CASE STUDY
How Emily Ojeil Built a Thriving Law Practice While Raising 5 Kids
Emily Ojeil was looking for a better way to practice law.
She’d been working in a large law firm, and she craved a lifestyle that didn’t force her to sacrifice time with her kids in order to work.
That’s when she discovered NewLaw and decided to grow an estate planning law business on her terms.
Fast forward a couple years, and she now works less than 20 hours a week, she was able to bring her husband to work with her, and makes more money than her husband did when he was at a major law firm (all while raising 5 kids).
ABOUT THE LAWYER
Emily Ojeil
THE PROBLEM
Her Legal Career Was Costing Her Time with Her Family
After graduating from law school, Emily Ojeil found herself working at a large law firm.
While she enjoyed the work, the unpredictable and long hours often meant she felt like she had to choose between her career and a fulfilling family life.
"You have to bill six to eight hours of actual client work a day, which doesn't include all the administrative stuff you do, like reading your emails and logging your time and going to lunch. So it ends up being like easily eight, 10 hour days," Emily explained.
With young kids still at home, this was a big problem.
Even when her firm let her switch to part-time work, the unpredictable nature of the business just made it too much to manage.
On top of that, she didn't really feel connected to the work. She was stuck researching obscure tax problems and writing memos, never meeting clients or sitting in on meetings.
Eventually, she decided to focus on being a mom. But while she loved being home with her children, she also missed the challenge of legal work.
FINDING NEWLAW
How a Chance Encounter in Mexico Lead to a Revitalized Law Career
That’s when Emily stumbled upon NewLaw.
She saw an ad for one of our classes about growing an estate planning practice into a law business you love, charging $4,500-$8,000 per client engagement, and making $25k - $250k/month – all while working flexible hours.
The idea of running her own practice intrigued her, however she was still hesitant. With no business experience and a growing family to care for, starting a law practice seemed daunting.
Over the next year, she explored what we offer here at NewLaw. As a stay-at-home mom with four young children at the time (now she has 5), she would often listen to our free trainings in the Lifestyle Lawyer’s Facebook Group while making dinner or playing with her kids.
The stories of other Entrepreneurial lawyers who had successfully transitioned to Life and Legacy Planning® –without sacrificing time with their family– inspired her..
"It sounded fun. It sounded adventurous. It sounded like, ‘If this works…wouldn’t that be cool?" Emily reflected.
She and her husband booked a call with a member of our team to see if the Personal Family Lawyer® program was a good fit. They also took part in our NewLaw Ambassador program, where we connect lawyers who are considering the program with those who have already seen results.
In this case, Emily and her husband sat down with Todd Jarvis, a successful Personal Family Lawyer® who is himself a father of 7 kids and had successfully transitioned to solo practice (you can read more of his story here).
He helped shift their thinking from viewing the program as a cost…to seeing it as an investment in their future.That one simple mindset shift changed everything and opened up a world of possibilities for the pair.
For Emily, who had no entrepreneurial experience, the program offered a structured path to business ownership.
"If I'm ever going to do it, I'm going to need someone to show me how to do it, because I just don't know. I'm never going to be able to figure it out," Emily realized.
With that in mind, she and her husband decided to join PFL®.
THE SOLUTION
Seeing Other Lawyers Win Helped Motivate Her to Keep Going
Almost immediately, Emily knew she had made the right decision.
The PFL® program came with comprehensive training materials, a supportive community, and ongoing coaching.
But it was her commitment to the process that started producing results.
She and her husband started waking up at 4 AM every day to work through the materials before the kids woke up.
"We were very motivated and excited about that idea. And we were like, we're going to do this. We've got to do it," Emily shared.
She found inspiration in the success stories of other members, particularly Pam Maass Garrett and Shane Jasmine Young.
"I told myself, if they can do it, I can do it," she said.
The program not only educated her about how to provide Life and Legacy Planning, our differentiated estate planning service which makes it so you never have to compete with financial advisors, legaltech, or AI……
…but it also supported her with the marketing, sales, and business systems necessary to find her first few clients without paid ads, engage them with confidence at $4,500 each, and retain those clients for life.
When all was said and done, Emily was able to complete the training in just 6 months.
THE OUTCOME
The Results: $220,000 in 8 Months
Within 10 months of launching her practice, Emily brought in $260,000 consistently engaging 80%+ of those she spoke with.
Soon after, her husband quit his demanding Big Law job to support her in the practice.
Together, they have now created a truly family-oriented PFL® law practice where they can work part-time and earn more money than in their previous jobs.
When a child needs to go to the doctor or has a school field trip…they now have the freedom to do that without sacrificing their income.
On top of that, the business has changed the family dynamic for the better.
"It's really, truly, a family firm. People know us as a unit. I get to actually work part-time. And we make more money than he did when he worked in Big Law, which is crazy," Emily explained.
She found the work-life balance she had been seeking, and is now able to have it all –a fulfilling career, growing income, and a happy family.
Emily Ojeil
PERSONAL FAMILY LAWYER
"If you want to own a business, if you want to be able to make your own money outside of another institution, then it's worth it to pay for this program. I didn't know how to do these things, so I paid someone to show me how to do them, and then I did them, and then it worked."
Now it's your turn
Don't wait another day to experience the results and the impact that NLBM members have experienced before you. See if you qualify by speaking with one of our Law Business Advisors today.