It’s widely known that some lawyers turn to alcohol to relieve stress. But only a few like attorney Paul Hletko decide to turn alcohol into a new career.
“I was growing weary of practicing law,” Hletko tells ABA Journal in a magazine feature. So in 2010, he decided to turn away from his patent law practice and focus instead on opening a micro-distillery which he named Few Spirits.
But turning Hletko’s home-brewing hobby into a full-scale business required a bit of legal maneuvering – a challenge Hletko met head-on.
So Hletko got the laws changed, a process that took about a year.
First, Hletko lobbied to create a new class of liquor license for micro-distillers. He then petitioned the zoning board to allow him to operate a distillery within city limits. Finally, he convinced health officials to back a new law that allows him to serve alcohol and pretzels at his distillery, without having a commercial kitchen.
By doing everything himself, “I saved a lot of money on legal fees,” Hletko told ABA Journal. Few Spirits has been up and running for a year, making white whiskey, gin, and bourbon that’s now being sold in Chicago and even the Pacific Northwest.
Paul Hletko, a 1996 graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, worked in litigation before focusing on patent law, according to his LinkedIn profile. He’s now practicing law just part-time, with hopes of leaving the profession altogether if the spirits move him.
Related Resources:
- Libation Litigation: TX Lawyer Quits the Law to Brew Beer (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
- Small-Town Lawyer Seeks Decent Coffee, So He Roasts His Own (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
- 99 Things to Do With Your JD, Besides Practice Law (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
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