I have lived a very fortunate life. I grew up at a difficult time during New York City’s history in the 1970’s and 1980’s relatively unscathed. Through some tough times growing up through high school, I came into my own at college. While law school wasn’t easy, I was able to survive and pass three different state bar exams while also netting an LLM degree at the school I always wanted to go to, Boston University. While my legal career was littered with multiple stops, I was able to start my own law firm dedicated to ERISA/retirement plans with a national footprint and a loyal following on JDSupra. Yet the most difficult and frustrating time in my life wasn’t going to an inner city high school during the crack epidemic or being right of center in a very left leaning law school. My most frustrating time was working as an associate for a law firm in Long Island that is more interested in being a country club than being an actual business. I am not a braggart or full of myself, yet I always feel that my success is my own personal vindication and a way to rub my success into those people that didn’t believe in me, the powers that be at that law firm. This story is about how an associate who was left for dead is now standing high.