When Success is Symbiotic
Andre and Lauren Dayani found their synergy in partnering up
Published in 2024 Washington Super Lawyers magazine
By Carole Hawkins on July 29, 2024
Andre and Lauren Dayani compare their law partnership to the symbiotic relationship between the goby fish and the pistol shrimp. The goby can’t dig, so the shrimp creates a burrow where they both sleep at night. The shrimp has poor eyesight, so the goby keeps an eye out for predators.
“Each of them has their own talents, and when they work together, they can really thrive,” Lauren says.
This is the key ingredient behind the husband-and-wife team of Dayani Law Firm, a Seattle-based boutique that handles plaintiff’s personal injury, criminal defense and immigration cases.
Andre says he’s usually the shrimp; Lauren, the goby.
“She’s really good at piecing together the details of a case and organizing it,” Andre says. “I like the big picture—coming up with the case plan and interfacing with the clients to give them confidence that we’re taking care of them.”
The complementary relationship dates back to their days at Seattle University School of Law, where, by chance, they often sat next to each other in the law journal library. Lauren remembers Andre playing chess a lot and watching episodes of Parks and Recreation.
“I liked how very confident Lauren was,” Andre says. “I thought that she knew where she was going. I had no idea where I was going.”
Married just out of school, their practices headed in different directions. Lauren scuttled plans to become an environmental lawyer in exchange for a job at the attorney general’s office, then a fast-paced job at a personal injury firm. Andre worked at the King County Department of Public Defense. When a chance to move into an existing private practice fell through, he pivoted and opened his own firm instead.
“I liked being my own boss. I enjoy wearing different hats,” Andre says. “When you’re a small business, you can be a disruptor in the industry. You can do things your own way.”
A few years later, Lauren quit her job, burned out and looking for something new.
“I think a lot of people assume our ultimate goal was to join forces,” she says. “But all I wanted was
to teach yoga, open a cafe, do something very different.”
Then Andre asked her to help with some tasks from his practice, and Lauren began showing him how to work personal injury cases.
“We just started having a lot of fun together, and this whole new kind of energy bloomed,” Lauren says. “It felt different. It was like a whole new practice of law.”
The Dayanis strive to set their practice apart by giving clients an extra dose of personal attention along with litigating aggressively, and by freely sharing their legal knowledge by, for instance, posting tips on Instagram.
“I think there are more clients out there than attorneys. So we just let people know we’re available to help,” Andre says. “The law is so shrouded in mystery to common people, and we’re trying to be more open about it.”
They handle cases both individually and as a team, depending on the size and complexity. They discuss strategy but don’t have hard and fast rules about work roles.
“We get asked a lot whether we get frustrated with each other. But any couple can get frustrated, whether it’s over washing the dishes or raising kids. Work is just another factor,” Andre says. “We practice having a light grip on things and not taking ourselves too seriously.”
Their synergy gives the legal duo an edge in complex litigation, as in one recent case in which a client landed in the ICU after being sideswiped by a car driving 85 mph. It’s the kind of case insurance companies often recoil from because the payouts can be so high, Andre says.
The team litigated on multiple fronts against auto and health insurance companies. They shut themselves in for weeks at a time, responding to motions from defense firms much larger than theirs.
“It was a humbling experience,” Andre says. “But ultimately, our client was OK. He’s recovering, and we got him a great result. I’m very proud we did that.”
A Few of Their Favorite Things
Lauren | Andre | Both |
Yoga | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Classic movies |
Cooking (Master Chef) | Cooking (Sous Chef) | Thai Food |
Morning Meditations | Unplanned Meditations | Hanging out with Baloo and Nino (poodle-mix pups) |
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