Legal Mistakes That Could Cost Your Business Thousands | Attorney Matthew Fornaro

[00:00:00] Legal Mistakes That Could Cost Your Business Thousands. Attorney Matthew Fornaro, Could One Legal Mistake Cost Your Business Thousands of Dollars, Or Even Force You To Close Your Doors? According to a recent Legal Shield study, Nearly 1 in 5 Small Businesses Lost More Than $5,000 To Preventable Legal Issues, While 40% Missed Revenue Opportunities Because Of Legal Uncertainty. The findings also reveal that,

[00:00:32] 61% Of Small Businesses Worry About Accidentally Violating Laws Or Regulations. 83% Believe Access To Affordable Legal Services Is Important. 25% Have Considered Closing Their Businesses Because Of Legal Challenges. More Than 1 in 4 Spend 3-5 Hours Weekly Dealing With Legal Matters. These Statistics Raise An Important Question. Are Entrepreneurs Putting Their Businesses At Risk By Waiting

[00:01:02] Too Long to Seek Legal Guidance? On This Episode of Let's Have This Conversation, Host Kevin McShan Welcomes Matthew Fornaro, Esquire, An Accomplished Business Law Attorney And Commercial Litigator, Who Has Spent More Than Two Decades Helping Entrepreneurs And Established Companies Protect Their Interests, Resolve Disputes, And Pursue Sustainable Growth. Practicing Business Law Since 2003, And Operating His Own Firm Since 2003, And Operating His Own Firm Since 2009,

[00:01:32] And Operating His Own Firm Since 2015, Matthew Serves Businesses. Matthew Serves Businesses Throughout South Florida, Including Coral Springs And Parkland. His Expertise Includes Commercial Litigation, Contract Disputes, Business Transactions, Business Formation, And Strategic Legal Counsel. Recognized In The 2027 Edition Of Best Lawyers In America For Commercial Litigation, Matthew Brings Extensive Experience, Representing

[00:02:02] Businesses Of Various Sizes, While Understanding The Unique Pressures Entrepreneurs Face As A Small Business Owner Himself. Beyond The Courtroom, Matthew Is Passionate About Entrepreneurship And Education. He Has Mentored And Instructed Emerging Business Leaders Through The Kauffman Foundation's Fast Track New Venture Program, And The Jim Moran Institute For Global Entrepreneurship Small Business Executive Program.

[00:02:30] In this conversation, we explore why preventable legal mistakes continue to cost small businesses thousands of dollars. The importance of properly drafted contracts and business formation documents. How entrepreneurs can proactively manage legal risks before disputes escalate. Common misconceptions about the cost and accessibility of legal services.

[00:02:56] The difference between reactive legal representation and proactive strategic counsel. How business owners can protect their companies while positioning themselves for long-term growth. The role of commercial litigation in resolving disputes and safeguarding business interests. Why legal preparedness should be considered an essential part of entrepreneurship.

[00:03:19] Whether you're launching your first business, managing a growing company, or navigating a complex commercial dispute, this conversation offers valuable perspectives on protecting what you've worked so hard to build. Because building a successful business isn't just about generating revenue. It's also about protecting the foundation that makes sustainable growth possible.

[00:03:42] Join Kevin McShan and Matthew Fornaro for another insightful episode of Let's Have This Conversation, where thoughtful dialogue inspires meaningful action. I'm Kevin McShann. Let's have this conversation.

[00:03:57] If you're ready, I'll take a moment to welcome you to the program.

[00:04:30] And I'm super excited to learn about all of your career journey in the legal field. It's great to see you, my friend, and happy Friday to you. Thank you, Kevin. It's great to be here. Happy Friday to you. Although Friday in the litigation world sometimes is the most dangerous week or day of the week.

[00:04:49] So, uh, well, you're right because, uh, the one thing you are least expecting can come out at like five o'clock, right? That is correct. I wrote a whole, I wrote a whole blog about how people love to, uh, launch attacks on Friday afternoons. So, well, because it's when they least expect it, right? Exactly. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:05:15] So, Matthew, I wanted to start our conversation by asking you about, when we talk about, uh, business relationships and their breakdown from a legal perspective. You know, uh, when entrepreneurs start a business, they usually are thinking about growth opportunity and doing something meaningful and not necessarily what happens when a business relationship goes wrong.

