By definition, a business is simply an organization designed to provide goods and services to consumers. However, by itself, it can’t achieve anything unless people are working on it. Hence, no matter how excellent a service a business offers, having great employees keep customers coming back and the business growing.
Leo Gabovich, Founding Partner at Boruchov, Gabovich & Associates, P. C, also carries the same sentiment and believes that a transformational leader not only enhances his own business or the industry but values and lifts the employees that complement the same vision.
Being a Founding Partner at the firm, Leo Gabovich primarily focuses on the cases pertaining to New York State and Federal tax controversy and compliance matters. He leads the firm with his prior experience of inner-workings of the state department and the years he served before the IRS in representing his clients for a range of matters.
Learning the Importance of Trust
When asked about his mindset of leading the firm, Leo hints that even though his firm is relatively small and early in the industry, everything is kept transparent with the employees. He truly understands the significance people bring in towards building an empire. This is something that he had experienced when he was in Middle School, although in a small capacity.
In the 7th grade, Leo was part of an extracurricular writing program that produced a monthly journal for the school. He spent a year in the program, which included poems and prose, and vied and successfully secured enough votes from the other members to become the Prose Editor. “I really enjoyed writing stories and had quite a few fans of them in my school, but I recall the effort it took to get the other members of the journal to feel confident enough in me to select me as their prose editor,” recalls Leo.
It was the moment he realized the power people hold when it comes to taking a leader to the heights of success.
Foray into the Legal Space
Leo’s footsteps into the legal world can be called a wonder that happened by chance. While pursuing his finance degree, he was in the honors program and was required to take a Business Honors Law prerequisite class during those college years. It was when Leo loved every aspect of that class and instantly fell in love with law. “I found the cases interesting and engaging and the application of the law fascinating.” However, he had already selected and was part-way through completing it at this point in his college career.
Years down the line, Leo became a colleague of Hana Boruchov in one of their corporate stints, and realized that they both were perfect partners when it came to working together. They fit well together and quickly helped each other when necessary. “We were taking clients from inception through completion of a matter and could always rely on each other when the other needed help,” says Leo. He continues, “This strong partnership helped lead us to strike out on our own and start our own firm.”
While going out on their own seemed like a good idea, it was far from easy. It was the biggest roadblock and scary initiative for Leo to start a firm by himself. “There is so much work that goes into starting a business, and even more so a law firm with the extra layer of regulations and compliance,” he details.
However, he was grateful that Hana was standing right beside him and how they got to share the journey together.
Consequently, his early school memory of becoming a Prose Editor and support from Hana to stand his firm in the later years cemented his understanding of relying on others to reach collective growth. He asserts, “I’ve been raised and taught to always rely on myself professionally, but I’ve found that by being open and willing to receive help from others, together you can achieve so much more.”
This trust and openness are also why both Leo and Hana are proud of the firm’s ‘White-glove’ services. In Leo’s own words, “The white-glove personal service and empathy we provide to our customers make us stand out. When someone walks through our door, they know they can rely on us to be understanding of their situation but to have the experience and knowledge necessary to get them the best possible outcome.”
The firm makes it a priority to achieve optimal client satisfaction through transparency and availability. Leo has also made it upfront to set realistic outcomes and not just best-case scenarios. This combination of setting realistic but reasonable expectations along with the willingness to work with the clients has positioned the company to achieve great heights..
Learning from the Best
It has been a long journey for Leo to have reached the point where he stands today. He has spent many years working for the government, large corporations, and big and small firms alike. However, he never felt satisfaction in any of those works, until he started his own firm. And this is something he wants young aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs in the legal space to remember.
He says, “Never be afraid to take risks and always learn. We are innately in a profession that requires research and analysis on a daily basis. You should apply the same drive and effort you use to get your work done into your own professional development.”
A Promising Lookout
Leo Gabovich envisions his future to be bright for both his professional and personal sides. He feels blessed to have a wonderful wife who drives him every day to do better. They are also looking to start their family real soon.
On the professional side of things, keeping faith and trust in his employees, Leo has set his eyes on his firm to grow leaps and bounds in the coming years. They will be moving into a larger office space and soon require hiring more associates.
