Fighting Through Challenges with Attorney Martin Prego

“I’ve always had a big love of the law and the practice of law,” explains Martin Prego, owner of Prego Law Group PLLC, a boutique law firm that primarily focuses in financial matters. Yet, despite Prego’s passion, his path towards a career in the legal system was not as direct as you’d expect.

Born and raised in Argentina, Prego eventually came to the United States through a university scholarship program—fulfilling a lifelong dream of living in the U.S. “I’ve always wanted to be here,” he says. Equipped with a dual bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations, Prego quickly found himself working in the financial sector, taking on a mix of operations and compliance roles.

While he enjoyed professional success, his passion for the law never subsided. It wasn’t until his daughter was born however, that he decided to act on it.

“How could I tell her to pursue her dreams,” he asks, “if I didn’t pursue mine?”

With a renewed sense of vigor and determination, Prego headed to law school.

AN UNEXPECTED CHALLENGE

As if law school wasn’t challenging enough, Prego was about to be rocked with difficult news. “I was diagnosed with cancer,” he reveals. Undaunted, Prego balanced his cancer treatments, law school and a full-time job. “I woke up every day and just got through it,” he says with a significant degree of modesty

In fact, he was energized by the pressure. “I could tell this was my calling,” Prego says. He used the downtime spent during treatment in hospitals as an opportunity to study harder. As a result, he was able to finish the four-year law program a year early.

“I believe today, through the hardest days of my life, law school kept me alive,” Prego explains. “I was passionate, I was doing what I really loved.”

Today, Prego happily reports that he’s doing great. “I’m in full remission. It’s not a curable condition, but I get a mild treatment every other week. The important thing is that I’m happy.

STARTING HIS LEGAL CAREER

Upon graduation, Prego found himself in a tricky situation. As he applied for jobs, Prego noticed that firms often had a confusing mix of expectations. Many of the entry-level positions he looked at required years of experience. “It was kind of a catch-22,” he quips.

But, as his track record predicts, Prego didn’t get disheartened. Instead, he decided to mold his extensive experience in the business and finance world into his own law firm. “I took a leap of faith,” he admits.

Turns out, it was a smart decision—his main area of practice now aligns perfectly with his financial sector experience.

Interestingly, Prego discovered that, in addition to business matters, he’s also developed a love for family law. “I never expected it,” he reveals, but family law represents a growing percentage of his firm’s business as well.

PASSION PREDICTS PROSPERITY

With his law firm off the ground, Prego is already planning for expansion. “I do like working for myself,” he says. “I have hopes that the firm will continue to grow, and I can add more attorneys to it.” By staying in touch with many of his colleagues from law school, he’s building his referral network, which he anticipates will lead to more new business.

He also credits his success to how he conducts business. For instance, instead of billing his clients for every minute of every phone call, he offers a tiered fee structure with an expectation of the services provided.

That way, clients don’t get surprises on their invoice, and they’re ultimately more open to seeking his legal counsel up front— instead of going it alone and potentially complicating matters. Because the clock isn’t ticking on every call, Prego explains that his clients “aren’t afraid to pick up the phone and ask questions.”

But perhaps what’s driving his firm’s growth is Prego’s own enthusiasm for his work.

“When I’m practicing, I’m happy,” he beams.