Although widely known for March Madness, March is also Women’s History Month. To celebrate, Montage Legal Group takes this chance to shine the spotlight on three women attorneys and entrepreneurs interviewed by our guest blogger, Kandy Williams. These women may come from different backgrounds, and have different practice areas and perspectives, but they have one thing in common – they are all inspiring.
Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal – Founder of Esse Law, PC
Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal is the founder of Esse Law, PC, a boutique corporate firm that guides, strategizes with, and propels entrepreneurs and the investors that power their engines. In 2022, Shaheen became a Venture Fellow for Strawberry Creek Ventures and is on a mission to get more venture capital into the hands of promising women-founded companies.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you faced as a women lawyer and entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
A: The biggest challenge I have faced is expansion. Every time you expand your business or as a person, you have to be willing to do some deep exploration, truthful about your areas of growth and opportunity and prepared to get very uncomfortable. In my case, it has been the exercise of delegation and training – you cannot do it all if you want to have a scalable business. Letting go of control of all the little things in order to get to the next level takes practice. I’ve hired a business coach to help me see my blind spots and keep me accountable.
Q: What has been your most significant accomplishment as a woman in law and why is it meaningful to you?
A: I feel like this phase in my career is my most significant accomplishment as a woman in law. I now have enough expertise, credibility, and focus on what my purpose and mission is in my field to be a thought-leader and change-maker. Of late, I’ve been beating the drum for women to be better represented in venture capital, both as check writers and as check receivers. The statistics are appalling – only about 8% of women are partners at venture funds and only 2% of the $238B venture capital deployed in 2022 went to women-founded companies. I’m growing my firm in order to create a venture arm that funds underrepresented founders, and particularly women. This decision to spend this chapter of my life using my law degree for fight for a cause I feel so passionately about is by far my most significant accomplishment as a woman attorney.
Q: How have you seen the legal profession change for women since you first started practicing law?
A: When I started practicing, we had few women partners, even fewer women partners who were mothers. It used to be you basically had to pretend you were not a mother if you wanted to get ahead in your career. I think with more women attorneys in leadership positions, access to career advancement has dramatically improved. I’ve been on deals before where all the attorneys were women. That would have never happened when I first started practicing 20 years ago and I’m so proud of how far we’ve come in our profession.
Michelle Fonseca-Kamana – founder of West Coast Lemons APC
Michelle Fonseca-Kamana is the founder of West Coast Lemons APC, a law firm specializing in California lemon law. She is passionate about consumer advocacy, education, and an unparalleled client experience. By sharing her knowledge in both English and Spanish via informational videos on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok, Michelle has built a solid direct to consumer and direct to business referral network all using social media.
Q: What career or life tips would you give other women for success?
A: Take ownership of your career and treat yourself as a business. That means knowing your worth and having the courage to leave a law firm if it’s not an environment conducive to you growing as an attorney and human being. Whether it’s personal development, handling the types of cases you want, to being paid what you deserve, you need to figure out what it is you want out of your career and make sure you’re constantly reassessing whether the situation you’re in is helping you get closer to your goal or whether you’re just comfortable in the stagnant situation you’re in. Don’t let years go by and wonder what happened to your life and career. Be proactive.
Q: Since it is Women’s History Month, what women have influenced you the most and how so?
A: My colleagues have been such a huge source of inspiration and encouragement for me, especially since I started my law firm. Prior to 2020, I would never go to networking events and this was a colossal mistake on my part. Luckily, I got my act together once I started my firm and have been able to build real relationships both on social media and in person with so many incredible female lawyers and business owners. Knowing that even though I have my own law firm I’m never truly alone has been a game changer. It gives you a whole new sense of confidence knowing you have this group of women that have your back, both personally and professionally, and that you have their back too.
Q: What has been your most significant accomplishment as a woman in law and why is it meaningful to you?
A: Starting my own law firm 3 weeks before the pandemic and not only surviving but thriving has been my proudest accomplishment. I’m a first generation Colombian-American, so to become a successful attorney and business owner and have my parents see all that come to fruition is truly the American dream. Not only have I built my own law firm from scratch, I’ve also had the opportunity to teach and encourage other women across the country on how they too can start their own law firms. Knowing that my story has encouraged others made the struggles I went through to get to this point well worth it.
Amy Gostanian – Founder of the Gostanian Law Group
Amy Gostanian is the founder of the Gostanian Law Group, a law firm specializing in trust and probate litigation and estate planning. Since starting the firm in 2005, Amy has grown Gostanian Law Group to a team of 13 (and growing). Amy is certified as an Estate Planning and Trust Specialist by the California State Bar. Amy is one of a small handful of attorneys in Orange County recognized as a SuperLawyer in Trust and Estate Litigation.
Q: What career or life tips would you give other women for success?
A: Success is a subjective term. To some women, it is becoming a powerhouse in business. To other women, it is being a mom who makes dinner every night and goes to every soccer game. To me, it was some of both. I believe LOVE is a verb, you have to actively work at it every day. My husband and children are my WHY. Success is knowing your WHY and then putting activities on your calendar every week to make them a priority. Without that you are just getting up and going through the motions. I have always tried to be ahead of the curve in my industry. I was working on websites when attorneys were still relying on word of mouth. I was becoming electronic when my counterparts were relying on paper files. The next decade is going to take things to an entirely new level with the introduction of AI. The question is how to see the trends and then stay ahead of them.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you faced as a women lawyer and entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
A: The biggest challenge I had was delegating. As a woman and a mom, you get used to taking care of everyone. You have to make a conscious decision as an entrepreneur to know your highest and best use and hire others to take the tasks that take away from your highest and best use (sales, marketing, and vision).
Q: How have you balanced your personal life and work life throughout your career and what advice would you give to other women trying to do the same?
A: Sometimes I do it better than other times. Having 3 kids and a very busy law practice pulls me in 20 directions at all times. The calendar can be your best friend or worst enemy. Every 2 weeks I sit down with my calendar and put in date nights with my spouse, yoga twice a week, happy hour with friends and other activities for my own personal well-being. If you like reading or journaling – put it on your calendar each day and then honor your calendar!
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Thank you to Shaheen, Michelle, and Amy for allowing us to spotlight them in celebration of Women’s History Month. And thanks to our guest blogger, Kandy Williams. Our goal in sharing the insight and stories of these successful women is to honor the women from history who helped paved the way for their success – and to inspire future generations of women to carve their own paths.
Guest Blogger: Kandy Williams
Kandy Williams is the founder of Triage Law Firm, a boutique business law firm. Her practice focuses on M&A, venture capital, private equity, and high level corporate, LLC, and partnership issues. As for Kandy, she was inspired by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also known as The Notorious RBG.
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