[00:05:44] And I know when it comes to contract disputes and everything, uh, having to do with starting a business or keeping it viable is what you, uh, specialize in from a legal perspective. So, what do people need to know about building a business, their contracts they enter into, and what they're legally responsible for if they want to have a viable business? What are your thoughts there, my friend?

[00:06:14] Sure, Kevin. So, you know, everyone who starts a business obviously wants to succeed. Nobody starts a business to want to fail. So, people are very excited to get into business. And unfortunately, people are so excited that sometimes they cut corners and skip over steps and just think that they'll come back and fix it later or do it later.

[00:06:40] And later either never happens or something intervening happens and then bad things will happen to them in the business.

[00:06:47] So, before people get into business, before people start a business, no matter what kind of business it is, no matter what kind of business organization it is, they need to do their necessary due diligence and background work and preparation and meet with people and talk to people and do things before they actually figure out what it is they want to do and how they do it. So, what does that mean?

[00:07:15] Well, that means that before you get into business, you should consult with a business law attorney, a CPA who focuses on helping businesses, a commercial banker, a commercial insurance agent, depending on what your business is going to be, someone who's industry specific, and discuss with them issues of who you are, what you want to do, what you foresee for your business, how you want to do it.

[00:07:39] And then once you have that, then you put together a written business plan, which is the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your business before you actually put it together. And then once you put it together, you figure out what is the best business organization for me and where it should be. And then the next step you take is you register that business organization and make sure you have all of the governing documents that go with that business organization.

[00:08:08] So, that way, if it's a corporation, you have your bylaws and articles of incorporation. If it's an LLC, you have your operating agreement and all your various documents. And then make sure that you have written contracts in place with your business for when you deal with other people or other businesses. And it's not that difficult. You don't have to have a traditional, you know, printed out contract that someone signs with a pen.

[00:08:37] You can send them terms of service or click here to agree or terms on an app or something like that. And then once your business is up and running, once your business has all its documents in place, you have to make sure that you uniformly and objectively run your business and that you do everything formally. You comply with all laws and rules. You don't cut any corners and you proceed forward.

[00:09:06] And obviously, you try to be as proactive as possible. You ask people for assistance if you need assistance. If you don't understand something, ask someone to assist you. And if any issue arises that you haven't been able to proactively or preventively address, make sure you address it in as timely a fashion as possible. And generally speaking, those are the best practices to start your business and to get your business running in the right direction. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:09:35] And Matthew, I wanted to ask you about legal literacy. And I know that most business owners probably don't have the legal background necessary to know all about their eyes and dot their teeth.

[00:09:51] But I'm curious to ask you, when I don't stop dotting eyes and crossing teeth from a legal literacy perspective, what do you think most people should know before going into business that will protect them on the back end of running a business, my friend? What are your thoughts then?

[00:10:17] Well, it's a little bit of what I just told you, where you don't have to, you know, you should be proficient or at least know what your business is going to be about and how you want to accomplish your business. And you want to bring in, not necessarily experts, but people who are proficient in filling in your knowledge gaps and assisting you in things that you don't know. So then that way, that's something that you don't have to put on your plate and something you don't have to deal with.

[00:10:44] So as a business owner, an entrepreneur, a startup, a founder, a solopreneur, whatever you want to characterize yourself as an investor, a partner, whatever, you want to focus on the business. Make sure you run the business just like I said, the best to your ability or whatever. And then bring in, not necessarily subject matter experts, but subject matter people who are proficient in what it is that you need knowledge in.

[00:11:10] So your legal knowledge background should be, you know, try to have a general understanding that you need to have a business organization. The business organization needs to have contracts. The business organization needs to be uniformly and objectively run pursuant to the law, pursuant to those contracts. And if you don't understand, that's why you bring in people who will help you understand, whether it's an attorney, an accountant, or whatever. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:11:39] And, you know, I know that you've been on the legal scene there in South Florida for more than 20 years, my friend. And you've helped business owners throughout the South Florida community build, protect, and defend their company. So I'm curious, what initially drew you to business law?

