We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Julie Eisenhower. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Julie below.

Alright, Julie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Being eager and motivated to start practicing law, I graduated law school with the intention of becoming a real estate attorney and never stepping foot in the courtroom. I thought I would never practice a day of family law but only draft contracts, negotiate real property deals, and interact with business owners and homeowners– never emotions, loss, or human struggle. But fate had a different plan for me. Having never found my footing in a real estate law practice, I submitted my resume to several law firms and to the District Attorney General’s Office for the 9th Judicial District. The D.A. offered a job for a new Assistant District Attorney General to prosecute child support cases for Roane and Meigs Counties. The position would not be able to start until September of that year, yet the D.A. offered me an immediate caseworker position in the child support office. With it being April and having no other job, I figured why not? My husband at this time was deployed to Afghanistan and staying another minute in our home without him was unbearable. So, I jumped at the offer to work as a caseworker to keep my mind off of his deployment and to learn a thing or two before September. My life changed forever with that decision. My experience as a caseworker was incredible! The valuable skills I learned from managing a caseload, to learning state databases, from preparing cases for court, to juggling daily work tasks. I continue to use these skills every day. Most importantly, I learned from a group of amazing women how to handle difficult situations. I learned from these caseworkers how to have a conversation with a caretaker scared and struggling to take care of raising a child and looking to our office to bring in regular and consistent money for their child’s care. I learned from the Assistant D.A.s how to present myself as assertive–always in control of the case–while also serving the public with compassion for all parties in a case. I learned from the superb Magistrate how to present myself in a courtroom, how to solve problems with his lead and guidance, and how to resolve issues that preserved judicial economy and brought results to the case. I learned from colleagues how to interact with other attorneys and how to approach a case in ways that were practical and outside of the black and white text of a law book. This prior job shaped my career in practicing law. It gave me my voice, confidence, and love for the courtroom. It gave me passion for lifelong learning. It humbled me as a new attorney. It opened many subsequent doors for my career path, and I will forever be appreciative of that experience.

Julie, 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?

TriAmicus Law, PLLC was born from my law partner, Mital Patel. She and I had known each other for many years serving as opposing counsel on numerous domestic relations cases. Around 2018, we began working together on several cases while she was an attorney at another firm. Mital decided to open her own firm and asked me to join her. During our journey of working together, I started to work as an administrator settling estates where Mital served as the attorney. I love this work! I utilize all of my training from meticulous record keeping and problem solving to settle an estate. Through this fiduciary work, I witnessed the ugly and, sometimes devasting, result from when someone dies intestate or without a will. My interest in developing and focusing on an estate planning and probate practice was inspired from this important work. Today, my practice focuses primarily on estate planning, probate, elder law, conservatorships, and serving as a fiduciary. I serve as a Certified Estate Planner ® through the National Institute of Certified Estate Planners ®. With this designation, I have specific training in complex estate planning matters that incorporate pivotal tax planning and legacy creation. Planning for our seniors and children and adults with special needs is a passion and allows me to reach out to our local community where I am able to educate and work with other community outreach groups that support these individuals. TriAmicus Law, PLLC believes in the values of giving back to our local community. It is my passion to do so through our estate planning and probate practice area in the firm.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of the many reasons I chose to work with Mital Patel and practice at TriAmicus Law, PLLC is our shared value of motherhood. Mital and I both wanted to have a firm where not only are we able to practice our passion areas and help clients but also to incorporate flexibility into our practice so that we are available for our children. As a mom of a 5th and 4th graders, it is important for me to be available for when my children are sick, need help with homework or school projects, and the many extracurricular activities that they participate in. Because of my personal goals for my family, I have had to pivot several times in my career. Pivoting for me occurred with job change or time management of my day. When I found that I no longer wanted to work an 8 to 5 job where I was in the courtroom day in and day out, I pivoted. I took the skills I learned from being a caseworker and appellate brief writing and offered my skills for other attorneys and firms in brief writing, case management, and administrative tasks. I never wanted to take my foot completely out of practicing law. The goal was to always be a full-time mother while keeping a toe in practicing law. I knew I had to be creative and unconventional in order to accomplish this goal. The skill set I earned through pivoting carries me through my career today. I wanted it all—I want to be available for my young children and practice law at the same time. When I transitioned in my practice areas, I took that “work” time and studied by taking continuing legal education courses, reading business books, attending seminars and workshops. I never stopped improving my skills and always knew I need to keep my stamina up and work my day and calendar around this balancing act so that I was prepared for any law job that came my way. I knew my children would become more independently so I had to meet my career at each junction of those changes at home. Never stop learning and never stop raising your skill set.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I am a member of BNI®. This is the world’s largest referral organization. BNI® provides members with a plethora of learning material as well as endless opportunities to meet one-on-one with seasoned business owners. I learned through these experiences how to network and how to tailor my message of who I am, what I do, and who I am looking to meet for connections for business growth. I would recommend anybody, especially newly graduated or apprenticed individuals, to join a local chapter and take advantage of the education materials and the one-to-one meetings that will help polish your message and make you better at business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://triamicuslaw.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TriAmicusLaw/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-eisenhower-8303a619a/

Image Credits
Marie Kamp, Red Door Photography for the professional photos Julie Eisenhower