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

Hi Rhonda, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Why a lawyer, much less a family law attorney? That is a question I often receive, especially when people hear that I run a “faith based” practice. It makes a difference when you are working in an area where you feel you are called, which is where I am. One of the goals of my “faith based” family law practice is to ensure that I honor God with all aspects of my business. One way that I maintain that goal is through my practice philosophy. There are times when marriages are beyond repair and the only way for each person to move towards wholeness is to sever the relationship. In my practice, one of the first questions I ask is “if the other person would stop doing whatever is bothering you and you could go to counseling to get things fixed, would you be talking to me today?” If the client’s response is no, I ask them to go and work on their marriage, then come see me if they were not able to repair the relationship. If the client’s response is yes, then we move forward. My thought is that if a family unit can remain whole, I want the parties to have a chance to fix it. If not, at least they will have a Christian attorney representing them who is not going to use unethical practices or vengeful methods to allow the severance of the relationship to take place.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am a solo practice family law attorney based in Durham NC. Law is a second career for me. I was in the financial services industry for eighteen years, prior to going to law school. I knew, however, that I wanted to be a lawyer as it was my dream from around the age of seven. I am also a minister and feel that I have been called to work in this arena. As such, I see now how God orchestrated everything so that even though there was an eighteen year detour to reaching my goal of a legal career, I am able to use the experiences gained in my practice today. I primarily handle divorce, child custody, child support, marital property and spousal support issues. I am also a certified mediator and I seek to resolve disputes through alternate dispute resolution instead of fighting about everything in court. There are times, however, where court is a necessity and I am well prepared to thoroughly represent my client in that setting. My faith is an integral part of my practice, and something that my clients are made aware of at the very start. Prayer typically takes place at the start of client meetings and definitely before any hearing in court. I believe it is important for people to identify those legal service providers that are a good fit for them. I have had some clients that were not supportive of the concept of alternate dispute resolution and wanted to fight out everything in court. In those instances, we may have had to part ways. For that reason, I establish early on in the process that negotiation is a common practice and will be conducted in my representation, until we have no other alternative but to go to hearing. Most of my clients appreciate my willingness to negotiate and the fact that we begin with prayer.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe integrity is critical in building your reputation within the market. The legal profession is seen as one with great conflicts – attorneys against other attorneys, a “fight to the death” in some cases. Even in conflicts, you must still operate in integrity. There are some interactions that I have had with others where I knew that based on prior experiences, they were not to be trusted. I never want it to be said that I am not trustworthy. As a faith based practitioner, I recognize that everything I do is a reflection on God who has called me to this career. As such, I strive to ensure that what I do is pleasing to Him. Part of that realization comes in how I treat others. I believe that other attorneys know that when they are dealing with me they do not have to wonder if there is an ulterior motive, in fact, I often let them know from the beginning that I don’t play games or hide the ball. My goal is to seek resolution and we need to determine how that is going to happen. I believe that because of how I interact with not only the adversaries, but those who provide support and even the judges, they are willing to refer others to me and speak well of me in their circles. If there is a situation where there has been a misunderstanding, I seek to correct it early enough so that there is no tarnish to my representation. This integrity also reaches to how I treat my clients. They must have someone they trust to represent them and while I am straight forward when I present options to my clients, they know that I am speaking truth.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has been through referrals. The interesting thing about the referrals is that aside from one law practice where we do cross referrals, I have not asked for the referrals that come from clients, other attorneys or judges. I recently added to my intake form a request for how I was found and often there will be the statement that they were referred by another attorney. It is critical if you are going to build your business that you operate in such a way that others would like to refer clients to you. I have actually had referrals from opposing attorneys or opposing parties. These referrals are extra special because although you were an adversary, the person sees that there is value in how you handled yourself. They then see that you may benefit someone else. I encourage those who would like to build their business through referrals to make sure that they establish relationships with those who may be able to refer people to them, especially those who work in the courthouse. If you treat the courthouse staff with respect, they will remember you and be more than willing to refer others to you. If you are not in the legal profession, be sure to treat your vendors and others with respect so they will be willing to refer someone to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kelley-familylaw.com
• Facebook: Law Offices of Rhonda B. Kelley PLLC