[00:12:01] And how has working so closely with a diverse group of entrepreneurs shaped your vision or your outlook on how businesses are required to build successfully? How do you think the modern definition of business diversification and legal compliance are interconnected? I'm curious to get your answer there, my friend. Sure.

[00:12:30] So, you know, I started out when I was practicing law. I worked at two pretty big AMLAW, 200 law firms representing large businesses, banks, insurance companies. And I had the opportunity to go and start my own law firm about 12 years ago now. And I wanted to focus on helping small businesses, entrepreneurs, startups, and founders, because I thought that they were underserved by people in big law.

[00:12:58] And they were not properly served by, you know, general practitioner attorneys, particularly out in the suburbs. And that's kind of how I picked that niche. I also grew up with my dad, who's a small business owner. He's retired now, and I saw the issues he dealt with. So that's how I focused on when I wanted to start my law firm. I wanted to assist small businesses and, you know, people and things aligned with that.

[00:13:25] And then as far as, you know, helping businesses over the last, you know, not just 12 years of my own firm, but the last 20 plus years of being an attorney. You know, it's interesting, you know, businesses are changing. There's more technology. There's more assistance out there than there has been previously. But you still have to do all the hard work and the due diligence in order to make it successful.

[00:13:50] It's just a lot, I don't want to say easier, but it's a lot more efficient and you can accomplish a lot more now with more technology, more apps, more AI, more offshore, near shore assistance than you had in the past. And it's a lot easier to legally start a business and do things because a lot of it's online now. There's not as much in-person stuff that you have to do. And there's a lot more access to information or the ability to access information.

[00:14:18] So I think that's probably been the biggest issue I've seen over the course of the last 12 years, at least since I've had my firm and over the last 20 plus years of since I've been an attorney. Yeah, absolutely. And, Pedro, I'm curious to get your perspective on mentorship, leadership and professional growth.

[00:14:39] Because I know that you've learned from businesses to get them to understand not only their legal responsibilities, but also you've mentioned them to, you know, take advantage or capitalize on business growth.

[00:15:00] And I know that mentoring is a big part of what you do outside of your legal practice and within the walls of it. So tell me why mentorship, leadership and, you know, departing knowledge on the next generation of legal professionals is so important to you.

[00:15:23] Well, you know, it's important to me, Kevin, not just on the helping, you know, future attorneys, but also future business owners, because, you know, everyone wants to succeed. Nobody wants to fail. And I think one of the biggest issues that new attorneys have being attorneys or new business owners or entrepreneurs or startups have and being business owners is the knowledge gap of what they don't know. And then the actual application of that knowledge to their real world experience.

[00:15:52] And I know that I'm lucky because I'm in a position in my career and in my business where I'm able to take time and help new attorneys and their, you know, attorney role, their legal endeavors role.

[00:16:08] And I'm able to help businesses, entrepreneurs, startups, founders, solopreneurs, whatever they want to characterize themselves with their businesses in not just my actual work that I do, but in also my mentorship that I do.

[00:16:23] Like today, I was just doing a thing for the Florida Atlantic University runway startup program where we were critiquing pitches for startups of three different entrepreneurs.

[00:16:40] And I was there as a subject matter expert and a mentor, and I was able to kind of help the three entrepreneurs fine tune their pitch for not just funding or for investors, but also for end users who they want to sell their products and services to. And, you know, that's the kind of knowledge where I'm glad to impart that on the people.

[00:17:08] I'm glad to bring that to people where, you know, 20 plus years of experience of being an attorney and 10 plus years experience of being a small business owner. I'm able to convey that knowledge onto others to help them, you know, lessen their learning curve and hopefully increase their success. So that's pretty important to me, and I'm glad I'm able to have the opportunity to do it. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:17:33] And, Matthew, I know that you've spoken about the importance of planning thoroughly, as we've discussed, but also maintaining the agility to responding to changing circumstances. So how do you think your early professional experience has sort of shaped the leader you are today and helping business owners and entrepreneurs really be agile and responsive to change?

