PHILADELPHIA – Darwin Beauvais was always certain that he wanted to be an attorney despite having previously pursued a degree in psychology.
"I realized what I could do with a degree in psychology and thought that going to law school would be more beneficial," Beauvais told the Pennsylvania Record. "I discovered real estate early on and fell in love with it while I was still in law school, but I also had another love, and that's politics. So, I was always interested in the political process."
Upon finally relocating to Philadelphia in 1994, Beauvais got involved in local politics, even having the opportunity to work as staff for the local city council.
Darwin Beauvais of Dilworth Paxson LLP
| Courtesy of Dilworth Paxson LLP
"As a result, after doing that for five years, I went back into private practice, working on real estates," Beauvais said. "With land use and development, it can be very political, so I took to the practice like a fish takes to water."
Beauvais was an associate at one firm for six years where he grew his practice before moving onto a smaller firm where he became a partner. After another six years at the second firm, Beauvais relocated to Dilworth Paxson in Philadelphia.
"Dilworth is a great place, and not all firms will allow attorneys to grow, but this firm is looking forward to this practice growing," Beauvais said.
For Beauvais, his challenge in practicing law has centered on managing client expectations.
"In order to be successful at managing expectations, you have to be able to communicate with your client. If you don't and you can't, then it becomes an issue," Beauvais said.
To date, Beauvais feels that his greatest achievement in his practice has been working on his development projects, all of which he finds to be exciting.
"I think that I get to have a proud achievement on a regular basis because any difficult project that finally gets approved and I am able to breathe life into is a big achievement," Beauvais said.