From law school to trial victories

Paul Farahvar won a case in the Illinois Supreme Court at age twenty-five, right out of law school. He started at an insurance defense firm, then co-founded his own specialty trial firm.

Bob Saget's backstage encouragement

At a show where his friend was opening for Bob Saget, Farahvar made a joke that made Saget laugh. Saget told him to use it onstage. Farahvar went to an open mic the next day and won the contest.

Comedy becomes a second career

Farahvar hosted open mics and became a host at The Laugh Factory in Chicago. He kept comedy under wraps at first, but colleagues were supportive when they found out. He has been a full-time comedian for over six years.

Not burnout, but a new challenge

Farahvar loved practicing law and tried over twenty cases. He did not burn out. He felt he had done everything he could do with law and wanted the challenge of something new.

“I loved being a lawyer and practicing law, and I was lucky enough to take cases to trial often since our firm was a specialty trial firm.”

The transition to full-time comedy

Farahvar's last trial was late February twenty twenty. He closed his law firm on March first, twenty twenty. His last couple of years in law, he was a full-time comedian and part-time lawyer.

Making money in stand-up

Farahvar does six to ten shows weekly. He has taken corporate gigs for bar associations and unions that pay very well. There were years when he made more as a comedian than as a lawyer.

The grind of self-promotion

Farahvar has no manager and spends ninety percent of his time sending availability and trying to get bookings. He hates this work but is good at it from his music industry experience. Forgetting to book shows hurts him two months later.

Burnout and the stage

Farahvar experiences burnout in comedy, like flying in on a red eye from Florida and performing that night. But once onstage, he remembers why he loves it. He now opens for favorite comedians he watched as a kid.

“Oh yeah, this is way more fun than whatever else I was going to.”