The reality that many people don’t want to face is that having it all–a successful law practice, a fulfilling family life, time for friends, and more–requires sacrifices somewhere in either your personal or professional life. Life has seasons, and you have to prioritize which aspects deserve more attention during different times.

Finding a balance between your family and a thriving law practice requires setting boundaries. However, when you’re working with your mom and husband as your law partners, is achieving that balance even possible?

In this episode of Great Practice, Great Life®, Cary Moss, Managing Partner at Sawyer & Sawyer in Orlando, Florida, shares with Steve the changes she made in her practice to make her family her priority. Frustrated with the constant hustle of her work life, Cary attended an Atticus workshop that inspired her to transform her hiring practices and invest in the growth of her team members. You’ll hear:

• Cary used three primary strategies to create more time with her family. She built intentionality into her life. She also focused on her team and understood that she got exponentially more back from them as she poured more into them. And Cary recognized that if something was important to her personally, it had to come before her professional obligations on her calendar.
• She reserved her Fridays for her young children. If clients didn’t like or approve of that, Cary understood that it probably wasn’t a good client match. Her mom and husband fully supported “Mommy Fridays” and picked up the slack on her days off. She lost billable hours, but the memories she made with her kids were priceless.
• Cary became the managing partner at Sawyer & Sawyer by default. Her mom and husband were super busy, so she took the lead, which was difficult because she couldn’t fire her mom or her husband. Instead, she started making decisions without seeking their approval to get things done.
• You can’t do it all, and you aren’t going to have all the answers. It’s okay to ask for help instead of trying to do everything alone. Ask for help when you need it. You can be more successful by establishing an infrastructure to support you.
• If you’re hiring new team members, look for more than a semi-intelligent warm body. They should be able to process substantive things, but look for people who want to work in a certain environment. You want team members who can add to a great culture and are dedicated to serving the clients well. You want team members who have the desire to grow with your firm.

If you want to learn more about parenting, partnering, and practicing with intentionality, check out https://atticusadvantage.com/episode024

• Author Details

Steve Riley

Steve Riley

Certified Practice Advisor & Attorney

Steve Riley has coached attorneys for more than 20 years. His one-on-one coaching focuses on a limited number of top producing attorneys committed to taking their practices to new levels of excellence, profit, and personal success. He also presents at group coaching workshops around the country for individual law firms, state bar associations, and other legal organizations.

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