Amy Anonymous mostly works in jeanshorts. After starting her legal career at a national law firm, moving to a small, community-based firm and taking a parental leave to care for her first child, Amy decided to design a law practice that would fit into her life. For most of us lawyers, that turns the ever present condundrum of work-life balance on its head, but she has done it.
Amy is a sole practitioner and has a focused practice – she only does wills, and you guessed it, that is by design. The beauty of her wills practice is that clients are rarely in a hurry for them. Most of her clients are young families. They know they need a will, but are fine to wait if needed.
Practically, Amy opens up appointments for new clients twice a year, fills all of her available appointment slots within 24 hours, and then works her way through at a pre-determined pace.
Amy is an actively-involved mother of 2 preschoolers, has a serious front-yard vegetable garden, and shares her time between the mainland and a second home on a local island. She shuts down her practice completely for several months during the summer, and also has put her practice on hold when family issues have required her full attention. All of Amy’s clients are transactional. She always follows through to complete wills for clients she takes on, but she frequently and without hesitation refers out prospective clients who she cannot help within her non-negotiable life-work boundaries.
Does Amy make any money doing this? Yes, she does. Anonymous Law’s office is run out Amy’s home and it is a lean operation with no staff or legal assistants. Writing off home office space instead of paying for office space outside of her home means almost no overhead.
How might you pull off the seemingly unachievable feat of putting life first and yet still practicing law? It takes a lot of introspection and discipline. You will also need to be open to letting your life needs and goals dictate your practice area. Amy did not go to law school intending to be a wills lawyer, but has found that this practice meets her needs. Amy is an avid reader of business and life planning books and also listens to podcasts, and the number one resource that she would recommend for someone looking to design a law practice to fit their life is Tools of Titans, by Tim Ferris.
*Amy agreed to be profiled anonymously, to protect her non-negotiable life-work boundaries.