[00:18:03] What are your thoughts there, my friend? Well, you know, you have to be able to be agile and able to deal with situations that pop up at a moment's notice. Obviously, you want to think them out as much as possible and make good business decisions or good decisions in whatever it is you're doing.

[00:18:25] So due to the, like we spoke about earlier, you know, the advent of more technology, more information, more AI, more data, more stuff on the internet, more whatever, things are moving quicker than they've ever moved before. And you have to be agile, no matter what industry you're in, no matter what profession you're in, no matter what business you're in. You can't just reactively do things in your own time.

[00:18:51] You don't have to jump the gun and be, you know, jittery and just do stuff for the sake of doing stuff. But you have to be agile because things are moving so quickly now. Information is moving so quickly now. Technology is moving so quickly now that if you can't be agile, no matter what it is you're in, you're going to be out of business very quick.

[00:19:12] You're going to be, you know, beaten in your business by people who are agile or people who are able to adapt and people who are able to integrate information and do things quicker than you are.

[00:19:25] So it's a necessity and it's becoming more and more of a necessity because there's so much noise with so much technology and so much things out there that you have to be a, you know, you have to be proficient in being agile, no matter what aspect of business you're in or what industry you're in or what role you're in. It's just, you're not able to survive anymore without being agile. And that's the bottom line. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:19:51] And, Bethany, I want to talk to you about the human impact of legal decisions because we often think of business law in terms of, you know, the contracts or regulations or financial obligations. But behind every business decision are the people, the employees and the families, you know, and the customers and communities.

[00:20:14] So I'm curious, how do you help entrepreneurs understand the broader human consequences of the legal decisions they make? And what responsibly do you believe business leaders have to balance, you know, protecting the interest of their business versus the human side of doing business as well? What are your thoughts there, my friend?

[00:20:45] Well, you know, it's interesting because that goes into the whole concept of, you know, business ethics and, you know, crossing the line, but blending the line between, you know, you're in a business to try to make money and succeed. But at the same time, you're also in the people business, depending on how many people you have in your business, what you're doing and that your business decisions ultimately have human consequences.

[00:21:11] So I think every business owner, whatever you want to call them, has to understand that if you're in business, you know, you have certain responsibilities and certain obligations, not just in succeeding at business and not necessarily at all costs, but there's a human component and a human side too.

[00:21:33] If you have employees, if you have, you know, if you have independent contractors, if you have vendors, if you have suppliers, if you have professionals that you employ, like you have an accountant, you have, or you have an attorney, you have, or whatever, that you're responsible to at some level. And your business decisions have consequences at levels other than just you making money.

[00:21:57] And as someone who's in business, you need to understand that there's consequences for your actions, there's consequences for your inactions. And that has to be part of your overall business decision that you make regarding your business is that, you know, there's more to just making money or not making money or, you know, checking off a box or doing black or white that there's, you know, collateral.

[00:22:27] Situations that apply to your business that you have to take into account anytime you make a decision. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, one of the challenges entrepreneurs face is protecting, preventing rather problems before they become a crisis.

[00:22:44] And, you know, the challenges of doing what you don't know, as we talked about earlier, and especially when it comes to protecting your business from a legal perspective. So I'm curious, based on your experience, what are some of the most common mistakes that business owners make when entering contracts or establishing new companies or relationships?

[00:23:12] What are the things people have to guard against in that regard? What are your thoughts there, my experience? Sure, Kevin. It's a lot of what we just talked about. The whole process that I talked about of seeking advice and making good decisions and then putting in written documents and enforcing those documents objectively and uniformly. That's the process and the biggest danger that faces businesses is not doing that.

[00:23:38] Is that they don't do their due diligence or research before they get into their business. They don't have the correct documents that support or substantiate their business or their business practices. And that even if they do or they don't, they don't uniformly and objectively run their business and do things that are required under the law or under their contracts. And that's when they run into problems.

[00:24:04] And also, they don't bring in people to assist them when there's problems that are on the horizon or problems that are actually there and think that they can either do it themselves or ignore it and it'll go away.

[00:24:18] Yeah, and I know that your practice, my friend, it's bad in everything from complex commercial litigation and contract disputes to helping entrepreneurs establish their legal foundations of their business.

