My name is Mike Agruss. I’m the founding attorney of Mike Agruss Law. Mike Agruss Law started in March of 2012.
What I like about personal injury cases is each case is different. So it makes it challenging. It’s something new. It’s something exciting because you are investigating a whole new set of facts in each case that you work on.
What I like most about consumer rights cases is most people don’t know about the law. We didn’t learn about it much in law school. And if we’re not learning about it in law school, most people don’t know what their rights are.
I enjoy explaining the law to people. It’s always refreshing to hear clients say, “I didn’t know I had those rights.” And, most importantly, consumer rights cases that we handle, which are primarily financial issues, have what’s called a “fee shift provision,” so my fees are shifted to the other side. In other words, my clients don’t pay my fees and costs; the company we’re going after does. So it’s refreshing to explain someone their rights. You have options. And not only can we fix their problem, the other side has to pay our fees and costs. And the consumer rights practice is national, so I like the idea of being able to help everyone in the country.
What I like most about plaintiff’s work is representing individuals. I tell people all the time, you’re either a plaintiff’s lawyer or you’re not.
From the moment I could walk, I knew I wanted to go to law school. And I always knew I wanted to do plaintiff’s work. There was a period of time for about a year and a half where I did insurance defense work. And it was enlightening, and I learned a lot. And it makes me a better lawyer on the plaintiff’s side, because I know how the other side is thinking. But I’m 100% a plaintiff’s lawyer. I like having individual clients. I like having someone to talk to. It’s refreshing to get that review from a client. It’s refreshing to be told you did a good job. And it makes me think that this was the reason I went to law school, was to help out individuals.
My favorite animal is a dog; we have one at home. But I’m a big animal lover. My son is six years old and I just got him a fish tank for his birthday, and it’s probably as much of a gift for him as it is for me. So I like all sorts of animals, but I’d say my favorite animal is a dog.
The app I use the most is Waze. I feel like I’m thinking, answering questions, analyzing things all day long, going through a million emails, phone calls, and the last thing I want to do when I get in my car is figure out where I’m going. I love being able to plug in an address and Waze tells me where to go.
My favorite food is pizza and sushi. I’m a big lover of deep dish pizza. So the original UNOS and Dues in Chicago, I’ve been going to since I was in high school. And I’m also a big seafood fan. I love sushi. When I lived out in California for a couple of years, they had incredible sushi out there. I love it. I miss it.
My perfect vacation has always been relaxing on a beach. I’ve got two toddlers at home, and so that’s even more important these days. So a hundred percent relaxing on a beach.
Weekends are for catching up on sleep, hanging out with my family, exercising and, most importantly, getting afternoon naps. I love napping and, on the weekends, I certainly nap every day.
If I was not a lawyer, actually I don’t know what I would be. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer since I could walk. Having started my own firm, I also like the aspect of running a small business. So I would be a small business owner.
My favorite book? Surprisingly, I don’t read much. I would say in high school, my favorite book was Catcher in the Rye. The most recent book I’ve read that I love, and I just started doing audio books, is Ryan Serhant’s book, Sell It Like Serhant. He is on Million Dollar Listing New York. I love all of the real estate shows on TV. I read his book. And whether you’re an attorney, a real estate agent, no matter what you do, if you’re a small business owner, the book’s applicable. I loved it. So currently my favorite book would be Sell It Like Serhant.
My favorite movie when I was young was Breakfast Club. I watched it every weekend. I’ve probably watched it hundreds of times. There was a point where I knew the first half by heart. Recently, I would say my favorite movie would be … I’ve got a couple of them. I really enjoy The Hangover. Anytime it’s on TV, I always watch it. I also like current war movies. 13 Hours was a great movie and Lone Survivor was a great movie.
Working at Mike Agruss Law is fast paced. We are high volume. It is a healthy amount of stress. Every day is new, it’s different, constantly getting phone calls and emails, talking to clients. Working at Mike Agruss Law is collaborative. It is very open door. We all talk together throughout the day. Whether we’re discussing a potential case, whether we’re discussing a current case, whether we are settling a case, whatever it may be, we’re all actively involved, communicating with each other, and it is a good place to work. It’s unlike any other law firm I’ve ever worked at, and that’s on purpose.
