The Mom Lawyer® is Laura French
Laura French, The Mom Lawyer®
I am Laura French, The Mom Lawyer, founder and owner of French Law Group LLC located in Watkinsville, Georgia, just outside of Athens.
I am mom to the most incredible human being on the planet, and lawyer to thousands of amazing clients, each of whom was brave enough to tackle their planning. My husband and I have been married for almost 30 years; he is the COO of our firm.
I’ve practiced law since 1995; enjoying a varied career. The variety of law I have practiced positioned me to serve clients in ways far beyond the estate planning practice. Out of law school, I was an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia. I worked for all of Georgia’s law enforcement and first responder agencies, such as the Georgia State Patrol, Pardons & Paroles, the GBI, as well as licensing units for police and fire personnel. In my role, I was responsible for training public safety officers. In creating The Mom Lawyer programming, I realized this is when I first started teaching. Later, this experience proved to be invaluable when I served as Assistant City Attorney to my local municipality. While at the AG’s office, I also represented Georgia’s agencies focusing on natural resources and the environment. This experience parlayed itself into and adjunct professor role at the University of Georgia.
From the AG’s office, I worked in a medium-large law firm in downtown Atlanta. Insurance defense was not for me. AND, it taught me about a wide range of liability issues, each of which I’ve used to identify issues and provide solutions to my private clients. During this time, knowing this firm was not a long-term fit for me (frankly the money was good and coming off a government position, I needed it for student loans), I saw an ad seeking an associate for a small law firm in my and my husband’s hometown. On a lark, I sent in my resume. A few days later, I was hired.
In my small law firm position, I was an associate to my mentor, Janice. Yes – in 1999/2000, I landed with a true female mentor. A female partner in her own law firm. A well-known, and incredibly well-respected person and attorney. I am deeply grateful that she not only hired me, but that she took me under her knowledgeable wing. In this associate role, because it was a general-practice law firm, I learned a ton. Everything from real estate issues (which you must understand to practice EP), to representing local government, leasing, contracts, business and corporate law, and estate planning.
On October 1, 2001, I became a partner of the firm. 2001. What had just happened? September 11. Signing my name to those papers and committing myself financially, mentally, and emotionally was difficult. Lesson: LEAP and the NET WILL APPEAR.
Fast forward to April 1, 2013 – I packed up my things and all I had learned and opened my firm. During the partner years, we were internally separate, so while the move to French Law Group was new, it was also a continuation of what I had been doing for years. I opened my second location near Athens, Georgia in October 2018; this office is now my headquarters and was expanded in October 2021. October is a big month for me, as you can see!
I mention my experiences, so you can see how your legal career can ebb, flow, change, and your experiences lead to things you cannot even imagine today. I encourage you to always keep the thought “what ELSE can I do with this? Where else can this knowledge serve me and my clients?” Gve yourself permission to think outside of the box. Let’s see where your career takes YOU!