To some people, pursuing law after receiving an English literature degree might seem like an unusual choice. But for Zev Hardman, it was “pretty effortless—a no-brainer.” The attorney explains himself: “I’ve always been interested in words, and communication, and how two people can remember the same conversation in two different ways, if not more than two different ways.”
I don’t really have the urge to play basketball, and I don’t really have the urge to play in a band, because somehow my practice is scratching those itches for me.
His creative roots and interest in the arts are still very much front and center. Based at WeWork Berkeley, the 44-year-old founder of Hardman-Law spends his days negotiating deals for clients who are often artists. “I feel like they’re my people,” says Hardman, who after dropping out of high school, played music and worked a variety of jobs—house painter, bartender, short order cook—all the way through his twenties. “I’ve been in more dive bars around the country playing music than I can count.” In addition to working with the nonprofit California Lawyers for the Arts—“That way, I can get access to clients who are artists having legal trouble, or are looking to avoid legal trouble in the future, and I can hopefully help them”—Hardman works with East Bay Community Law Center. “Last year, we reached an incredible milestone: getting one million dollars of debt discharged and back into our clients’ pockets. Proud to play a small part in that.”
Photos: Sarah Gerber