"Lawyers are Peacemakers? Yes!" with Kelly McGrath, Esq.
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Photos by Dave Rivera
Kelly McGrath, Esq., is a peacebuilding mediator and lawyer, trained in Restorative Justice, Nonviolent Communication, Trauma-Informed Care, and Conscious Contractsâ.
Kelly’s non-litigation firm focuses on resolving legal issues with peace and privacy, focusing on mediation – specifically divorce mediation, business mediation, and serious harm cases.
She also provides legal counsel through Collaborative Divorce, one-on-one empathy sessions for families or couples using Nonviolent Communication, provides webinars and training on conflict resolution to businesses and organizations, and is the founder of the Miccosukee Land Co-op’s Conflict Resolution Team.
Kelly knows that mediation is more powerful than litigation and her mission is to help people face their legal issues head-on by communicating directly with the other person.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
I’m a former Kindergarten teacher who went to law school because I wanted more autonomy but still wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.
I have a professional certificate in Trauma and Resilience from Florida State University. I founded the Florida Restorative Justice Association and was the Executive Director for the first five years. I worked as the Policy Attorney for the Office of Child Welfare at the Florida Department of Children and Families. I left my state job on December 5th (my grandmother’s birthday) in 2019 to start my own peacebuilding mediation and law firm.
This transition was driven by my commitment to addressing conflicts and promoting healing in a more direct and impactful way. My new venture focuses on providing comprehensive mediation services and legal assistance tailored to individual and community needs. As part of this effort, I strive to make it easier for individuals to find legal help when they need it most, ensuring that they have access to the resources and support required to navigate complex legal and emotional challenges effectively.
What inspired you to start your business?
I’ve been helping neighbors and friends resolve conflicts peacefully and with connection for years on a volunteer basis. My training in Nonviolent Communication and Restorative Justice helps me guide people through the most challenging conversations of their lives so they build connections and stay out of court. I decided that I wanted to do this work full-time and on my own terms.
Where is your business based?
I live in an Intentional Community (the Miccosukee Land Co-op) in the woods outside of Tallahassee, Florida, and with Zoom, I practice peacebuilding mediation and communication training worldwide.
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
I jumped out of my state job and called everyone I knew in my personal and professional life and told them about my peacebuilding, non-litigation practice. I had no business plan and didn’t have the entrepreneurial maturity I’m building today. I took a leap of faith and started to get referrals and clients immediately but had no business knowledge that was way over my head. I can laugh about it now but it was exciting and scary at the same time.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
Most definitely through social media, podcasts, and videos. People are online and want to see you and know you before they trust you.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
My own entrepreneurial immaturity and mindset barriers. I’m fortunate to be in a group called How to Manage a Small Law Firm that not only teaches lawyers the business aspects we didn’t get in school, but they believe personal growth precedes professional growth. They educate lawyers on the mindset blocks and terror barriers we all encounter when outside of our comfort zones.
How do you stay focused?
I calendar block and plan the week ahead of what I’m going to do this week, then review the week on Friday and plan again for the next week. We all need to pivot sometimes but being intentional about how I use my work time is key.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
I have the trauma-informed care, mindset, and communication skills training the most lawyers and mediators don’t have. This shows up in how I practice mediation – by scheduling one-on-one sessions first, I give each party the chance to talk about how it is for them emotionally, their tender spots, challenges, and hopes. They get to discharge some of that disappointment, fear, or anger. They vision how they want to show up at mediation. I know before we mediate their areas of agreement and concern and can make the most efficient agenda for their situation. I also offer a 100% money back guarantee because I know the power of mediation.
I also love teaching and find that developing effective programs comes naturally to me. I’m finding people and businesses are hungry to get better and conflict resolution and communication and I the training part of my business has been growing and developing. It’s exciting to see people test out these new skills and grow in confidence.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
The most effective strategy for me is referrals and testimonials from past clients so people who are curious about me can get to know others who have worked with me.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Work on your mindset and get mentorship. We need mentors throughout our lives and paying for that mentorship is an investment in your success. I mentor under How to Manage a Small Law Firm and have grown my business 50% in the first year of working with them. I also mentor under David Neagle (his free podcast is The Successful Mind).
