Attorney and Founder Lindsey Egan on Building Her Own Practice

Photo Credit: Courtney MacDougall

Attorney Lindsey Egan is a family law attorney based just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She specializes in divorces, child custody, and estate planning. After many years in corporate law, she founded Egan Law Center, a boutique client-centered family law office. Lindsey is working to revolutionize the male-dominated legal industry with her focus on advocacy and empowerment for her clients.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

My path to being an attorney and owning my law firm was far from linear. I actually started my undergraduate career as a Piano major! Upon graduating, I worked in banking for a while which is where I got a taste for law as I worked with attorneys at the bank. I was encouraged by my co-workers to attend law school, which I eventually did and loved. I know that’s not a common sentiment among lawyers, but I thrive in academic settings and felt law school helped me enormously with public speaking, advocacy, and self-confidence. I worked in corporate law for several years before deciding to strike out on my own and start my law firm.

What inspired you to start your business?

I am a lawyer, but I also love the business side of things, which made me feel confident in my ability to run my own law firm. I was sick of working in a cubicle every day and had a vision for a woman-led, women-run law firm that emphasized support and communication for my clients. As a family law lawyer, I work with clients through divorces, child custody cases, restraining orders, and more. The personal aspect of my job is one of my favorite parts. I see my clients at their most vulnerable and strive to make this major life overhaul as seamless and stress-free for them as I can. I believe the best way to do this is through an open line of communication and support. I want to support my clients as much as possible, and constantly use my network to help my clients holistically. For example, many of my clients need appraisals or need to remortgage their homes. I offer contacts for them who can take care of these aspects of their divorce in an attempt to ease the whole process for them.

Where is your business based?

My business is based in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts which is just outside Boston in the North Shore area.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

One of my good friends during my corporate law experience had also decided to start her own law firm, so I shadowed with her the summer before starting my law firm, which gave me the initial exposure and confidence that this life could also be a reality for me. I rented out an office space, came up with the name “Egan Law Center”, and got to work building a legitimate business! This process was far from seamless. If there’s anything I’ve learned from starting my own business it’s that life will get in the way no matter what. I opened my law firm in late 2018 and thought I had 7 months to get the business together before the arrival of my first baby. However, much like her mother, my baby decided to enter the world with drama three months early. I spent a year healing with her and driving to the NICU every day. Once I finally got settled and ready to keep building my business, the pandemic hit. I am lucky enough to be thriving despite the pandemic and remote work, which I credit to my dedication to start my law firm despite the (many!) challenges.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Referrals from former clients, friends, and networking groups have been an amazing way for me to exponentially grow my business without spending a cent! Keeping good relationships with past clients is extremely important and has been a major source of leads for my law firm. My business is in a small town, so having a good reputation as a lawyer and maintaining my ties to my local community has been paramount in building my business from the ground up.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

The legal industry has one of the biggest wage gap disparities between men and women, with female attorneys making around $25,000 less each year than their male counterparts according to the American Bar Association. I definitely have experienced resistance as a newer, younger attorney feeling like I’m intruding into an older gentlemen’s club. There has been a long-set precedence of how the practice of law would be upheld in a male-dominated industry. There’s a culture of bullying and unkindness amongst lawyers which I am working every day to change. I do believe collaborative law is on the up and up, thanks to female lawyers! I want to break the rules set all those years ago, and my clients want someone ready to break that mold. I use my social media to share who I am with my clients because I know in this day and age, social media and transparency are so important in establishing credibility with clients.

How do you stay focused?

I’m not going to say that it’s always easy, but my passion for my job makes it easy for me to stay on track. I have a duty to my clients to be prepared and stay on top of their cases. It’s a lot easier to stay focused when you have other people entrusting you with major legal matters that have very real outcomes and effects on their lives. If I ever find myself feeling overwhelmed, I light a candle, have some tea, and take a deep breath before getting back to work. It also helps that I find my job very interesting and get to work closely with my clients!

