Matthew Cambó is an assistant lawyer working with Leinoff & Lemos, P.A. He has been acknowledged by Best Lawyers in America 2022 for his outstanding dedication to serving clients in family law matters.
Mr. Cambó holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. He is authorized to practice in Florida and is a member of the Family Law and Young Lawyers sections of the Florida Bar.
Matthew, what sets you apart from other experts in your field?
The connections that I establish with my clients. I aim to offer them the best guidance I can based on the unique circumstances of their specific case, not just a standard or formulaic recitation of advice previously given, which only serves to please the client and ensure the next bill is timely paid.
While I acknowledge that professionals in my field may rightfully seek fair compensation for the services they provide to their clients, which I certainly have no objections to.
Plenty of attorneys are willing to sacrifice the advice they give to their clients if it increases their chances of generating additional business. In my field of law, i.e., family law, we often deal with clients who are going through one of the most challenging experiences of their life.
When such a vulnerable person places their trust in you, I am honored to receive the opportunity to guide him or her through their challenging situation to the best of my ability.
This makes a lot of sense, Matthew. What is the potential market share you can attain in the next 3 years?
I am fortunate enough to work at a leading boutique firm in South Florida that specializes in family law. We receive plenty of work, and we seem to grow each year. I have certainly seen my responsibilities and personal caseload increase significantly each year as I continue to gain more experience and exposure to larger cases with more complex issues.
However, there are only so many hours in the day, so even though there are obvious limitations to the amount of business an hourly attorney can generate each year, there is always room to enhance the quality and efficiency of the work you perform.
What was the pivotal part of your professional journey?
When I became a lawyer, I would say about a couple of years in, I handled my own trial for the first time, which revealed to me how my entire profession works. It demonstrated to me how my specific area of law and all of the different components or sub-areas of my particular area of law fit into place and work with each other.
Once all of that clicked, it elevated my ability to analyze the entire case as a whole and then strategically implement my strategy.
It also gave me invaluable practical experience in terms of learning how to prepare effectively, learning how long everything takes to complete, and even learning how much effort and time is really needed just to coordinate and complete some of the seemingly easier tasks necessary to prepare your case for presentation.
Those intangibles can’t be taught in law school, even in the best litigation classes with a simulated trial.
You can practice your cross-examination as much as you want, but until you get a live witness in front of you who has their own agenda that is contrary to yours, you won’t truly know how effective you will be.
What is the best investment that you’ve ever made?
Recently, one of my best purchases, I would say, is my Bose noise-canceling headphones. When you’re working in a tight space with other people who are on the phone or who are dealing with a dog or a child or have to listen to somebody doing renovations to their office or condo, or whatever, I can put those headphones on, escape from all of the distractions and noise surrounding me, and focus on my work.
What occupies an excessive amount of your time?
Administrative work, tasks that just need to be done but don’t require lawyer skills to do, whether it’s reformatting PDFs or reformatting a Word document so that the substance meets the professional view of the document.
Even when the substance of your Motion is perfectly crafted, if it looks like it was prepared by a caveman, you will instantly lose some credibility.
Other examples include: having to search for documents that you know you put somewhere, but you can’t find or having to sift through old materials because they’re not organized correctly.
Just silly things like that can end up consuming hours out of your week with nothing to show for it.
What three pieces of counsel would you offer to college students or recent law school graduates who want to become business owners or leaders in the field?
You have to be willing to put yourself out there, network, and constantly meet people. And get people to recognize you, because even if they don’t remember you after your first meeting, the second, third, or fourth time you see the same people, your name may finally click in their heads, or at a minimum, you will have become recognizable. You never know if and when any person you meet may need a professional in your field, and when they do, hopefully, they will think of you positively and then reach out.
Likewise, you never know which relationship will be the one that makes a tremendous impact on your life. The old cliché – it’s not just what you know; it’s who you know – is perpetuated by many for a reason.
Who has impressed you most with what they’ve achieved?
That would be my mom. She’s also an attorney in my firm. In addition to providing me with everything I needed to succeed growing up, she set an incredible example for me and my siblings. Being an active and involved mother of four children, while also being one of the best—if not the best—family attorneys in the state of Florida, and still managing to find time to enjoy her life, is the realistic model of success we should all pursue and would be lucky to attain.
What drives you to keep going when it’s really tough?
I think of another simple adage that has always resonated with me – “this too shall pass.” Similar to the adage “time heals all wounds,” it is a comment on the temporary nature of many of the trials and tribulations of the human experience. Once I remember these and then remind myself of my long-term goals, which by definition cannot be accomplished overnight, I’m usually able to continue grinding through the tough times.
How should people connect with you?
You can connect with me on my LinkedIn or visit my website
