I graduated law school in May of 2008 and had taken the July bar. Before I found out whether I had passed the bar exam or not, I found out I had passed a pregnancy test. (Oh Joy!… Insert Sarcasm) Although, I had already secured a job as a security litigation attorney at a boutique law firm, I couldn’t share the news with my boss for fear that I would lose my job since I didn’t know whether I had passed the bar exam or not. On September 22, 2008, the bar results came out and thank God I passed, but guess what, on September 29, 7 days later, the big market crash of 2008 happened and we went knee deep into a recession. (Job options were scare)
So picture this: brand new rookie black, female lawyer, green behind the ears, pregnant and in debt to my eyeballs working as an Associate in a boutique firm with a SUPER sophisticated securities litigation 40 year veteran attorney who was less than impressed with me, in a recession… He wasn’t too happy with the news of my pregnancy when I finally let the cat out of the bag. He was actually pretty frustrated with me but he couldn’t fire me and I couldn’t quit… I needed the money. Just imagine the energy…
Needless to say, I had a miserable first year in practice and was constantly asking myself: Is this it? Is this what I just spent 7 years busting my butt for? After I gave birth to my son, I did not want to put my kid in daycare and miss his milestones only to go put money into someone else’s pocket, especially my old boss. So I prayed really hard and my answer to prayer came in the form of a woman walking up to me at a Target offering me a facial with Mary Kay Cosmetics. By the end of our time together, I started my beauty business with $100 and started my law firm on the heels of that business with very little start-up cost.
Fast forward 12 years later, I’ve collected over $5 Million dollars in settlements for my clients, resolved countless family law and immigration cases, and all that, from the comfort of my home. I continue to work from home (preferably by the pool) living the lifestyle I’ve always wanted, never missing any of my kids’ games or recitals, traveling whenever and however often I please and never having to choose career over family and lifestyle, all because I set up my virtual law firm in a way that gives me the financial freedom and the time freedom I went to law school for and so can you.