[00:24:35] So I'm curious, as your practice continues to evolve, I'm interested in your philosophy when it comes to relationship building and building trust from a legal perspective from the clients you serve. Why do you think you're a good relationship builder and what's your advice to entrepreneurs about building effective business relationships?

[00:25:06] Well, I think, you know, you're not on an island by yourself and you want to have relationships in your business with other professionals, other business owners, whatever. Not just a, you know, I have an attorney relationship or I have an accountant relationship.

[00:25:23] But you should have a relationship with other business owners, other entrepreneurs, other people who are in your space, not necessarily your rivals or your competitors, but just people who you can call upon for advice or information or to bounce ideas off of. You don't have to do it yourself. People generally want to help other people unless, you know, they're mean or who knows what they got going on. But for the most part, business owners want to help other business owners. Entrepreneurs want to help other entrepreneurs.

[00:25:52] Professionals want to help other professionals, other business owners, other entrepreneurs. And it's not just networking. It's not just joining like a networking group and making referrals. It's actually having relationships that last that aren't just making you money or economic in nature, but help you, you know, make decisions or help you bounce ideas off of people or things like that.

[00:26:15] And that's something that's very important when you're in business is that you have to cultivate those relationships and have those relationships with other business owners, with other professionals where you can call upon them when you have difficult questions or difficult issues to address. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:26:33] And, Matthew, what do you think is the difference between, you know, relationship building from protecting your business from a legal protection standpoint versus, you know, entrepreneurial confidence? Because a lot of people, when they first start a business especially, they're excited about their entrepreneurial potential, but they don't always consider the legal confidence.

[00:27:06] So what do you think is the delicate balance that entrepreneurs need to strike between legal protection and their entrepreneurial competence, my friend?

[00:27:21] Well, it's not really, you know, the balance is that if you do things correctly, legally and protect yourself, then it's not really going to hinder your entrepreneurial process because the legal compliance, financial compliance, tax compliance, insurance compliance, regulatory compliance, that's all part of being an entrepreneur and all a part of running or owning a business. So it's not really going to have a business. So it's just part of what you need to do. It shouldn't be a hindrance.

[00:27:48] It should just be something that you have to deal with, endure. And, you know, it's just part of the process. It shouldn't impede your ability to be an entrepreneur, to have a business. Yeah. And, Matthew, I'm curious to ask you about your definition of inclusion and diversity in business from a legal perspective.

[00:28:11] As you know, Matthew, I was born with cerebral palsy and I talked to organizations about the importance of hiring folks with disabilities. And this is an interesting question to ask you as a small business owner. I know that you've been around organizational cultures before.

[00:28:29] So how do you think we can continue to improve the intersection of diversity and inclusion at work and also valuing people with disabilities as a valuable asset of the organization? What are your thoughts there, right?

[00:28:47] Well, you know, I think it's great to include people, not just because that they may, you know, be different or disabled or whatever, you know, term or term they don't want to use to describe themselves or other people want to use. I think diversity is great as far as, you know, it makes things stronger by having different perspectives, different backgrounds, different viewpoints. I think it makes the organization or the business stronger.

[00:29:17] You know, I don't think that there's any, you know, I mean, as far as regulatory compliance or legal compliance or whatever, I mean, people, you know, should abide by the law. People should abide by, you know, having a robust policy of wanting to have the best people possible.

[00:29:36] And just because someone may be, you know, a different color, different ethnicity, different, you know, whatever, shouldn't preclude them from ever having a job or being able to assist in the business or helping things, you know, evolve in the business or working with the business. And I think, you know, people should be celebrated for who they are and what they're able to do and what they're able to contribute as a team.

[00:30:01] And I think the team's stronger when it's more diverse and there's more background and more different life experiences, whether it's because of, you know, who you are, where you're from, how you came about, you know, how things evolved. I think it makes things stronger and I think it makes a stronger team and, you know, everyone should be included who can possibly come into the business and help and make a contribution. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:30:29] And, you know, Matthew, I wonder your perspective on the concept of legal equity and what that really means to you. You know, we often talk about fairness and equal opportunity in business, but, you know, the access to the legal knowledge and the representation isn't always the same for everyone.

