CASE STUDY
From COVID Launch to 7-Figure Success
When Jilian Morton found herself the single mom of two toddlers after a divorce, she knew she needed a way to practice law which gave her the financial security her family needed and the time freedom she wanted.
Discover how she transformed her chaotic startup into a thriving seven-figure Personal Family Lawyer® estate planning law business she loves.
ABOUT THE LAWYER
Jilian Morton
THE PROBLEM
Starting From Scratch with No Safety Net
When she started her private practice, she was juggling 2 toddlers and a complicated divorce. To add insult to injury, she opened her practice just a couple months before the pandemic shut everything down in 2020.
At the start of her career, Jilian was optimistic about the law and how she could help.
But soon, she found herself in a position many lawyers end up in: working too many hours for too little financial compensation in return. After working for another attorney and receiving only a percentage of what she brought to the firm, Jilian decided it was time to start her own practice.
Jilian quickly learned that knowing the law wasn’t enough to build a successful business. At the time, she was charging only $1,000 for estate plans, which meant the volume of clients she needed each month put a lot of pressure on her.
And to top it all off, she started her business in February 2020… and the COVID-19 pandemic hit just a month later, creating even more uncertainty in an already precarious situation.
She felt isolated and overwhelmed, struggling with both "mom guilt" when working and work guilt when with her children. She borrowed money from her mother to help make ends meet.
Figuring it out the hard way wasn’t working for Jilian.
FINDING NEWLAW
The Facebook Post That Changed Everything
One day, she happened on a Facebook post from Ali Katz, founder of NewLaw. The message about "a new way to do law and having more time with your family" immediately resonated with her situation.
"It was a sink or swim kind of moment," Jilian explains. She booked a call with the team, and joined the Personal Family Lawyer® program.
Although she was initially skeptical about whether she could command higher fees in her market, which was not a high-net-worth area, the promise of a structured pathway to build a sustainable practice was too compelling to ignore. The opportunity came into her life at the perfect moment, providing the guidance and support she was looking for.
THE SOLUTION
Building a Practice Based on Value and Relationships
Becoming a Personal Family Lawyer® firm leader transformed Jilian's approach to estate planning by teaching her to focus on being a true counselor to her clients rather than just a document provider.
"A big part of the program is teaching you to listen to people and actually be a counselor," she explains. "You need to hear their specific situation and have compassion for what's most important to people."
The program upleveled her money mindset, giving her the confidence to charge fees which reflected the value of her services to families. Instead of being nervous about quoting prices, she learned to present her services in a way which sold itself.
Jilian also embraced NewLaw's Time Blocking Methodology, prioritizing self-care and family time first, then scheduling client meetings around these non-negotiables. This revolutionary approach allowed her to build her business without sacrificing time with her children.
THE OUTCOME
$130,000 per Month (and Growing!)
In just five years, Jilian has transformed her practice beyond what she could have imagined:
- Enjoyed a record $130k month in January 2025
- Increased her average fee from $1,000 to $5,800 per estate plan
- Grew from serving 4-5 clients per month to nearly 20
- Purchased her own building at age 32
- Assembled a team of 5 in-office staff plus remote assistants
- Planned an expansion to a second location in Maine
But for Jilian, the true value goes beyond money. "The money is just a side effect of the commitment and happiness and the tools that I was given," she explains.
Despite the incredible growth in volume and team, Jilian retains the freedom to attend their soccer games, take family vacations, and plan her schedule months in advance.
"I know attorneys especially feel very alone... I just want people to know that there is a way out, and you can find community."
Jilian Morton
PERSONAL FAMILY LAWYER
"Becoming a PFL® has taken me from being scared of making decisions to actually running towards those scary decisions, because usually there's something really good on the other side."
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.