HARMONIOUSLY COEXIST

I recall the earliest memories that unfolded within the confines of our London, England home, alongside my parents’ corner shop. Worklife balance was a foreign concept to my hardworking parents during those days. Our family’s dynamic seamlessly blended work, life, and the continuous growth of our family — all intertwined and operating around the clock, seven days a week. Every morning before I would leave for school, our shop had a constant flow of well-dressed professionals picking up a newspaper and caffeine to get through a day of what I perceived was important, life-changing work. I vowed then I was going to do the same; I was going to be a barrister and change lives rather than manage a business 24/7.

When I turned eleven, we left our life in London and moved to a small town in Mississippi. The morning paper routes I once shared with my mother transitioned into our roles behind the welcoming front desk of the motel my parents had acquired. To say that I grew up in a family business would be an understatement—it was the very essence that shaped my upbringing, intertwining it with lessons of resilience, adaptability, and a profound sense of community. My view of business ownership shifted during that time, as I witnessed my parents’ sacrifices and diligent efforts culminate into well-deserved autonomy and success.

These experiences instilled in me a deep appreciation for the complex nature of life, where work and personal spheres can seamlessly coexist. They nurtured my understanding of the balance required to create a fulfilling existence, and sparked a desire within me to explore how I could balance my aspirations to be an attorney, an entrepreneur, and have a family. I graduated from law school in May 2007, and was presented with the opportunity to “hang out my own shingle” at a general practice firm. This experience was the perfect amount of autonomy and mentorship I needed as a young eager attorney. I was quickly able to expand practice areas, utilize my business background to accelerate the firm’s growth and began making impactful changes in the lives of the clients that entrusted me with their cases. I think the younger version of myself that aspired to be a barrister would have been proud, but I knew my growth mindset wouldn’t allow me to stop.

Six months into practicing I invested in my first piece of real estate. Luckily, that was just the beginning and very quickly I found myself balancing my time between my growing law practice, acquiring, managing, and flipping real estate and hospitality businesses, and raising my young children. Although the lessons of hard work, dedication, and the insights gained from watching a business built from the ground up when I was younger were helping me get through, I knew I would need to do things differently to sustain this type of growth.

In 2019, as a single mother to two young children, I found myself reevaluating the goals for my professional future. We have all heard the saying that “if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” I knew finding the right partner and team was crucial going forward for the personal and professional growth I desired. I engaged in discussions with my dear friend and colleague, Julie D. Eisenhower. Inspired by our shared values and vision, we took a leap of faith, investing in our own practice that would bring these ideas to fruition. Our hope was to cultivate an innovative practice centered around client empowerment, education, and diligent and holistic representation.

It was actually Julie that then refocused my attention from the general practice areas to mainly business law and civil litigation. She encouraged me to utilize the years of firsthand experience as a business proprietor to provide my business clients with not only sound legal advice and representation, but also with invaluable insights all new, small or mid-size business owners need. By synergizing my entrepreneurial background with my legal education and experience, I’ve uniquely positioned myself to cater to fellow business owners, comprehending their challenges firsthand and providing nuanced legal solutions that stand as a testament to my distinctive approach in a conscious effort to set myself apart in this area.

However, starting a new firm did not come without its own challenges. As Julie and I were building our practice, I decided to purchase a property that would become the office space for our firm, but first there would be significant renovations. I was certain that by Summer 2020, we would be in a newly renovated office space. Instead, we were hit with a global pandemic and within months of starting the new firm, I found myself home-schooling my children, representing the same number of clients now without an office or support staff, and with the added role of managing a renovation project that would rival some of the HGTV horror stories. Luckily, I gave myself the same pep talk I give my children, keep your eye on your goals, work hard, and push through the setbacks.

By the end of 2020, we started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and an integral person in our journey joined our practice as our office manager/paralegal, Sherri Miljenovic. The backbone of any successful law firm rests upon the invaluable contributions of its support staff and managers. Sherri’s educational accomplishments and work samples were exceptional, but after home-schooling six children, and then obtaining her degree and advanced certifications, she did not have the work experience that firms required. Julie and I interviewed her and were in awe of her passion, diligence, and self-motivated edge. My business experience taught me that passion and potential combined with our guidance would be more than enough to trump the work experience requirement. Proud to say we have not looked back and with all the growing pains we continue to navigate and allow our work life, businesses, and personal lives to harmoniously coexist.