Pass the game instructions to Jeremy Forrest.
As far back as middle school, he could decipher rules that would tax anyone else’s patience.
Maybe that’s why law appeals to the Newport News native so much. Today the owner of Forrest Law Center in Williamsburg works with a loyal client base to tackle the complexities behind business and estate planning.
As much as Jeremy enjoys that process, the relationships he’s built over the years remain the most rewarding part.
“I really do enjoy the work of being a lawyer, being helpful to people and really navigating complicated rules and helping clients develop strategies that work best for them,” he says. “Going back to that nerdy kid who liked to win at games, I like to help my clients find what works best so they can get the outcomes they’re trying to accomplish.”
Jeremy graduated from Hampden-Sydney College with a Bachelor of Arts in 2008. The student body was about half the size of his high school, Warwick High, which pulled in close to 2,000 students. But the smaller campus allowed for interaction with professors outside of the classroom, a learning opportunity that Forrest valued as much as the academics.
He initially planned to be a teacher like his parents, but embraced the legal profession after two years working for an attorney. He applied to one law school, The Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary, and got in.
“It was a great place to be, a warm place to be a student,” he says.
Likewise, clients can feel at home at Forrest Law Center. Jeremy opened his own firm in July 2018. He is one of two employees with Client Services Coordinator Erin Smith.
“I always communicate with my clients that just because a matter is over, it doesn’t mean they’re no longer my client,” he says. “It’s always important that if they have questions, they know the lines of communication are open. And unlike a lot of attorneys, there’s not going to be a charge for that phone call.”
While Jeremy devotes much of his energy to the firm, he’s loved road trips since his college days and might be the only person on the planet to admit, “I enjoy driving in Manhattan.” A long car ride allows him to escape into his favorite podcasts, the strange-but-true stories featured on Omnibus and Radiolab.
Jeremy and his wife, Shannon, enjoy outdoor activities like camping and going to Busch Gardens, spending time with their extended family and their Tuxedo cat, Thaddeus.