Legal Grind was founded by attorney Jeff Hughes in 1996 using a “Coffee and Counsel” model – combining a coffee house on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica with access to attorneys providing informal, face-to-face legal advice available at the tables for a nominal fee. This innovative business model enabled “the rest of us” who had never before had access to expert legal advice a chance to have our disputes and legal problems evaluated and presented in the same expert way that rich folk have had since time immemorial. Major news organizations across the country took notice, and Legal Grind was able to help thousands of people with personal injuries, bankruptcies, divorce and custody matters, contract disputes, DUIs, and many other basic legal services. According to Mary K. Ryan, Chair of the ABA’s standing committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, “Legal Grind® demonstrates the type of commitment to innovation that the legal profession needs to pursue.”
Jeff continues to be the CEO of Legal Grind and is intimately involved with its day-to-day operation. He personally chooses the lawyers that clients are referred to for their legal needs. He selects attorneys who exhibit the highest level of professional competence, integrity, empathy, and sense of mission to make their talents available to those who otherwise would not have the benefit of legal counsel.
