Maximum Mom

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie joined Laura Hartnett.

Laura started her early career interning on Capitol Hill and working for federal agencies while completing a Master’s in Public Policy, then became a management consultant advising federal agencies (IRS, the Pentagon, SSA) on how to be cheaper, better, and faster. Her friends didn't understand what she did, so they assumed she was a spy. 

While she loved her job, she was sick of developing PowerPoints and missed writing in full sentences. She then went to law school and became a litigator. She recognized that while full sentences are helpful, sometimes clients need a digest, bullet points, and even a chart to understand the legal issue better. 

Her first child was born, and BigLaw was draining. She joined the in-house counsel team at a Fortune 100 insurance company. Working directly with business clients, she saw even more that full sentences (and full memos) verged on uselessness. At the same time, she trained with her clients in design thinking - how do we provide services to humans, accepting them and operating first and foremost that the recipients of our services are humans? 

It's a novel and revolutionary idea in the legal field. To her, it means developing an understanding of each of our clients, deliberating about the possible ways to be their legal expert, and delivering in new and different ways that delight clients. 

She set out and formed a company with the mission of making lawyering better using these skills. She does not want women, minorities, and other marginalized groups leaving the practice of law. She wants them to ascend into legal leadership positions, and she recognizes that we're not going to get ahead practicing law the way that our largely white male predecessors did 50 years ago. 

That's where she is committed to getting this work out there - teaching how to better communicate and connect with clients in ways that work better for lawyers and everyone involved.

2:35 cheaper, better, faster

6:27 body-positive messages

10:32 you’re serving a person

13:12 empathy

18:10 do it in bite-size pieces

22:01 do you delight in delivering these services

27:07 experiential people connections 

30:00 giftology

34:58 you need all those perspectives together

38:02 authenticity 

43:49 part of the solution

47:22 I became the spy

50:23 coming out with this mindset

Watch the interview here.

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie joined Zaira Solano.

Zaira earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Georgia College & State University. While earning her degree, she worked in the office of a solo practitioner in the metro Atlanta area. She gained valuable, hands-on experience in family law, criminal law, and worker’s compensation law prior to her legal education.

She worked for several firms throughout the Atlanta area while earning her law degree at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Zaira discovered her passion for immigration during law school. Later in her training, she clerked at an immigration firm in Atlanta, Georgia. She also worked in the Fulton County Public Defender’s Office in the Complex Case Division. 

In 2011, Zaira founded Solano Law Firm with a focus on immigration law to serve the Latino community. She believes in providing honest representation and educating clients throughout the process.

3:09 founded the firm in Atlanta

8:02 I have a kickass nanny

12:48 different experience

16:38 for my moms at the firm

20:16 the single parents

24:41 we will figure it out

29:10 being flexible enough

34:28 the mom guilt kicks in

38:23 some weight off my shoulders

Watch the interview here.

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie joined Victoria Collier.

Victoria is a two-lawyer married couple (both women) who had twins. Her wife (ADA) stopped working to be the primary home caregiver while she (law firm owner) became the sole financial support. 19 years later, while still with minor children, Victoria sold her law firm and "started over". So many say they "can't" because of the children; she says "I must" because of the children. Credentials: attorney, entrepreneur, published author, coach, advisor, speaker, mom, veteran, and a latch key kid who's now taking care of her parents (classic sandwich generation).

Victoria Collier opened her own law firm straight out of law school, building from the experience she obtained as a paralegal in the Air Force and in the private sector.  Although Victoria’s niche was in Elder Law Estate Planning, she created a niche within that niche by being the first to teach Veterans Benefits for Seniors to elder law attorneys across the nation. In addition, Victoria co-owned a multi-million dollar company coaching other estate and elder law attorneys on how to build and scale their law firms.    

She owned and operated her law firm for 19 years before she sold it in 2020. Prior to the sale, Victoria maintained average gross revenues between $1 - $1.5 million dollars for five consecutive years. Victoria currently co-owns another multi-million dollar business that helps Veterans, as well as owning a consulting firm and a Hemp Farm and CBD oil business. She has previously owned an insurance firm, publishing company, and a real estate business. 