[00:30:52] So what does equal, what does legal equity and equality personally mean to you? Well, how do you think we can continue to make it a priority to sort of, you know, prioritize in business and entrepreneurship? So what does legal equity mean to you, my friend?

[00:31:18] Well, you know, Kevin, it's interesting because it goes a little bit back to what we're talking about where now you have more access to a lot more information in, you know, 2026. Going forward than you've ever had before. You have the same access to other information regarding, you know, financial tax information, you know, things like that.

[00:31:37] So I think that legal equity or the ability to access legal information, particularly with the advent of AI, you know, more stuff online, more alternative platforms to legal service, like, you know, like a legal Zoom or a rocket lawyer or things like that. I think it's made legal access a lot more sustainable for the average person, the average business owner than it was previously.

[00:32:05] Because, you know, just using an example, when I started my career, I mean, to get competent business law representation, at least where I am in South Florida, where there's 6 million people, you know, you had to get in your car and go to Miami and go up in a big building in the sky and meet with an attorney.

[00:32:27] And, you know, just in the span of my career, now that information has been decentralized and has been, you know, democratized, if you want, with like a lowercase d where, you know, you have access to, you know, I'm where I am. You know, you're talking to each other via video chat. And, you know, previously I would have had to, you know, we'd have to go hang out someplace to have an interview and who knows who would have seen it.

[00:32:54] It's the same thing with the, with legal equity and legal access. You can speak to people all over the world about whatever you want, where previously you weren't able to do that. And the same thing with the information, although obviously, you know, you have to take it with a grain of salt and it's not vetted or, you know, verified and you need to follow up. But, I mean, you have access now with platforms to legal information that you never had before. And I think going forward, it's going to be more and more of that where, you know, law is going to come to the people no matter what kind of law it is.

[00:33:24] And people are going to be able to interact easier than they have before. And I think information is being distributed a lot easier than it has before. Obviously, for things like legal advice or whatever, it needs to be vetted and verified by a professional. You can't just take it at its word. But I think that it's increasingly becoming easier and information is more relevant out there.

[00:33:49] And access to justice or access to legal advice, no matter what area it is, is more prevalent and easier now than it was or it's ever been in history. And it's only getting more and more so. Yeah, absolutely. And, Matthew, I'm curious because I know in the States you just had the midterm elections. And I'm not asking you to get political unless you want to.

[00:34:15] But I'm curious, taking your perspective from a legal perspective, what do you think entrepreneurs need to know about being invested in the political process and really making sure that their voices are heard from a political perspective on how it can affect their business and their legal rights? What are your thoughts there, my friend?

[00:34:43] You know, politics should be not really a factor in how you think you run your business or what you're going to do or how you're going to make your next payroll or do whatever. However it is. So, you know, for me in Florida, you know, it's very state specific. I'm in a very pro-business state.

[00:35:11] Elsewhere, people are in maybe a more pro-labor state versus pro-business. And it balances out where, you know, what do I care about as we'll talk about me as a business owner, okay? I don't care if it's red or blue. You know, I care about green, okay, which is the money. How does it affect me from whatever? So, obviously, you know, depending on who's in power, who's in charge, it's going to affect your taxes. It's going to affect what you're going to do as far as that issue goes.

[00:35:39] Obviously, that's going to trickle down and affect your income, how much you can pay, how much revenue you have, how much money you have to borrow. So, I think that ultimately, you know, from an actual boots-on-the-ground business perspective, I think, you know, the politics comes down to who's going to raise your taxes, who's going to, you know, make things easier for business or harder for business or, you know, more labor-friendly or whatever. And a lot of that's at the state level.

[00:36:08] So, it's not necessarily the federal level, but the federal level obviously controls taxes. So, I think that's probably the biggest issue that most businesses are going to think about generally is that aspect. And then, obviously, there's going to be regulatory things that come in where maybe one regime wants things regulated more, one regime doesn't. And then, obviously, that's going to be industry-specific. You're going to have to keep track of that.

[00:36:30] And that's why you have, you know, an attorney, an accountant, a banker, a commercial insurance agent who keeps track of how there's changes in laws or changes in whatever and then how that affects you. And then, obviously, if you want to be involved in the process, you know, join trade organizations, join professional organizations, and make your voice heard. Yeah.

