V. Joe Stubbs and Scott Alderton were both practicing at very large firms when they realized that a new kind of company was emerging that needed the same services they provided in a way that was different from the traditional law firm business model. So in 2002, Stubbs and Alderton left their large firms to set up Stubbs, Alderton & Markiles LLP, a firm that specializes in emerging growth and technology companies. “A core group of us were focused on this market and we found the business model of a large law firm was inconsistent with representing this part of the market because of the metrics they were imposing,” said Scott Alderton. “We had developed pretty extensive contacts, and we carried them over to this firm.” The origins of the law may date back to the philosophy of Aristotle, but the practice of law is, in the final analysis a business. And like any good business, it changes with the times. It wasn’t that long ago when few heard of specialties like elder law or intellectual property law, let alone practiced in those areas. Most folks didn’t live long enough to require the protections that elder law provides. And intellectual property was relegated to highly scientific discoveries that needed patent attorneys schooled in chemistry and engineering. Today as business evolves and social issues change, attorneys are finding opportunities in a number of relatively new fields. Franchising is one such example. Nearly 900 new franchise concepts launched in the U.S. during the past three years and the sector has grown large enough that the California state bar this year will add a franchise and distribution law exam, the first step in certifying the practice. But in 1980, when Barry Kurtz, of counsel at Greenberg & Bass LLP, transacted his first franchise deal, no lawyer would dare specialize in the field. It just wasn’t big enough. “I had been doing corporate transactional work for about seven years,” said Kurtz of his start in the field. “I had a client that had two barbeque restaurants on the Westside and he asked me if I could help franchise the restaurants. I said of course, and I had to figure out how to do it.” Six months later, the wife of an accountant that worked with Kurtz got a job at El Pollo Loco, then a single restaurant that had moved into L.A. from Mexico. “I did their first franchise representations and represented them on franchising until Denny’s bought them out,” Kurtz said. Today, Kurtz, who has developed a singular reputation as a franchise attorney, has helped to franchise about 65 or 70 companies. But he is no longer alone. “When I started in the 1980s the American Bar Association had a subcommittee forum on franchising, and when I went to the third or fourth forum they held, there were 125 lawyers there,” Kurtz recalled. “The last one was held in October and there were 700 lawyers.” Different delivery Unlike franchise law, which requires a very specific kind of expertise, the emerging growth specialty that Stubbs, Alderton & Markiles has cultivated provides the same services that most business law firms provide. But the firm delivers it in a very different way from traditional law firms. “A lot of these companies have multiple levels of problems they have to deal with at the same time,” said Stubbs. “We’ll take a more holistic approach to dealing with their problems.” These relatively young companies are often dealing with intellectual property and financing questions, M & A; and other issues simultaneously. At a large firm, each would be handled by a different department and the fees would pile on accordingly. What Stubbs, Alderton & Markiles offers is a kind of one-stop business law shop, able to navigate sophisticated and complex issues and willing to do it for a fee that averages about a third less than the freight a large firm would charge. The firm has grown to 16 attorneys with a client list that includes VoIP provider Skype Technologies S.A., film production house Spyglass Entertainment Group Inc., Alcatel Ventures, a venture capital firm that specializes in technology sectors and video game developer NovaLogic Inc. But just as important, Stubbs, Alderton & Markiles is also able to go outside its own house and assemble a team customized for particular needs that may arise. “Because of our vast relationships we can fit somebody capable whose personality fits with the client too, and we can form a team when the need comes up,” said Stubbs. “It’s tapped into on an as needed basis instead of paying for it all the time.” Special education attorney Although her pursuit of the specialty has little to do with business opportunity, Sarit Ariam has also seen her practice expand considerably by tapping into a newly emerging need. Ariam is a special education attorney who advocates for parents and children who require those services within the public school system. Ariam’s specialization grew from very personal origins a child afflicted with autism. But what has kept her practice thriving is, sadly, a huge uptick in demand. For many years, statistics indicated that autism occurred in about 4.5 of every 10,000 live births. But by 2006, the National Institute of Mental Health reported that autism is occurring in two to six of every 1,000 births. “The law specifies that these children are entitled to free and appropriate public education,” said Ariam. “No one is arguing about what’s free or public, but what is appropriate is certainly an issue of debate. School districts a lot of times offer a level of services that the families don’t accept to be appropriate.” Since she began, Ariam has added one associate to her practice, which she says is “very, very busy.” But that isn’t the reason she pursues it. “It’s very gratifying,” she said. “I get thank you notes and pictures and people keep me up to date on the progress the kids made because they have the right services.”