Twenty years ago, the founders of Meckler, Bulger, Tilson, Marick & Pearson LLP had high hopes. They started a new firm with a strong foundation of lawyers and clients but had close to $1 million worth of debt and no certainty of success. They were confident but wary. “When you start a law firm, you spend two or three months working, paying your lawyers and staff. But you don’t start receiving your fee from your clients for usually two or three months,” said founding partner Bruce R. Meckler. …