Victoria has completed an extensive study on the valuation, purchase, merger, and sale of businesses, including obtaining her Certified Exit Planning Advisor designation.  

While all the other business coaches are offering to help you “build and grow” your business, Victoria focuses on helping you either Love your business or Leave your business and Walk Away Happy.    

Victoria loved her business and the clients she served. And then she didn’t. She knew she had a choice to either fall back in love with it or sell it to someone else.  She decided to sell it to someone else (when you get the chance, ask her why she chose that option).  Victoria spent three years positioning her law firm to sell it.  Then, when the decision was made to sell, it took less than 90 days to find the buyer, draft the legal documents, and close. 

Victoria now spends a great deal of her time with her children on the farm (as well as in the city where they still live and go to school), building her CBD business, and coaching attorneys on positioning their firms to either support its owner the right way or allow the owner to sell it and feel good walking away.  

3:35 emotional intelligence 

6:32 elder law and estate planning

10:06 the first 30 days

14:12 if we’re truly going to walk away

18:21 Let them have their own failures

23:27 love it or leave it

27:46 find me a buyer

31:43 who you listen to

36:01 the hemp

40:38 I do the coaching for lawyers

45:10 whichever way they go

Watch the interview here.

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie joined Jennifer Gore-Cuthbert.

Jennifer is passionate about entrepreneurship, especially women entrepreneurs. She is passionate about growing and scaling up businesses to 7 and 8 figures. She believes in living life to your maximum potential, personally, professionally, and financially. She is passionate about intentional parenting and the raising of independent and purpose-driven children. 

Jennifer believes in being a lifelong learner. She loves fitness and is very goal-driven. She has built multiple 7 figure law firms and is in the process of building an 8 figure law firm. Jennifer also coaches women entrepreneurs to step into their greatness by vision boarding, learning to delegate, hiring, becoming a greater leader, and letting go of mom or women's guilt.

3:21 more support

7:11 my boss stole my identity

12:03 being intuitive

14:58 exposed to mom guilt

20:46 I hired a parenting coach

25:32 associate it with their mom doing it

29:26 letting a little bit go of that control

35:01 why are you doing it

38:33 creating a system

43:38 self-coaching

47:08 mindset

Watch the interview here.

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie joined Nicole Loughlin.

Nicole has an entirely virtual law firm, Loughlin Law P.A. where she practices estate planning, probate administration, and personal injury in Florida. She is a solo attorney with four support staff members, three years in business, multiple six figures in revenue, a lot of systems and automation, and a profit first from the beginning. Nicole is a mom of 3 (one just born last month), room/PTA parent involved, Disney pass holder, and peloton enthusiast.

3:46 waitlisted at Stetson

6:59 estate planning and personal injury

11:58 managing your own firm

14:09 scheduling is everything

17:01 build out systems

22:45 enjoy the business side of practice

26:20 Star Wars and Marvel

30:29 remember when you used to wish for this

36:18 a life bucket of learning still to do

41:37 the possibility of where I’m going to take us next

45:41 scheduled the whole thing out

Watch the interview here.

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie joined Geannina Burgos. 

Geannina Burgos is a first-generation (born in Chile), second-career attorney (previously in the non-profit arts education sector, and a classically-trained dancer). She went to law school part-time in the evening (started when her daughter was 6 months old) while working during the day. She is a partner at a plaintiff's disability insurance & ERISA firm, adjunct law professor, and serves on local non-profit/government arts boards.

3:29 it takes a village

7:34 thought process and emotion

11:18 dynamics

14:08 collaborative culture

18:10 collaboration not competition

21:49 disability close to my family

24:45 once a dancer always a dancer

28:15 art is in my heart

33:39 understand what you’re offering

37:14 maximum mom magic

Watch the interview here.

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie joined Angela Barker. 

As a black, immigrant woman who started her law career as a single parent, Angela shares her unique perspective on how you can use your strength to find success in your personal and professional life.