[00:36:51] And, you know, I know that a community relationship, Dan, meaningful advocacy for you and your hometown is important to you. So, I'm curious, being in a self-ordered community where you built your career, why is that so important to you? And talk to me about what's meaningful about advocating for the people whose businesses that you contribute directly to.

[00:37:21] So, why is community relations so important to you, my friend? Well, Kevin, you know, I like where I live. That's why I'm still here. So, I grew up here. I've been here since I was six years old. I'm staying here. My kids were raised here. Hopefully, my son's at college now. Maybe he'll come back. I don't know where I'll go. But, you know, I like where I live. My parents live here. My in-laws live here. My daughter lives here. My wife lives here.

[00:37:50] You know, my other family lives here. I like it. I like the weather, except for when it rains too much. Like, it's rained too much the last few days. Sometimes it's too hot. But, you know, I like the community. It's diverse. We talked about diversity. South Florida is probably the most culturally diverse place in the United States. I mean, per capita, as much as how many different cultures there are here. I mean, there's a lot of different cultures. It's a very interesting place. It's a very pro-business place.

[00:38:20] It's a very pro-if you want to raise your family place, particularly where I live here in the Parkland Coral Springs area. So I like it here, and I like helping people here because this is where I grew up. This is where I want to stay. I like helping businesses. I think it's cool to see not just, you know, like, you know, online businesses or whatever, but actual like old brick-and-mortar businesses where I can drive by and say, oh, I helped that restaurant, you know, get established or help that store get established or whatever.

[00:38:46] And I think it's important to be part of the community wherever you are, even if, you know, you keep to yourself or just do stuff online or whatever. You still are part of a community somewhere. So I think it's important to be there, and I'm glad I'm part of my community. Yeah, absolutely. Matthew, I'm curious to ask you about entrepreneurial law and entrepreneurship because it's constantly evolving, as you know.

[00:39:12] So whether it be technology changes, economic conditions, or new ways of doing business. But sometimes, you know, the legal system can struggle to keep up with, you know, practical everyday life.

[00:39:29] So if you take a look at existing business law, I'm wondering if you could change or modify something about business law to better protect entrepreneurs so that they can optimize their earning potential but also protect their legal rights. I'm wondering what, if anything, in business law would you change and why, my friend?

[00:39:57] Well, you know, I would think, you know, with law, it's always slower to catch up to society than probably anything else. As far as governmental compliance stuff goes, it's easier to legislate something or have an executive order come out than it is to finally have law come out that keeps up with society.

[00:40:20] So probably, with that being said, the biggest thing that business law is slow to catch up with is the evolution of technology. And I think that if it was easier to implement things in a quicker pace, but still well thought out, well rationalized, as far as the implementation, integration of technology, cross-border issues, online AI stuff.

[00:40:47] The law is very far behind on those issues or is trying to apply antiquated or anachronistic concepts to those issues. So I think that would be the thing that I want to change is to speed up the recognition and implementation of technology, particularly like AI technology, on how the law recognizes it and how it deals with it, particularly as it applies to business. So that would be the thing that I would change. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:41:16] And I've got two questions left for you. And the first of those two questions is this, you know, I'm a huge believer in the fact that, you know, we all have to contribute professionally to moving the needle of progress forward. But at the same token, we also have to invest in ourselves because you can't invest into anything if your personal cup is in school.

[00:41:44] So outside of work, Matthew, I'm curious, what brings the biggest smile to your face? And how do you find your internal why outside of work, my friend? Sure. So, you know, my biggest thing is my family, which is, you know, when I'm not doing work, I'm hanging out with my family. As I said earlier, my son's off at college.

[00:42:09] So now my daughter, who is a freshman in high school, she's picking up the slack as far as hanging out with mom and dad. So most of what I do is family centric, doing things with my kids, my wife, my parents. And, you know, that occupies a lot of my time building my free time around that and then reverse engineering everything else around it. Yeah. And just to follow up to that, I know that American Thanksgiving is quickly approaching my friends.