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

My authenticity and openness with clients allow me to stand out from the competition. I had a client who said she loved me from the first conversation because I treated her so differently than any other attorney she’s ever encountered in her life. I was saddened that this was her experience with others in the legal industry, but glad I could provide this experience to people. So many attorneys see their clients simply as banks to line their pockets. I believe in service before sales. Educating my clients about the legal process and empowering them to use the legal system to create a better life for themselves and their families is my top priority. I’ve seen so many cases where a client has come to me and asked me to look over their case that they’ve been representing themselves in thus far and I can see exactly how the other attorney is trying to take advantage of their lack of legal expertise. I believe that everyone, even those who can’t afford an attorney, should have access to legal education. I offer free consultations and will go to court for limited assistance representation to help clients who cannot afford a full-time attorney. My true passion for helping and educating my clients and local community attracts the exact kind of clients I love serving.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Here’s my secret to marketing: Facebook groups. Facebook groups are an amazing way to connect with potential clients. I do advertise in these groups occasionally, but I mainly use Facebook groups to stay involved with my community and to gain name recognition. If someone sees my name popping up in their Facebook group every couple of weeks, then at any point if they need an attorney, my name will be at the top of their mind. When people ask specifically for recommendations of a good lawyer, my name is almost always mentioned multiple times for the groups I am a part of. Establishing credibility on social media and being an active member of my community is a completely free and lucrative way for me to market my business!

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Prioritize your happiness. I started my law firm with the intent to create a business that would support my ideal lifestyle, not the other way around. In other words, I work to live, not live to work! We all need to get paid and support our families and goals, but to be blessed with the ability to do that in a way that is personally fulfilling has truly made me feel like I’ve won the lottery.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is Spotify! I love waking up and putting some feel-good music on as I get ready to go to work. I’m also a big fan of Podcasts such as Wealthy Woman Lawyer and the Law Entrepreneur. Podcasts inspire me and keep me entertained when I go on long walks with my dogs. I’m also constantly checking Jasmine Star’s Social Curator blog. She has the best social media and marketing tips. Social media is constantly changing and her blog keeps me on top of all the latest trends! As for my favorite book, this changes almost every week. Right now, I’ve started reading Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown and I haven’t been able to put it down!

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

This may be limited to other attorneys, but Clio Legal Software is by far my favorite business tool. Clio keeps me organized and on top of all my court hearings, and it allows my clients to easily replenish their retainers online and upload sensitive documents to a secure client portal. The client portal is another avenue for my clients to reach me, and I want to make sure my clients have multiple ways to reach out to me so they can choose the method that works best. Some of my clients exclusively use the client portal, while others prefer calls, emails, or even texts!

Who is your business role model? Why?

Although some may not consider her a “business” role model, Ashley Longshore is my inspiration. She breaks boundaries and makes her own rules, which is what I strive to do in my practice. Her feminist artwork is as empowering as it is joyful. Her creativity and revolutionary approach to her work are elements I want to bring to my own business.

How do you balance work and life?

When you own your own business and decide your hours, it can be difficult to balance work and life. Since I have to write my own paycheck, and my student loans aren’t going to pay themselves, I sometimes find that I lose myself to my work. However, over the past couple of years, I have learned the art of balancing work and life. The great part of being my own boss is that when my daughter has her first dance class on a Wednesday morning, I can be there in those big moments for my daughter, although I know I’ll have to add those hours I missed working somewhere else in my schedule. I also have a firm boundary that Saturdays are not working days. Saturday is my family time and it is very precious to me, especially since I usually work on Sundays. I have found that creating boundaries and prioritizing those big moments for my daughter has helped me create a healthy work and life balance.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

My favorite way to decompress is at the end of every night when I sit with my baby girl on a rocking chair and read to her until she falls asleep. After working all day and sometimes into the night, cuddling with my daughter and reading to her before bed is such a special routine that puts me in the best mood before I go to bed and do it all over again!

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I recently decided to expand my office, which is very exciting! I’ve been extremely busy the past year and realized I was growing out of my office. I’m looking forward to curating a space that will be comfortable for my clients and allow me to work more efficiently. I am also looking to expand my business. I chose the name “Egan Law Center” even though I started out as a solo attorney because I knew I wanted to grow my business and hire other attorneys once I got my business in the place where we could handle the growth. I finally believe I am in that place, which is so exciting!

How can our readers connect with you?

Readers can connect with me in a variety of ways! Here is my Link tree where you can schedule a consultation, networking meeting, visit my Instagram page, and more! https://linktr.ee/EganLawCenter