I live in Minnesota with my husband and our two kids.
After moving from Atlanta in 2016, the principal office of Breiner Law moved with me to the Twin Cities Metro, but that didn't stop us from maintaining the practice in Georgia! We continue to serve clients not only in the Atlanta Metro area, but throughout the state of Georgia.
Originally from San Antonio, TX, I moved around a lot as a child and eventually settled in the Atlanta suburbs. Having spent a lot of time living in the midwest and my law school years in Chicago, when my husband had an opportunity to take a position here in Minneapolis I jumped at the chance to enjoy all four seasons again! The stellar schools in MN and a good hot dish could not be denied! That doesn't mean that I don't miss sweet tea and the need for some Waffle House now and again so... I just couldn't let the Atlanta practice and all my dear clients go. And, yes, I am able to survive the winters just fine! The beauty of having a practice that serves clients in their most comfortable environment means that having a brick and mortar office is so 2010. Seriously. There isn't anything we can't do in your own home or remotely. It also set us up for a very easy transition into COVID lockdowns and serving clients remotely because we were already doing it. We even had other law firms ask us to train them on how we do things!
The Early Years
The first 12 years of my career I spent my time working mostly in the traditional law firm environment (with a few years that I diverted to the world of non-profit acting as in-house counsel for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity). Beyond that, I was immersed in the world of the billable hour and the less than desirable practices that go along with that. My days were filled with frustration and I was left questioning whether I was really helping anyone at the end of it. Then I had kids and it changed my entire perspective on life. The realities of being a working mom made me think long and hard about my goals. The rat race and working for someone else and their objectives no longer appealed to me.
Becoming the Legal Mama
My priorities changed and my biggest wish was to find a work-life balance and a way that I could truly make a difference in my community and with other parents. Over the years I have observed the countless court proceedings and legal disputes that arose from issues of guardianship and inheritance and I decided to put my feelings and wishes as a parent to use to change the way that we view estate planning as attorneys. I have seen so many cases of families devastated when a spouse died and they had no plan in place. Did you know that most estate planning attorneys do not provide any type of plan if you have an accident and your kids need temporary guardians? No plan to provide first responders with directions on where to take your children instead of into the custody of child protective services. As a mom, to me that was a horrifying prospect. I had to change the way things are done. I thought about what would happen to my own children if I was gone and that tough conversation with myself led me to become the Legal Mama. Now I am able to serve my clients in a way I feel is most useful. I charge flat fees as much as possible and I don't round up my hour when billing hourly. I always strive to provide my clients with the honesty, respect, and budget-consciousness I would want from a trusted advisor. To me, every client that comes through my practice is a friend and I hope to be the advisor to you and your family for life.
If you read this far, I owe you a drink! Mazel Tov!
