Written by: Attorney, Mary Hart
Remember the old Cadillac commercial: “This is not your grandfather’s Cadillac?” We feel that way about The Hart Law Group. We like to think we are a breath of fresh air in the legal world…not the stuffy, pin-stripe wearing attorneys you see surrounded by marble and mahogany on the TV shows of yesteryear. Many of you reading this may know us, or know of us, but you may not know the backstory – how we came to be, who we are, why we do what we do, and why it matters. After almost 9 years in existence, it is time to rectify that. This is our story!
THE BACKSTORY
In 2006, after 18 years of marriage, I found myself unexpectedly divorced with three young boys, ages 5, 8 and 11, and no job. Although I had previously practiced law for 13 years in Alaska, I had been a stay-at home mom for the year and a half our family had been in Asheville. Suddenly I was a single mom with no earned income. I knew I had to go back to work, and I was fairly sure that my previous experience would allow me to find a job, but I did not want to give up the freedom to be with my children whenever it was important to do so. I wanted to be able to take an afternoon off to be with my boys or to take them to the beach for Spring Break without having to ask permission to leave work. Divorce is hard enough on kids. I wanted to be available for my children whenever they needed me. I spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out how to navigate my new and unexpected world as a single mom Then, in an instant, my life changed when I was given the opportunity to buy a beautiful old house in downtown Asheville. From the moment I saw the building, I had the blinding realization that I needed to open my own law firm and have our law offices in that house! I closed on that house - now the offices of the Hart Law Group - on the 1 year anniversary of my separation and filed the paperwork to start my own law firm. I have never looked back!
The Hart Law Group now employs four attorneys (including me) and 6 staff. We have opened more than 4000 client files since in our almost 9 year existence, averaging 40 files per month since the day we opened our doors! I am very proud of that accomplishment, but I am even more proud of what we stand for and the manner in which we help individuals, families and businesses prevent or solve their legal problems.
OUR MISSION
 |
| By Jonas Gerard; Used with permission |
We have a very simple mission: to provide exceptional legal services with an emphasis on customer service. That might sound so obvious, but in reality, lawyers are not always the best in the customer service department. There are legions of stories of lawyers who : 1) don’t return phone calls, 2) fail to keep their client apprised of the status of their case, 3) churn out “cookie cutter” documents regardless of the individual circumstances, and 4) treat clients as if they should feel privileged that the lawyer has made time for them. We flip that paradigm on its head. We believe that every client is unique and important. We believe that every phone call and email should be returned within 24 hours or less. We believe in compassion and communication. And, perhaps most importantly, we feel privileged that, with all the choices out there, our clients have chosen us to help them in some of the most important aspects of their lives. We may not always be perfect when it comes to customer service, but we sure try to be!
WHO WE ARE
We are all women. We are mothers, sisters, daughters, wives and girlfriends. We are animal lovers, artists, music lovers, dancers, foodies, outdoor enthusiasts and lovers of books and travel. We donate our time and money for causes in which we believe. We wear blue jeans and cowboy boots and love sitting on the front porch on a Friday afternoon. We are real and we care. We are the cowgirls of Hart Law! WE ARE YOUR LEGAL TEAM! To find out more about each of us and why we are known as the Cowgirls of Hart Law, check out our website:
www.thehartlawgroup.com.
WHAT WE DO
The short answer: We prevent or solve legal problems!
The longer answer: We work with individuals, families and businesses in the areas of real estate, estate planning, business law, elder law, special needs planning and guardianship, tax, asset protection planning, domestic partnership planning, self-directed IRAs, non-profit corporations and more.
We listen. We educate, collaborate, motivate, communicate and advocate. We counsel, plan, assist and implement. We comfort and console. We fight when necessary (with our minds and our words…not our fists)! We care.
WHY WE DO IT
The glib answer: we love stress and are gluttons for punishment! The real answer: Because we care. We are compassionate, caring, loving, and nurturing and we want to use our most valuable resources – our brain power and our time – to make your life better. Pretty simple, really!
WHY IT MATTERS
We know you have choices when you need a lawyer and we want you to choose us. We know that if we truly care about you, your family and your business, and if we treat you with respect, compassion, and excellent customer service, while providing superior legal services, we can earn your business and your trust. Because that matters to us, we should matter to you.
If you are still not convinced, here are (with apologies to David Letterman) the
Top Ten Reasons to Choose The Hart Law Group.
