Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Brita Long. Brita is an attorney and attorney coach who teaches flat fees to other attorneys and more importantly mind set.

One of the workshops Brita provides is on our relationship with money. "It ain't about the money" isn't about the knowledge of personal finance or small practice finance, but about our thoughts, beliefs and feelings about money and how those affect our behavior. Including: charging flat fees.

When Brita began working with attorneys she quickly discovered that nearly all of them had money mindset/belief issues that were causing them to self sabotage in regard to money. Take a listen!

04:20 Brita’s mission to maximize attorneys by teaching flat fees and emphasizing personal development and mindset in the legal profession

13:44 Every problem in the office is a leadership problem

19:25 The importance of emotional intelligence in the legal profession

21:59 The impact of money mindset on legal practice

26:26 The financial challenges and self-sabotage tendencies observed in small law firm owners

28:29 Advocating for the adoption of flat feesLearning and Ego in Legal Practice

32:50 The role of ego in legal practice

41:11 Energy management

49:02 The lack of safety in expressing vulnerability in the legal profession and the potential for limitless reform in the profession

Connect with Brita:

• Website
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Resources:

• Join the Guild Membership
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Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Sarah Walton. Sarah Walton is a business coach and sales expert who’s been featured on The Today Show, speaks at women’s conferences all over the world and has helped hundreds of women start and grow businesses they LOVE.

From growing up in a low-income household with a single mom to helping moms turn their passion into a business they love that can support their families, Sarah’s lived experience shows how women can powerfully change their lives and the lives of their families and communities. Sarah’s transitioned from being “just another coach” to being a change-maker. It’s time to put more money in the hands of more women, and Sarah is all in.

Take a listen!

06:04 Reframing sales conversations and identifying problems to solve for clients
09:15 The concept of high functioning codependence among women and its impact on financial decisions
14:03 Sarah recommends books, including "Boundary Boss," and emphasizes the importance of doing unsexy tasks for financial success
15:52 Recognizing and addressing high functioning codependence and the physical manifestations of unhappiness
16:05 Encouraging children to do their own chores and the importance of teaching independence from a young age
17:18 Parenting challenges related to children's responsibilities and social media influence
19:12 How high functioning codependency affects physical and mental health, particularly in women
20:08 Strategies for self-awareness, including recognizing internal signals and making different decisions
22:05 Offload tasks and the impact of holding onto tasks for self-image
31:10 Recreating life to move through it with peace, calmness, and hope, and the impact on professional practice
31:27 Shifting mindset to find joy in daily tasks and the impact of a positive mindset on success.
32:18 Exploration of the positive impact women can have with money
34:18 The importance of empowering women with money to bring about positive change and the intertwining of power and money
35:37 Shifting mindset from saving to expanding opportunities and the impact of mindset on financial growth

Connect with Sarah:

• Website
• Podcast
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok

Resources:

• Join the Guild Membership
• Subscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube Channel
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join the Facebook Group
• Follow the Facebook Page
• Follow us on LinkedIn

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Bridget O'Toole.

Bridget is a millennial environmental, land use, municipal and energy lawyer and mom to a 4-year-old son. She opened her own law firm on April 1, 2023 (April Fools Day) in one of New York's most rural counties after leaving a bougie downtown boutique law firm.

She’s been practicing since 2011 and represents clients all over New York State in her practice areas.

Take a listen!

01:11 Meet Bridget

04:58 Bridget’s practice in environmental, land use, municipal, and renewable energy law

09:37 The challenges of working from home

10:35 The persistent issue of schools contacting mothers first

16:42 Bridget's work in renewable energy and her experience working with commercial fishing associations in New York State

22:44 The benefits of meditation for stress management and the importance of unplugging from technology

29:18 Bridget’s fear of what others would think if she opened an office in a rural county and how she overcame it

31:26 The value of giving trusted referrals

34:56 The lack of access to justice and technology in rural communities and how it affects her practice

39:53 The different types of insurance that are necessary as a law practice grows

41:19 The significance of joining a mastermind group and connecting with other women who have similar experiences as working moms

📹 Watch the interview here

Resources:

• Join the Guild Membership
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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Victoria Collier.

Victoria Collier, Founder and CEO of Quid Pro Quo: Victoria is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the legal industry. In addition to building and selling her own 7-figure law firm, she has been coaching lawyers since 2008 on how to add value to their law firms.

Take a listen!

08:15 Victoria Collier discusses how having children has influenced her entrepreneurial journey and the motivation it provides to show her children they can pursue their dreams

11:50 Introduction to Victoria Collier's business, Quid Pro Quo, which assists law firm owners in selling or buying law firms, focusing on finding a perfect match between buyers and sellers

18:51 The importance of being true to yourself and finding fulfillment in your work and personal life

19:56 The dangers of pursuing growth without considering personal values and alignment with clients

24:12 The importance of preserving the culture and legacy of a law firm when buying or selling, and the need for realistic expectations and a successful transition process

29:11 Discussion on the transition timeline when buying or selling a law firm, including the importance of respecting the seller's decisions and allowing them to stay as long as they want

30:50 Exploring the importance of going beyond surface-level conversations and understanding the fears and concerns that drive people's decisions

34:31 Steps involved in working with the speaker to evaluate and position a law firm for sale, including assessing the current state of the firm, determining the desired outcome, conducting a valuation, and creating a marketing package.

37:44 Discusses the rules of thumb for valuing law firms based on the services provided and the multiple of earnings before taxes and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

38:45 Explains the concept of sellers discretionary earnings and how it involves recasting personal expenses back into the net income of the law firm.

