Celebrating Black Entrepreneurs: Janice Brown, the Merger with Meyers Nave, and Diversity Featured in San Diego Business Journal
In honor of Black History Month, the San Diego Business Journal is featuring local Black entrepreneurs who have achieved success in their businesses and greatly contributed to the San Diego community. Janice Brown, the merger of her Brown Law Group with Meyers Nave, and the importance of diversity are featured in the Journal’s first of four weekly special issues through February. In an article titled “Encouragement Changes Lives,” the Journal explained that “Janice Brown Encouragement is what Janice Brown needed to change her life and give her the confidence to start her own law firm – the Brown Law Group. Now she tries to do the same for others as she shares how she looks at everything as an opportunity to learn.” The Journal article is copied below and available here. Please click here to learn more about the merger with Meyers Nave.
“Encouragement Changes Lives,” San Diego Business Journal, February 1, 2021
Janice Brown said the encouragement of one federal judge changed her life and it gave her the confidence to eventually found her own firm, Brown Law Group. Now, she tries to do the same for others in her current role as a Principal at Meyers Nave. As a leader she humbly recognizes that she does not know everything, but takes everything as an opportunity to learn.
A Judge’s Confidence
Early in her career, Brown worked at a firm where the leadership wasn’t as flexible and one day after court, a federal judge called Brown back to her chamber. The judge went out of her way to acknowledge Brown’s talent and she encouraged her to find other opportunities that would foster her growth, rather than stifle it. “That was a big risk on her part, because she doesn’t know me,” Brown said. “She took a risk that I would take the advice legitimately and still to this day I thank her, and I stay connected to her because she had confidence in me. When someone like a federal judge has confidence in you, that changes how you perceive yourself. So, I try to do that to other people because I understood what it meant when she did that for me.”
Merger With Purpose
While at the U.S. Justice Department, where she started her career, she was awarded “Outstanding Trial Attorney” and “Trial Lawyer of the Year” awards in under three years. She founded her San Diego firm, Brown Law Group, in 1999 and has served local corporations and Fortune 50 companies headquartered throughout the U.S. for over 20 years. In October 2020, Brown Law Group merged with Meyers Nave, a firm that serves businesses, public entities, nonprofits and P3s throughout California. The merger not only expanded Meyers Nave’s presence in San Diego, but it also builds on its commitment to fostering diversity in its overall practice.
At Meyers Nave, Brown is a Principal in the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice, Workplace Investigations Practice and Commercial Litigation Practice, rapidly growing fields of law in California. “Janice and her team bring exceptional experience and depth in high-impact employment litigation, both in Southern California and statewide,” said David Skinner, Managing Principal at Meyers Nave. “By joining forces, Meyers Nave and Janice’s team are uniquely qualified to meet the increasing demand for high quality labor and employment services on challenging and complex matters in the private and public sector.” With more than 35 years of experience in trial, arbitration and appellate experience in state and federal courts, Brown was drawn to the complex and people-oriented practice of employment law. She primarily represents companies with a pro-active and relationship focused approach that ensures employers are educated on the ever-changing labor laws.
Diverse Leadership
Brown said the decision to join Meyers Nave was one of the best choices she’s made. She knew she wanted to sell her firm eventually, but what really attracted her to Meyers Nave was the diverse leadership. “It felt like a place that I could be myself in,” Brown said. “What I’ve come to realize is the more yourself you are, the more…almost like magnetic, you are, because you’re comfortable in your own skin. So I knew I needed to go someplace where I was comfortable in my own skin.”
Skinner proudly shared that 60% of the firm’s attorneys are comprised of women and minority attorneys and eight of the firm’s practice group leaders are women and/or minority attorneys. “What works for us at Meyers Nave is “hard-wiring” diversity and inclusion into every aspect of our business,” Skinner said. “This is not just a core value. It is a key part of our strategic planning, business development training, recruiting and retention — including our summer diversity fellowship.”
Building Business
Brown said another benefit to joining Meyers Nave was that it allowed her to continue working on her business venture called Beyond Law. She helps lawyers not only build their own book of business, but understand how to manage a network of clients that will grow their career and ultimately their confidence. Also, with this understanding she said that her experience founding a minority, woman-owned business has been a strength in her career in more ways than one. “To be an entrepreneur, to have a business, you need to be resilient,” Brown said. “Because you’re gonna have people say no. And so, if people say no, you have to be comfortable with overcoming it.”