Eric Raymon is the founder of Raymon Law Group based in New Mexico. We sat down with Raymon to discuss his career and the path that led him to his successful practice.
AALM: How did your experiences and interests lead you to practice criminal defense?
ER: When I was in law school, I wanted to practice family law. I always wanted to handle divorce cases and work through tough child custody cases. I clerked for a family law judge and began working at a firm that handled family law and bankruptcy cases. While there, one of the partners of the firm offered me a full-time criminal defense position, I took it and never looked back.
AALM: How is your practice different today than you envisioned in law school?
ER: It is much different. In law school, I wanted to work for a thriving law firm that did well. Today, I want to operate a law firm that operates at the elite level.
AALM: How did your experience in the U.S. Army shape you? How does that experience affect your legal career?
ER: The Army helped shape me in many ways. It helped me develop mental toughness, physical toughness, and taught me how to push my personal limits in many aspects of my life. My Army experiences affected my legal career in many positive ways, primarily with the ability to handle high pressure/high stress situations.
AALM: What motivated you to establish Raymon Law Group? What did you hope to build with your practice? What more do you hope to do?
ER: My goal has and always will be to make Raymon Law Group a high-volume law firm that provides the quality service of a small firm. I hope to grow my practice, but always keeping the client’s best interest a top priority.
AALM: Tell us about a case that has affected you professionally or personally.
ER: I have had many memorable cases. In the last few months, I’d say the most memorable was a client who was offered a $4,000 settlement for her car accident. Her case was rejected by a few other local injury firms. My legal team and I were able to secure her a six-figure settlement for her case. She was beyond happy, and I was please to get her the compensation she deserved.
AALM: Tell us about some of your legal mentors and the best lessons they shared with you.
ER: I’d have to say without a doubt my former law partner Chris Ariano. He started as my law school professor, then he hired me at his firm, then I became his business partner. He taught me pretty much everything from marketing, client intake, client management, firm budgeting, etc. He was my supervising attorney for my first few trials before I even had a law license. He taught me enough lessons in the legal space to last a lifetime. He passed away back in 2022 and is still greatly missed.
AALM: Looking back on your career so far are there any changes you’d make? Mistakes you’d correct? Missed opportunities you’d grab hold of?
ER: I have not made many mistakes career wise. I learn from mistakes I have seen other attorneys make and I try to take note of those mistakes and make sure I do not repeat them. Missed opportunities, I should have got involved with mass torts sooner.
AALM: What goals are you still hoping to accomplish in your professional career? What’s the next big milestone for you?
ER: I still have quite a few goals; I feel like I am just getting started. I couldn’t be more motivated. Hiring more talented attorneys and staff and just always striving to provide a better product to the community is a big goal that’s an ongoing process to accomplish.
AALM: How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance while providing dedicated service to your clients?
ER: I always take time to ensure I am 100% mentally sound for my clients. Never over worked, over stressed, or highly emotional with their cases. I am also very dedicated to my clients, they all have my cell phone number and I actually answer it, the same goes for text messages I reply. There is 24 hours in the day so they will always hear back from me same day even if it’s at night, I don’t leave clients hanging.
AALM: Outside of your legal career, what are some of your hobbies or interests that you enjoy pursuing in your free time? Do you still box?
ER: I like to golf a lot I have been playing for about 25 years. I do not compete in boxing anymore but still go to the gym often and hit the bag as well. I like to travel to Dubai as well normally there three to four times a year.
