Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Englert.
Hi Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
In fifth grade, I decided I wanted to be an attorney. We lived in New Jersey then, and I don’t know why I chose this, but it was my life’s goal from then on out. We moved to Florida shortly after that, and I worked my way through college at Stetson and to the University of Florida Law School. For instance, I had a job riding the bus system, Votran, and interviewing riders about their experience. After college, I went to work at a large law firm and represented some of the best and biggest companies in the area, like Walt Disney Co. and Darden. It was my dream job until I started working at the dream job. While I loved the work, there was not a lot of work/life balance. Eventually, I married and had my first child. Arriving back in the office, I was told I would not be a partner because I had missed too much time. I was furious and worked to create a career where we would always understand that a great personal life translates into a great professional life. We started The Orlando Law Group with two friends nearly 15 years ago. Those friends eventually left the firm, but I’m proud of what it has become. We have a great group of attorneys and support staff that I’m pleased to say are coworkers and friends.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing has ever been smooth, but it built me up along the way. I already hinted at this, but the issue with my maternity leave was devastating at the time. The firm this happened at was my second firm. About a year earlier, I left my first job to follow my mentor to start a new firm in Jacksonville. I thought we were building something tremendous. However, right before I went on maternity leave, he hired another attorney, which I took as a challenge. I billed the same hours during maternity leave, although it wasn’t at the office. I tried to ensure I didn’t put any reason not to continue the path to partner. At the time, I didn’t know what to do. I was still relatively young, but it forced me to take a leap of faith that I might not have ever done without that experience. And I’m thrilled with where this firm has taken me professionally and personally. It is a lesson to learn how to deal with adversity. You can conform or do something to change your situation. After that point, I didn’t want anyone else controlling my situation, so I did something about it and hadn’t looked back.
We’ve been impressed with The Orlando Law Group, PL, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Orlando Law Group focuses on providing excellent legal services to our clients, but in a way that is more personal and client-centric than many law firms.
We provide legal assistance in a wide array of case types, specifically:
Business law
Personal injury
Homeowners’ associations
Education
Financial issues like bankruptcy
Real estate law
Estate planning
With such a wide range of specialties, our brand is across the board. We are always trying to be lawyers who care. For instance, we had a woman call our office who had been a client at one of Orlando’s large personal injury law firms. In an email, the paralegal let her know that firm was dropping representation. The reason? They determined there was not enough insurance to make a substantial claim, and thus was not profitable for them to proceed. That is not acceptable to us. While we didn’t take the case, we did direct the woman to the options available to her in her unique situation. It was enough for her to cover her medical bills.
That’s just one of many cases that could have been more profitable. Our brand is also one of the lawyers who will do everything we can to help a client. One of my first cases is a good example. My client’s daughter was nine years old and had severe cerebral palsy. She had spent her entire life in three places: her wheelchair, her bed, or on a blanket on the floor. The family needed to get an adaptive tricycle to give her the ability to feel mobility. The insurance company denied the $40,000 charge. Her family deserved joy in a life with so many challenges. So we fought for her as hard as possible and got her that tricycle. There are thousands of stories like these we’ve helped throughout the years. We’re continually adding new services and new attorneys. Recently, we started an immigration division within our law group, and the future is very bright.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
Anyone who has started their own business is a risk taker. When I began The Orlando Law Group, I thought we would have a few clients follow us to the new firm. Not one did. It was like Jerry Maguire, but I didn’t have anyone to show the money to! It worked out for us in the long run, but we wouldn’t be here today without taking risks. One of the riskiest things we did throughout our company’s life was to avoid opening an office in the heart of Orlando. Instead, I looked at serving the suburban area. After all, as a business owner, I would want to have my lawyer miles away or in my community. I would want to be close to my attorney. Was it risky? Sure. It certainly wasn’t the normal path for a growing law firm. But it worked out for us, and today all of our offices are outside the city center, in the suburbs, close to our clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: theorlandolawgroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theorlandolawgroup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOrlandoLawGroup
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theorlandolaw
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbDix6E6MwBr88imAOPlWiw
