Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher DiSchino.
Christopher, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my career in Miami’s legal industry working in real estate and international business law. After several years of working in a traditional law firm setting, I was given the opportunity to take an in-house counsel position for Menin Hospitality, one of the key players in Miami’s hotel, restaurant, and nightlife industries. Working in-house for Menin Hospitality allowed me to not only provide traditional legal advice but to understand the inner workings of a growing business. Working in-house also allowed me the opportunity to play a part in the creative process of branding and developing new concepts. From there, my passion for intellectual property was born.
After working with Menin Hospitality, I was offered a position as General Counsel and Director of Business Development for another Miami start-up, Del Toro Shoes, which was one of the first Wynwood-based fashion brands. Working for Del Toro Shoes was an incredible experience which gave me unbridled access to Miami’s creative industries. The position took me to places like New York for fashion week, Las Vegas for tradeshows and conventions and Italy for quality control and sourcing materials.
With the connection that I made in the hospitality and fashion industries, I decided to start my own law firm, which focuses on business and intellectual property law and caters primarily to the creative industries. Our main clients operate in Miami’s booming fashion, art, design, hospitality, food & beverage and technology industries. We like to think of ourselves as one of the forces that is driving, nurturing and supporting these growing industries.
The firm was a merger two firms which were each owned by Christopher DiSchino and Brenda Schamy. Combining their unique backgrounds and expertise, Christopher & Brenda built DiSchino & Schamy, a multi-faceted law firm. Christopher and Brenda wanted to practice law on their own terms, having better relationships with their clients and getting to know them on a personal level. From a few retainer clients, the firm has built up a national book of business consisting of hundreds of clients across industries.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting any new business is never a smooth road. First, building the internal structure of the business is key. Finding the right mix of technology and talent was an uphill battle, but over the course of the past few years, we have built a fantastic, multi-disciplinary team. Many of the challenges that we faced are common to most businesses, such as finding new clients, retaining clients, and finding the right pricing that keeps clients coming back. In addition, some of the struggles that we had related to “growing pains”, which are good problems to have. When we reach our workload capacity, we have to make decisions on how to grow and how fast to do it. Moreover, as we grow, we want to be able to provide the same attention to each of your clients, without sacrificing the quality of work.
DiSchino & Schamy – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
DiSchino & Schamy is a boutique, Miami-based law firm which specializes in business and intellectual property law for businesses across all industries. At DiSchino & Schamy, we approach the rapidly evolving industries of fashion, art, design, entertainment, hospitality, food and beverage, technology, and philanthropic endeavors from a new perspective. What sets us apart is that we understand both the legal and operational challenges of young businesses and entrepreneurs. We specialize in business and intellectual property law. As an organization, we are most proud of our clients – we love to watch our clients grow and succeed.
We are best known for intellectual property, especially trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, and patents. For our start-up clients, we are also well known for structuring businesses and assisting with private equity and venture capital. We also specialize in contract drafting and negotiation and have a burgeoning entertainment and social media influencer practice.
Tell us about your childhood, what were you like growing up?
I was always very extroverted. I am a natural “people-person” and feed off of other people’s energy. I have always had a passion for languages, even since I was very young. I speak fluent English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and conversational French. In school, I was always involved as the chairman of every committee and always participated in student government. I think that some of those activities have helped mold me into the leader that I have become. In addition, I was always very artistic and still have a passion for the arts to this day. I loved painting and drawing and always took as many classes, and extracurricular activities that allowed me the chance to be creative. Also, growing up in Florida, I have always loved the outdoors and anything to do with the ocean, whether surfing, boating, or otherwise.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4770 Biscyane Boulevard
Suite 1280
Miami, Florida 33137 - Website: www.dsmiami.com
- Phone: 7865812542
- Email: admin@dsmiami.com
- Instagram: @ds_miami
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dischinoschamy/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dischino-&-schamy-pllc
Image Credit:
Kay Gunther @funguykay
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