Angela Barker’s role is to assist clients to prepare for and transition through various life stages, including pre-nuptial agreements in anticipation of marriage, advice, and counsel to clients considering a separation or divorce, and if necessary, representing clients in divorce negotiations and court proceedings. As a family lawyer, she supports her clients in seeking a fair and equitable distribution of assets created during the course of marriage, including a fair award of alimony/maintenance and support.

3:56 moot court
6:24 practicing family law

9:27 practice litigation the right way

12:06 quality of judges 

15:35 mandated mediation

19:00 road to independence

25:00 the bar exam

28:52 trip to Ghana

Watch the interview here.

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This week on Maximum Mom your host Elise Buie dives into different topics coming off the Maximum Lawyer Mastermind in Scottsdale, Arizona, including various resources and books. She also explains how you, as a law firm owner, can benefit from things like the Guild, where many robust conversations happen on the daily.

2:37 traction

4:34 become clear on core values

8:39 gender equity

12:08 find your unicorn space

15:13 simple numbers, big profits

Watch the interview here.

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie joined Laura Chipman. 

Laura‌ ‌Chipman‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌marketing‌ ‌&‌ ‌privacy‌ ‌attorney‌ ‌and‌ ‌life‌ ‌coach‌ ‌for‌ ‌lawyers.‌ ‌As‌ ‌a‌ ‌coach,‌ ‌she‌ ‌helps‌ ‌women‌ ‌lawyers‌ ‌live‌ ‌and‌ ‌practice‌ ‌intentionally.‌ ‌As‌ ‌a‌ ‌lawyer,‌ ‌she‌ ‌takes‌ ‌pride‌ ‌in‌ ‌empowering‌ ‌her‌ ‌clients‌ ‌with‌ ‌practical‌ ‌and‌ ‌creative‌ ‌solutions‌ ‌to‌ ‌legal‌ ‌challenges.‌ ‌Laura‌ ‌is‌ ‌also‌ ‌a‌ ‌mom‌ ‌to‌ ‌two‌ ‌boys‌ ‌and‌ ‌lives‌ ‌with‌ ‌her‌ ‌family‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌200-year-old‌ ‌farmhouse‌ ‌in‌ ‌rural‌ ‌North‌ ‌Carolina.‌ ‌You‌ ‌can‌ ‌find‌ ‌more‌ ‌about‌ ‌her‌ ‌story‌ ont‌ ‌her‌ ‌website‌ ‌‌‌and‌ ‌chat‌ ‌with‌ ‌her‌ ‌on‌ ‌LinkedIn‌.

3:35 coaching
9:05 leading the life you want
15:04 how to do less
21:05 distinct business
24:21 clarity of a vision
30:15 making it a successful year
36:34 being grateful

42:00 space to daydream

Watch the interview here.

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Being a Mom and Special Ed Attorney with Frances Shefter

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie joined Frances Shefter. 

Frances started her professional career as a regular education teacher. She always had an interest in special education and decided to obtain her master's in special education. After 7 years in the classroom, she became the special education coordinator at an alternative middle and high school. After 2 years in that position, Frances realized that she was not making the difference she wanted to make. Having always been interested in law, her next natural step was law school. After a stint in Florida practicing family law, she moved back to the Maryland area. Frances was a contract attorney in DC when she learned about DC Superior Court's CCAN panel. On her second attempt, she was accepted on the panel as a special education attorney. Around the same time, she met her now husband. Shortly after she got married, they started fertility treatment and she stopped being a contract attorney and started focusing on her law firm. She had her first daughter and continued building her firm while being a new mommy. 2 years later, she got baby fever and was back at the fertility clinic getting pregnant with her second daughter. She moved her office out of the house and into an actual office. Her special education law firm is now growing to help more families have a Stress-Free IEP experience while still being present as a mommy for her daughters.

4:40 the juggle is real
11:30 navigating SpEd services 
10:50 Zoom school impact
18:03 kids and their strengths
21:53 mom guilt
25:07 quality time
29:36 life fulfillment

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