EVOLVING AND THRIVING DURING A PANDEMIC: AN INTERVIEW WITH VENUS LILES

BY CAMILLE STELL | LAWYERS MUTUAL

PRACTICING IN A PANDEMIC IS UNPRECEDENTED. Yet even in the worst of times, one local attorney found a way to soar and use her creativity to turn the pandemic into a teachable moment, as well as give back to her community and the world around her. I spoke with Venus Liles, in-house counsel, solo practitioner and work-from-home/ teach-from-home mom who can now add another title to her long list: children’s book author.

On Exhibiting Her Entrepreneurial Spirit

Venus has a great pandemic story to share. An in-house attorney at SAS Institute in Cary, she moonlights helping startups and small- to mid-sized businesses with their corporate legal needs.

Venus: “When the COVID-19 emergency evolved, I was fortunate enough to have all of the technology I needed to transition to 100% work-fromhome. I have two little girls at home – Violet (age five) and Ivy (age three) –so that has been the biggest challenge for me. While ‘work’ and ‘life’ were never truly separate before, they are now more intertwined than ever.

“At SAS, I’m the main legal support for vendor technology (software and hardware) so that has definitely kicked up a notch as we are trying to support a worldwide workforce in transitioning to remote work. Thanks in large part to our IT group, we had a lot of the infrastructure already in place and are now focusing on more enterprise-wide, long-term technology solutions.

“In my own law practice, things did stall a bit in the beginning but have since picked back up. The time spent at home seems to have allowed the space for many people to reflect on what they want out of their careers and their lives. For some of them, that means starting a new business, which is where I can help.

“I anticipate continuing to work remotely for quite a while longer. Our family is continuing to practice social distancing and, despite the day-today challenges of working from home with two little kids, I feel lucky that it’s even an option for me.”

On Writing a Book

Venus: “I searched for a children’s book to help explain the coronavirus and social distancing to my kids. When I couldn’t find one, I decided to write it myself. I knew from the beginning that although I wanted the Camille Stell is the president book to explain the coronavirus and of Lawyers Mutual Consulting good hygiene practices to kids, what & Services. Continue this I really wanted the book to focus on was the emotional side of social distancing. I also wanted the book to have a hopeful ending. I wrote conversation by contacting Camille at camille@ lawyersmutualnc.com or 800.662.8843. the whole book in one sitting, but a significant number of late-night edits followed. It was such a time-sensitive subject matter that I had to act quickly.

“My older daughter gets it and was very interested in the writing process. They both have a paperback copy of “Luna Stays Home” in their rooms and refer to it as ‘mommy’s book,’ which is sweet.”

On Giving Back

Venus devotes a portion of the book proceeds, as well as revenue from her law practice, to charity.

Venus: “I just really love the idea of giving back in different ways. With the book, I’m able to help families have honest conversations with their children about what’s going on in the world and donate funds to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Response Fund. With my company, I’m able to help startups and small businesses with affordable legal services and give back to local nonprofits. All of that makes the hard work completely worth it.”

Venus is able to connect with her startup clients because she has the spirit of an entrepreneur herself. When she couldn’t find what she was looking for, she created it. That’s a spirit that will help her not only survive this challenge, but also emerge even stronger. WBF

VENUS WITH HER DAUGHTERS VIOLET AND IVY

Camille Stell is the president of Lawyers Mutual Consulting & Services. Continue this conversation by contacting Camille at camille@ lawyersmutualnc.com or 800.662.8843.

CAMILLE STELL