[00:42:39] So I'm curious, what recently are you most thankful for, buddy? Well, you know, I love Thanksgiving, Kevin. It's like probably my favorite holiday. It's the I love the food. I would eat Thanksgiving food every single day if I could. And I'm being 100% true. Ask anyone who knows me. I love Thanksgiving. I love it. Love the food.

[00:43:04] What I'm most thankful for is obviously, you know, the health and, you know, everything regarding my family and my business is going well. And, you know, I'm doing well in my business and I'm able to help people. I'm able to hang out and talk to cool people like you, Kevin. So that's what I'm thankful for. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, in the spirit of sharing, I have to tell you, I'm most thankful for having conversations, Matthew.

[00:43:33] And I'll tell you why. Because, as you know, I was born with cerebral palsy, as I told you earlier. And I actually spent seven and a half years in speech language therapy. So the fact that I now get paid to talk is really something. But I'm thankful for that. And I have to second your love of Thanksgiving food. And the thing is, for me, Matthew, I was originally born in Canada.

[00:44:02] So I celebrate Thanksgiving twice a year and I don't apologize for it. Okay. Well, you know, Canada, you know, the Canadians have Thanksgiving like, you know, five-ish, six weeks before we do. So I love Canada too. So I'd love to, I have to go to Canadian Thanksgiving one day. Yes, just so you know, it's the second Monday of October every year, Canadian Thanksgiving. Okay.

[00:44:31] And my final question for you, my friend, is I'm curious to get your internal why in terms of defining your life and your legacy. You know, if you, one of my assignments in college, so I have a journalism degree.

[00:44:51] And one of the assignments in college was my coordinating professor made me write the first line of my eulogy and what people wanted people to say about me at my funeral. So I'm curious, if I gave you that same writing assignment, how do you want your legacy to be defined and determined, my friend?

[00:45:17] Brandon, what do you think your first line of your eulogy would read if you had to self-author it, my friend? What do your thoughts think? You know, Kevin, that's interesting. I, you know, obviously we all pass away at some point in time. You know, I'd like people to remember me as a, first of all, good dad first, husband, son, you know, brother-in-law.

[00:45:45] You know, put all the family stuff first. And then remember that, generally speaking, I was a nice guy who helped people, whether it's professionally or personally. And that would be how I want to be remembered. Yeah, absolutely. And finally, man, to tell me if people want to get connected with you personally or your law firm, what's the best way they can do that, my friend? Sure. So I'm all over social media. I'm not hard to miss. Just go to my website, fornarowlegal.com.

[00:46:14] And all my stuff's on there, all my information, all my goodies for you to figure out answers to your questions. And then if not, feel free to message me or email me. Yeah, and just out of personal curiosity, I'll end with this, my friend. You've got a unique-sounding and deep voice, my friend.

[00:46:35] So I'm curious, if you weren't practicing law, what would be the most – what would be the next career that you would be interested in pursuing, my friend? And what a strength outside of law do you think you could make money doing and have the most fun doing it, my friend? Well, you know, I'm so deep into the law, I don't know what I'd do otherwise.

[00:47:03] But I can tell you ideally what my favorite job would be if I could would be a Formula One driver. I don't know if I'm any good at it, but that's – if I could, that's my favorite sport. I love Formula One. I'd love to drive for Ferrari. Oh, very – well, you need a need for speed, huh? Yeah. So I'm way too big and way too fat to fit in a Formula One seat.

[00:47:29] But, you know, that I'm about 40 years too late to start doing it. So – but that would be my ideal job. As far as like a real job to do, if I didn't do that, I don't know. I'd like to go – I'd like to go work at Costco. I think Costco's cool. I think it would be fun to work there. Well, you know, great people watching at Costco, and I'm sure you would come home with a lot of interesting stories, I'm sure, right? Yeah. Absolutely.

[00:47:57] Well, Matthew, I really want to thank you for this discussion about legal equity and business equality in the legal profession and for the work that you're doing to propel businesses forward from a legal perspective. Thanks for engaging in conversation, and it was an honor to meet you, my friend. Thanks so much for your time. No problem, Kevin. Thank you for hanging out with me on a Friday afternoon. I appreciate your time, and I think you're awesome.

[00:48:27] I mean, you're doing a great job.