It used to be that when a client contacted me for a business matter, it was typically because they needed their business entity incorporated. Or maybe it was because they had a dispute with a vendor, or a team member. But, mostly it was because they needed their business incorporated. And, I would handle what they asked, and that would be that. Until they had a problem. And then, they would call me again and I’d handle it, usually at a much higher cost than it would have been if I would have been able to keep them out of trouble to begin with. I never got to know their business dreams, goals or objectives. I never looked at their revenue model, proactively reviewed their agreements, or even asked about their growth plans. And, to be honest, I didn’t even do these things for my own law practice or business. Being a lawyer was mildly satisfying, but I knew I wasn’t really helping my clients in the way I truly wanted to when I first went to law school. And, as a result, I even seriously considered leaving the law altogether. Fortunately, I made another choice.
Today, my life and law practice is completely different. I only work with 3 or 4 private clients at any one given time. All of the work I do for my private clients is on a flat fee, or monthly basis, that is specifically focused on clear, measurable outcomes for the client. I never bill anything hourly, and my clients don’t worry about how much we are talking and are not afraid to use me as a trusted resource because they know they are not going to get a surprise bill in the mail, ever. My clients see me as a trusted advisor that they can turn to for guidance on an ongoing basis. I help them make decisions about business structures, deals, resolving conflicts, and as a result they are able to make decisions more quickly, effectively and efficiently. Recently, one of my clients wrote this about me: “Over the last 13 years, we’ve had thousands of clients. And, although we’ve had a handful of challenging client situations, none has been more challenging than the client that we’re dealing with now. I wasn’t sure how to handle it, so I called around to get advice from several attorneys. Every attorney I spoke with thought our client was a bit crazy and assumed I was calling to see how I could get this client to go away as quickly and quietly as possible. Ali operated within a totally different paradigm. She asked a lot of questions before giving advice. And, the first question she asked after she heard an account of what happened, was: What is the outcome I wanted? Seems like such an obvious question, but none of the other attorneys I spoke with asked me that question. Because they were operating inside the paradigm of, how do I help you win and make this pain-in-the-ass client go away. Ali was operating inside of the paradigm of: Within conflict are great gifts and the potential for huge growth. Let’s uncover those gifts, and handle the behind the scenes aspects of your business with the same integrity that so many of us leaders say we live by. This was exactly what I was looking for. An attorney whose values match the values that we’ve infused into our incredibly beautiful and powerful community of coaches and holistic practitioners. Because, I have seen in my own life that if I don’t get the lesson the first time, it will likely revisit me in another (possibly more challenging) form. I was committed to extracting the lessons and the growth from this situation, so that I could leverage it to step into a new level of leadership and success. And, Ali was right there to support me. Ali was compassionate. I felt safe enough to express anything to her, and safe enough to discover my deeper truths. Ali was bold. She was willing to ask the tough questions and to encourage integrity over “winning,” and compassion over being right. She did her best to truly understand me... and she also did her best to understand my challenging client... who she was, what her needs were, and what outcome she was truly looking for. She also took into account the complexity of the situation and didn’t try to take a hammer to a situation that called for a much more delicate instrument. Ali was a breath of fresh air and gives me hope for the entire attorney industry. She understands the old paradigm of the court system and can help you navigate your way through it. But she also infuses your situation with a new paradigm that is based on integrity, compassion, listening, and truth. Ali is like having an intuitive counselor, business coach, compassionate friend, and savvy attorney on your side. Ali is not for everyone. If you just want to hire someone to try to make your headaches go away, Ali may not be for you. But, if you want someone who is interested in not only having your back (but listening to your heart) she is your gal. If you want someone who will be in your corner, and help you grow through challenging situations, and show up as the leader you say you are, then she is your gal. I hope that Ali is able to infuse the attorney industry with this new paradigm of addressing conflict. It may be one of the most important gifts the world could use right now.” Testimonials like that make me absolutely love my work as a lawyer.