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
Favorite app - Apple Books because I always want audiobooks on. I have a huge list of books I want to read and squeeze reading in whenever I can.
Favorite blog – Brené Brown, hands down. She helps me search my soul and uncover shame, show up with authenticity, and inspires me to be gentle to myself and others.
Favorite book – You2 (you squared) by Price Pritchett because it helps me follow the Universal Laws and make the quantum leaps I need to make to fulfill my purpose here.
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
My favorite business tool is the Microsoft BI data dashboards my husband, Dave Rivera, created for my business. I’ve never been a spreadsheet reader and having my income and expenses, results from marketing spend by channel, and other important business numbers shown to me visually helps me understand the story of my firm in a way that a page of numbers never will.
Who is your business role model? Why?
RJon Robins, owner of How to Manage a Small Law Firm. He had a vision for his business, spent energy, time, and money on professional mentorship on mindset, and pursued his dream. He’s constantly growing and learning, he inspires us to keep finding more value to provide our clients and makes sure we celebrate the causes (the actions) we’re doing that lead to the effects we want in our business. I’m grateful to have him as a mentor.
How do you balance work and life?
My work and life flow into each other and it’s not an issue for me. I try to stop working around 5 pm each day, but then after a break walking in nature or cooking and sharing a meal with my husband I may be inspired to sketch out a new program or answer emails. We do take vacations where we unplug and leave the business alone and I also spend weekend time with my phone put away. All high-performers much have rest and play to grow.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
Walking in the woods, making vegan party food for friends, and reading are all important to me outside of my business.
I get lost in complex cooking projects! I’m in the flow when I’m cooking. My Cashew Camembert takes 6 months tended daily to make and is a non-dairy alternative to Camembert using traditional cheesemaking methods. I love making it so much that I’m creating a new business called Five Fae and that product will be publicly available in 2022. Fun and yum!
What do you have planned for the next six months?
I have four programs that’ll all launch within the next six months!
A Couples Mindset half-day workshop (July 10th) that explores the thoughts and actions common to couples and gives actionable steps to build connection and ease. I’m so excited to offer this after years of working with couples one-on-one helping them learn to communicate with connection. This is going to be a game-changer for anyone who wants to add more ease and joy to their interactions.
A Loss, Grief, and Burnout training for lawyers and law firms – I created this because a friend lost her husband, and the probate firm did and said all the wrong things to my grieving friend. Ugh! With some communication and trauma training, that firm could have supported my friend and bolstered their reputation – instead, my friend told her story on social media. Bad for her and bad for the firm. I’m using my trauma training to help firms understand their clients and implement policies and procedures providing meaningful support.
A Solution-Focused Conflict Coaching 6-week program for anyone who is conflict-avoidant and wants more tools in their toolbox, so they feel confident walking toward conflict. My favorite quote about conflict is from Dominic Barter, international peacebuilder, “Rather than be dangerous, conflict holds within it vital messages regarding unmet needs and areas of necessary change. Given this understanding, safety is increased not by avoiding conflict but by listening to the messages within.”
A Life After All ™ program, a 4-month program for divorced and widowed women for healing and building the life they want to live after loss. The key to this is the guidance of an elite faculty of professionals who surround the women with support for their unique circumstances. This will be announced and detailed in July (the website is lifeafterall.com) and the program begins September 1st.
How can our readers connect with you?
My website is kellymcgrathlaw.com and I’m on FB, Linked In, and Twitter.
The new website, lifeafterall.com, will be up until July 1st for the Life After All™ program.
Readers can always touch base with me directly at kelly@kellymcgrathlaw.com or call me at (850) 273-8698.
