How do you launch a firm successfully? The rise of Mathieu Rousselot, lawyer in Toulouse

From a public speaking competition to a thriving firm: the rise of Mathieu Rousselot, criminal lawyer in Toulouse

A lawyer at the Toulouse Bar, Mathieu Rousselot founded his own firm specialising in criminal and traffic law. From his years in Paris firms to his visibility strategy, he embodies the new generation of lawyer entrepreneurs.

A criminal and traffic lawyer with a path already made

Mathieu Rousselot practises at the Toulouse Bar, with a double competence in criminal law and traffic law. His practice covers a wide spectrum, from general criminal offences (assault, trafficking and so on) through to white-collar crime (fraud, deception, breach of trust), and he also practises traffic law (drivers facing drink-driving, driving under the influence of drugs, loss or suspension of licence points, and he handles licence recovery.)

An ambitious start: from a public speaking competition to the robe

When he set up in Toulouse, Mathieu Rousselot knew nobody. He left Paris, where he had studied and worked after winning a public speaking competition in Montpellier that had opened the door to a prestigious placement. Nothing had set him on course for the law: early on, he dreamed of sports journalism. A trial he watched in his third year of law changed everything. The intensity of the hearing, the power of the plea: he understood then that he would be a criminal lawyer.

Shy by nature, he found in public speaking a form of expression that carried him beyond himself. That taste for the spoken word is also what led him to criminal law, a field where human contact, the spoken word and strategy all come together. His first experiences on high-profile cases, such as the Bygmalion affair or the Pastor trial, taught him the extreme rigour of white-collar crime and shaped the way he works.

Setting up in Toulouse: a risky bet, a fast success

When he opened his firm in Toulouse, his only real stress was cash: six months of runway, no more. The bet was controlled. Within a year the signs of take-off were clear: six first calls from potential clients on a Monday morning had become the norm. Competition was lighter than in Paris, the market was dynamic, but above all his digital strategy worked :

• Local SEO (organic search) optimised,
• A website built with Ourama,
• A Google connection to amplify his visibility,
• Apps that connect lawyers and clients,
• Word of mouth.

The result speaks for itself: 60 % of his revenue comes from online search.

He quickly identified a positioning that set him apart: traffic law, a field directly connected to criminal law, underexploited but in high demand. He trained himself in it, studying how his colleagues worked and asking for their help when he needed it. The work is solitary, he admits, but the exchanges with criminal lawyers were marked by genuine goodwill.

The daily challenges: mistakes, adjustments and organisation

Growth came faster than expected. So did the mistakes. He admits he had not anticipated the influx of clients, and had to react quickly by structuring his organisation:

• A systematic reply to clients within the day,
• Investment in tools,
• Thinking about hiring administrative help.

Because the daily life of a young firm, he explains, is eaten by administrative tasks : "the biggest time sink" in his words.

Despite the challenges, leaving Paris calmed his rhythm of life. Toulouse gives him proximity to the courts and clients under less pressure. Above all, independence brings him creative freedom : how he uses his time, which cases he takes, his visual identity, his website. He finds in it the original sense of his commitment. ****

"A lawyer has to sell"

That is the real crux of it, and the view of Mathieu Rousselot is clear: a lawyer has to be a salesperson : "selling comes back to the human."

Being a lawyer also means knowing how to reassure, explain, support and make yourself visible.

His advice to young lawyers:

• Work on your positioning before you leave the associate role,
• Dare to be visible online from the start,
• Do not fear entrepreneurship.

The future? A minimal team, perhaps an associate or an intern, but no more: he wants to keep direct contact with his clients. As for the ceiling on growth, he knows that beyond 100 to 150k of revenue he would have to delegate. He is not sure he wants to sacrifice the balance he has built.

The path Mathieu Rousselot took shows that a young lawyer can build a solid firm with no network, through:

• A positioning that is clear,
• A methodology that is rigorous,
• A digital strategy that is coherent,
• And a strong online presence.

An inspiring example for anyone who wants to launch their own law firm, even starting from nothing.