CASE STUDY
REDEFINING SUCCESS WITH AN NLBM PRACTICE
Right out of law school, Ashley Sharek found her dream job at a large law firm. It’s the kind of job that many recent graduates idolize – lots of room for upward mobility, working lots of hours, prestigious name on the building. But like many others who’ve pursued and even attained that desired position, Ashley soon found herself unhappy.
ABOUT THE LAWYER
Ashley Sharek
Ashley opened Sharek Law Office in 2018 and focuses on estate planning and elder law, along with small business and nonprofit formations. She is also a member of the Elder Counsel, a national organization of trusts and estates attorneys and other legal, tax, and business professionals. She lives in Wexford with her husband, Tim, and her two dogs, Parker and Ella.
THE PROBLEM
EVERYTHING SHE WANTED FELL FLAT
Right out of law school, Ashley Sharek found her dream job at a large law firm. It’s the kind of job that many recent graduates idolize – lots of room for upward mobility, working lots of hours, prestigious name on the building. But like many others who’ve pursued and even attained that desired position, Ashley soon found herself unhappy.
“I billed my life in six-minute intervals and that’s what I thought I wanted to do forever. And I quickly realized that is NOT what I want to do forever. I was sitting in an office looking at a computer screen, at medical records, for 13 hours a day, which was not fun. I did not get any human interaction.”
When she had still been in school, Ashley had clerked for another large firm who happened to have an Estate Planning portion of the practice, though admittedly, it was the way many larger law firms run it – fillable forms, more billable hours, plug and play templates. There was still no human interaction, not really, and it certainly wasn’t the way Ashley had wanted to practice the law when she was an enthusiastic and motivated law student.
Still, she’d had some experience with Estate Planning, so she decided to strike out on her own.
Ashley began her own Estate Planning and Elder Law practice back in 2018. But, much like working at a large firm, she found starting her own practice held some surprises of its own.
“They don’t teach you in law school how to run a law firm. They teach you to do legal research and how to write papers and how to cite things and you know how to public speak to stand in court and rules of evidence – all things I don’t use in practice anymore for the most part.”
THE SOLUTION
GOING OUT ON HER OWN
Soon after – in the early part of 2019, Ashley was looking for ways to better her practice and business and by chance, ended up encountering NLBM.
“I was scrolling on Facebook and saw an ad. And Ali’s story, her background story, is kind of similar to mine, she worked at a big firm and all of that. And that really resonated with me, and I thought, “Huh, I wonder what this is” and I ended up going through what used to be called the Bootcamp program. I did the Bootcamp Program and then joined the PFL (Personal Family Lawyer) program after the Bootcamp was done. I’ve been a member ever since.”
One of the things that Ashley found so refreshing and exciting about working as a Personal Family Lawyer is how she’s part of a large network of lawyers that spans the country. When she’s encountered clients who possess property or other assets outside of her home state, she’s been able to refer them confidently to other NLBM-trained PFLs, who she knows will be able to take care of them with the same care and excellence she does.
Even beyond that, Ashley found that she felt less alone as an entrepreneur after joining NLBM and becoming a PFL.
“Being a solo practitioner, you’re kind of on an island by yourself and you don’t have people to bounce ideas off of and brainstorm with and run something past. So having somebody that you can talk to about those things and can relate with because they’ve either experienced it or they’re in the same boat as you – it’s just nice to have those people.
I do the monthly coaching and I think that is a huge resource because my coach knows me specifically and knows what I need help with, knows where to push me and she knows where I dig my heels in because I’m stubborn.”
For so many lawyers, it’s the small hesitations, the overthinking, and many of the doubts and fears that come along with being isolated that end up causing them to make mistakes, not capitalize on opportunities or worst of all – walk away from their practices entirely. For Ashley it was incredibly helpful to have someone in her corner every week that she could turn to. That’s the power Ashley discovered in her NLBM coach.
THE OUTCOME
A NEW LIFE AND PRACTICE
When it comes to the outcomes of all of Ashley’s hard work through the NLBM program and as a PFL, Ashley says it’s been a constant experience of setting a goal and then surpassing it. This happens most often when she forecasts along with her NLBM business coach
“Every year we set new numerical goals, and they seem astronomical to me. And every year they either happen, I surpass them, or I get really close to them and it’s just really shocking to me.
Since I’ve joined NLBM and the PFL community, I have the tools in place to support that kind of growth. I know when I need to hire a staff member to help with the things I shouldn’t be doing anymore, that I have the resources and plan to do so – this is what really has given me the opportunity to have those big growth moments.”
Ashley’s impressive growth and commitment to serving her community hasn’t gone unnoticed. She was celebrated as a finalist for the 2021 Best Attorney in Pittsburgh City Paper’s Best of Pittsburgh Readers’ Poll and a finalist in TribLive’s 2022 Best of the Best Community Choice Awards.
And it isn’t just Ashley’s work that has become more fruitful and rewarding, her personal life has seen a major improvement since she began her practice as a PFL through NLBM.
“I don’t check my email on the weekend anymore. It’s giving me more of a work life balance. I block off an hour at lunch every day so I can read a book and eat my lunch. It’s doing things like that and having time blocking – that’s something I learned through NLBM – blocking out my time for what I should be doing when, that really helps minimize getting in the weeds or getting overwhelmed and makes sure I’m managing my time better.
“I love what I do, and I love helping people. And that’s what I get to do every day.”
Ashley Sharek
PERSONAL FAMILY LAWYER
“I don’t check my email on the weekend anymore. I love what I do, and I love helping people. And that’s what I get to do every day.”
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