in this field and thought, who would ever want to practice in this area of law?  And now, we fast forward to today, and it is my favorite area of law.  I absolutely love it.  So, I think as a new lawyer, you  should give different areas of law a chance before you decide what exactly you want to do.”

 

I asked Rachel if she could explain the job of a  Strategic Litigator “I put together a strategy that’s going to make the best use of all of the resources that we have, the time that we have, the money that we have, and the evidence that we have so that we can get as close to my client’s goal as possible.  And then, I reevaluate the entire process so we are always on the same trajectory.  We are always working toward the same goal.  My clients and I are always aligned so that they know that we’re working as a team.  And that’s really, really important to me because if we settle, which hopefully we do, it is great, but if we don’t settle, that’s okay.  We don’t have to scramble.  We already know that we’re ready for trial.  We find the weak points early on as well as the strong points.”

 

Not only does Rachel work tirelessly to help her clients she has an absolutely incredible trial team at her law firm.  “I’m very proud of the fact that we have an all-female trial team at my office.  Every client that walks in the door gets me as the lead supervising litigator, and I have writing paralegals, research paralegals, and a client liaison.  We do everything we can to make our clients as comfortable as possible through this process.  Legal issues will never be stress-free, and I cannot keep them from emotional stress, but I  never want them stressing over the legal side.

 

Rest assured that with King Legal Firm, Attorneys at Law, Inc., you are in the best hands with a legal team that takes the time to understand your needs and goals and does everything possible to resolve any legal issue that may arise.

 

For more information or to schedule an appointment:

 

King Law Firm Attorneys at Law, Inc.

34859 Oneal Rd STE 108, Wildomar, CA 92595  

(951) 834-7715