Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Deveney Wells-Gibson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Deveney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about one of the craziest things you’ve experienced in your journey so far.

Life is filled with the good, the bad, the ugly, the ups, and the downs. Same goes with running a business; it’s not all flowers and roses. I set out on a journey to become known as The Prenup Queen, because as a Divorce Attorney, I see the financial, mental, and emotional impact it has on my client, the other spouse, their respective parents, and if children are involved, the kiddos. So, lo and behold, The Prenup Queen began to help educate couples on the benefits that getting a prenuptial agreement would have, including the benefits it would provide in strengthening their marriage, because the process would foster and encourage certain discussions and conversations that 100% should be had prior to marriage, but oftentimes gets skipped over, because we’re so in love.

So, as I’m chugging away at scaling my Family Law practice and also working to get The Prenup Queen up and running, I get a phone call from a client asking for me to draft a postnuptial agreement. Postnuptial agreements are very similar to prenuptial agreements, except that they’re created after the couples have already married. I’m discussing the process with her, explaining what to expect, the legalities, timelines, etc. As we are ending the conversation, she says she feels comfortable with me, think I am the best person for the job, and would like to hire me. Right before I go to hang up, she says, “wait, one more thing! Would you be willing to do this on TV?” I just kind of chuckled and had to ask her to repeat herself, which she did. “Are you being serious?” I asked.

Sure enough, fast forward a few weeks, I show up on set of Married At First Sight. I brought my notary along with me, we were dressed up to look cute, but also aware that TV supposedly adds about 10-15 pounds on you. I was so nervous, yet excited at the same time. This was going to be an amazing opportunity! This was about to be a nationwide thing. People were going to see my face. People were going to know my name. People were going to know about The Prenup Queen.

My dream is to be on TV, but consistently. Not just one episode, but several. I want to educate the public on the benefits that prenuptial agreements bring and how it can help strengthen marriages and lower the divorce rate! My goal is to allow people to enter into marriages with more knowledge and understanding of the financial implications that come with marriages, and allow for them to opt out of the government’s rules, make their own unique rules within the marriage, so they have a very clear and predictable roadmap for them.

Deveney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Deveney Wells-Gibson. I am a 29 year old, Black female, who was born and raised in San Antonio, TX. I grew up being primarily raised by a single parent, who selflessly worked as many as three jobs at one time, simply to provide me a life she believed I deserved. From a young age, I always dreamed about being an attorney, because I saw the effects that divorce had on a family, and how it affected children. Children have always been my concern and protecting them from the effects of a divorce was (and is) my calling.

I am currently a family law attorney, and I have a successful family law firm here in San Diego, CA. While my firm is operating, I have also created The Prenup Queen, to combat the high divorce rate that is rampant within our country. My goal is to educate the general public on the benefits that prenuptial agreement, postnuptial agreements, and cohabitation agreements provide to the couples. These agreements have been stigmatized by the media, but they have so many benefits to them that can actually strengthen marriages and help lower the divorce rate, or if the unfortunate happens, allow for them to save tens of thousands of dollars by minimizing their need for litigating should a divorce happen.

Additionally, my firm also has a Divorce It Yourself (DIY) Program to help people through the divorce process, if their divorce is less complex. The DIY Program was created to allow spouses to divorce without needing to hire attorneys, so they could save their hard earned money and put it towards something more important, like their children. The DIY Program is filled with both video and written instructions on the documents that they need to handle their divorce, general information so they have the knowledge and understanding on how to properly fill out those documents, instructions on how to properly file and serve their documents, and simply words of encouragement, because I know the divorce journey is fraught with intense emotions.

Everything I have created was meant to allow people to save their money, because divorce is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy. It complete disrupts the couple’s lives, oftentimes making them feel like their starting over from scratch! Divorce is also a reason why some people have issues with retiring when they reach retirement age. Divorce is expensive and I simply want to help protect individuals to either (1) strengthen their marriages via The Prenup Queen, (2) assist them with amicably and easily splitting, if their case is less complex, via The Divorce It Yourself Program, or (3) represent them and their best interest in court, via Wells-Gibson Family Law, my firm.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to quickly unlearn was – “If you want it done right, you need to do it yourself”. If I were simply a sole proprietor, then maybe that lesson would be applicable, but as a business owner wanting to scale, I quickly realized that lesson would do me more harm than good. I had to learn to let go and allow people to own their roles. I instead learned that there are many avenues/paths to get to the same destination. I also learned that seeing new ideas and perspectives could actually make me and the business more efficient!

Now, I currently have four employees and looking at bringing on a fifth! Sometimes letting go to allow others to shine is necessary!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Owning my own firm and being a business owner was not originally a part of my dream. I always thought I’d be at another firm and working hard to prove myself. I was at my dream firm while I was in law school, while I was studying for the bar, and shortly after I passed the bar, I thought I had found my forever home. I enjoyed the people I worked with and enjoyed the atmosphere and culture I had grown to become accustomed to.

Shortly after I passed the bar, there were issues with my employment contract. Promises were not being upheld and I quickly began to feel taken advantage of. I could not believe what was happening, how I was being treated, and I hated the feelings I was feeling based on these circumstances. It was roughly 2 months of going back and forth with negotiations and expressing how disappointed I was for them reneging on their promises, because it took away from the other opportunities another firm had offered me. I assume they understood and after those months of going back and forth, they agreed to honor their promise; however, it was not how I wanted to start my legal career as an attorney, so I immediately put in my two weeks.

I discussed that whole ordeal with several people, who all encouraged me to just go out on my own. Boy am I glad that I listened. I had great mentors and guidance to get me to where I am today. The love and support that I received during my first two years in business is what has helped me be the business woman I am today!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theprenupqueen.com
• Instagram: @theprenupqueen
• Other: Firm website: www.wellsgibsonfamilylaw.com DIY website: www.wellsgibsonfamilylaw.com/diy Firm’s IG: @wellsgibsonfamilylaw