42:18 Emphasizes the significance of financial forecasting for law firms, including the ability to analyze trends, make strategic decisions, and understand the impact on the numbers.

Connect with Victoria Collier:

• Website

Resources:

• Join the Guild Membership
• Subscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube Channel
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join the Facebook Group
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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Amy Cote.

Amy started Think Out because for most organizations prevention is an afterthought. With communication, consistency and execution, employees will perform well as teams that are prepared for the expected and unexpected.

Thanks to Amy’s training and experience, she has strong skills in leadership, communication, change management, operations, labor relations, policy development and best practices.

Thanks to Amy’s genes, she has an obsessive curiosity, keen ability to think out, problem solve and counsel.

If you have questions or just want to think out loud together, Amy would love you to take action and advocate for yourself, your people, your business, your future!

Take a listen!

11:34 How curiosity and innovative thinking play a role in Amy’s business

19:29 The need to question traditional ways of doing things and the benefits of thinking outside the box

20:38 A businesses to plan for the future

32:08 Amy starting her own business, including the initial uncertainty and the importance of perseverance

44:08 Personal growth and self-discovery that comes with owning a business

Connect with Amy Cote:

• Website

Resources:

• Join the Guild Membership
• Subscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube Channel
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join the Facebook Group
• Follow the Facebook Page
• Follow us on LinkedIn

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Rachel Clar.

Rachel is a divorced lawyer mom, and in deciding to launch a business. She had to first move through a tremendous inner journey of self-discovery and personal growth to develop the courage to take a big chance.

As lawyers, we often live our lives based on the model we learned in school, the lie that conflict is a binary only resolved with someone prevailing. As women, in general, we were raised to elevate ourselves through collaborative leadership instead.

Rachel believes in reconciliation work, humility, and collaboration. She wants women lawyers to find their sisterhood where they can speak freely, ask their toughest career questions, and level up to get the pay and the influence that they rightly deserve.

Rachel creates spaces where real conversations happen and women both deeply bond & craft brilliant career strategies. She is a woman, a lawyer, and entrepreneur, professionally. Rachel is a mom to two amazing teenage boys. She is an empath, an artist, and a student of non-violence.

02:48 Meet Rachel and Interconnected Us

06:40 The struggles and unhappiness experienced by women lawyers

10:32 Combating the pressure to always appear strong.

16:57 The value of time, the importance of setting boundaries, and the ongoing journey of learning to manage time effectively

23:27 The importance of celebrating personal wins and prioritizing self-care

27:34 Using exercise to shut the brain off

33:05 The joy of making connections

41:26 The lack of emphasis on emotional intelligence and communication skills in law school and the legal profession

Connect with Rachel:

• Website
• LinkedIn

Resources:

• Join the Guild Membership
• Subscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube Channel
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join the Facebook Group
• Follow the Facebook Page
• Follow us on LinkedIn

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Flora Garcia-Sepulveda.

Flora Garcia-Sepulveda, a founding partner of Woodman & Garcia-Sepulveda and a Certified Family Law Specialist, is an experienced trial lawyer who practices family law exclusively, focusing on diverse financial issues including business valuation, property division and child and spousal support. Flora is fluent in Spanish. Flora also represents clients in difficult custody disputes and move-away cases.

Before she opened her practice, she worked at Bay Area Legal Aid a non-profit Agency representing victims of domestic violence in their restraining orders, divorce and immigration matters. Flora began to practice family law exclusively in 2005, and has focused in this area of law since that time. Flora previous work at the San Mateo Court and her domestic violence litigation background results in the smooth management of her family law cases as they progress to trial. Her attention to detail and knowledge of the intricacies of family law procedure enable her to strategically plan her cases and prepare for settlement or trial in a way that ensures that clients are receiving the best and most comprehensive representation available.

Since 2012 Flora expanded her practice to include probate matters such as wills, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships and step-parent adoptions.

05:34 The importance of education in building resilience

07:53 Teaching her daughters to be self-sufficient

11:00 Discussion on the need to educate people about the long-term ramifications of staying at home

19:08 The value of teaching children self-sufficiency and the importance of not doing everything for them

30:58 The need to let go of bitterness and victim mentality

34:14 The importance of educating and empowering women

37:30 The benefits of remote work and flexibility, particularly for working mothers, and how it can lead to increased productivity and work-life balance

Connect with Flora Garcia-Sepulveda:

• Website
• Avvo
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook

Resources:

• Join the Guild Membership
• Subscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube Channel
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join the Facebook Group
• Follow the Facebook Page
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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Leah Miller.

Leah was a litigation paralegal for 13 years, 10 of those years she was a Florida Registered Paralegal. Leah has her MBA from Florida Gulf Coast University in Estero, Florida.

Until just recently Leah was the firm administrator and CFO for a personal injury law firm in SW Florida. She has started her own business LNM Financial Services to broaden her reach and use her knowledge to help other law firms understand their financials.

Leah’s ultimate goal is to educate law firm owners on how they can make financial choices to grow their firms in the future. Using tools like budgets, KPIs and cash flow projections, firm owners can make financial choices that work for them.

02:10 Meet Leah and her story of becoming an entrepreneur
06:20 How working for herself has allowed Leah to be more present for her children
11:56 The importance of understanding finances for law firm owners and the services provided to help them manage their finances effectively
21:17 Regularly reviewing expenses and ensuring that they are necessary and utilized efficiently
22:19 Cutting expenses without compromising efficiency

Connect with Leah:

• Website
• Services

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