Top Legal Innovations 2021: Rick Davis

Guarded Pockets

“I like helping new real estate investors find creative ways to get things done,” says Rick Davis, attorney and founder of Guarded Pockets. “I want to help them be proactive in all phases of their business and save their money for investing.” One of his greatest rewards is seeing people’s confidence build as they take control of their own destiny.

In 2020, Davis had a lot of time to think about how he could make those desires a reality. During an extended stay in the hospital following a heart transplant, he had a lot of time to consider what he enjoys doing and what he could do for others. He realized that he doesn’t enjoy fighting with other lawyers and litigating every minute detail of a case. What he does enjoy is finding resolutions and creative ways to solve problems for his clients. He knew that many real estate investors are reluctant to spend money on legal services until they have to do so. That’s when the idea for Guarded Pockets was born.

Guarded Pockets™ began in 2020 and is part of the Rick Davis Legal family of companies, which also includes rickdavisLEGAL (2015), rickdavisTITLE (2020), rickdavisREALTY (2020), DIY Legal Store™ (2020), and Real Estate Law Live (blog).

“What could have been a five-minute answer to an investor’s question can grow into a $10,000 litigation matter,” Davis says. “I provide affordable answers to my clients’ questions so they can avoid bigger expenses down the road.”

Today, most of Guarded Pockets’ clients are real estate investors who do five or fewer deals per year and are investing in residential properties. Davis enjoys the challenge of working with investors as they are just getting started and helping them grow to doing multiple transactions each month. Services include drafting contracts, real estate litigation, listing and buying properties, deal structuring, and performing closings for real estate transactions, as well as consultations on legal issues related to real estate investing. He leverages technology to provide more efficient and effective services for his clients.

To make sure there are no surprises for his clients, Davis provides his services at fixed rates instead of billable hours. They know what they are going to pay. He offers a subscription rate for each level of services provided through Guarded Pockets.

A licensed attorney, real estate broker and title agent in Kansas and Missouri, Davis has worked exclusively with real estate investors since 2015. He is also a regular instructor at CLE classes for lawyers and a speaker at gatherings of real estate investors. His work with the Kansas Bar Association gives him many opportunities to get more young lawyers involved with the goal of making the legal profession better. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and a JD from Washburn University School of Law.

“With Guarded Pockets, my goal is to help my clients grow their businesses into exactly what they want them to be,” Davis says, “and doing it the right way.”