Editor’s Note: This story is adapted from ALM’s Mid-Market Report. For more business of law coverage exclusively geared toward midsize firms, sign up for a free trial subscription to ALM’s new weekly newsletter, The Mid-Market Report.

Eugene Pak was handling intellectual property and transactional work at DLA Piper eight or nine years ago when he found his niche. While representing a Northern California brewery in a dispute, he quickly grew fond of the craft beer industry—the beer itself was pretty good, too—so when his client suggested he focus more attention on the burgeoning market, he hopped in.