Today we’d like to introduce you to Lerae Funderburg.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lerae. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
“I ain’t choose the game, the game chose me.” – some rapper. I don’t know who said it, but it pretty much sums up my legal career. I never wanted to be a lawyer. I didn’t want to be one, it just wasn’t what I sought out to do. I actually always wanted to be a teacher – an elementary school teacher in fact. By the time I got to college and had to declare a major, I saw what the early childhood folks were doing: coloring in books, reading Dr. Seuss, and I thought – being a first-generation college-goer – I ought not to waste my college degree on that. So, I chose something I wanted to learn about, and that was criminal justice; I majored in that and minored in Spanish.
After I graduated, I was like “what do people do with degrees in criminal justice?” and when my short list was a probation officer, police officer, or teacher, I was like yeaaaaaa, so I’m not doing that. I reached out to a college professor to see if he had any leads and it turned out the paralegal in his office was just found murdered in his apartment, so needless to say he wasn’t showing up for work on Monday morning. He put me in touch with the boss, I applied and was offered a job as a paralegal for the Fulton County Conflict Defender’s Office. I loved that job. No micro-managing. Cases were interesting.
My attorneys loved me, and I, them, and they were pretty much grooming me to become one of them. I worked there for a little over a year and got bored, honestly.
My work was limited. My learning and earning potential was too, so I took a job working for a death penalty mitigation firm. That was intense. The work was mentally draining, but I was our Executive Director’s right-hand woman (I mean, so much so that she shut down shop when I decided to take the plunge and go to law school) and I had a job to do. She always believed I was destined for this because of my ability to keep emotions out of everything, while insightfully presenting either side of an argument. At any rate, after about a year there, I started to see that in order for me to do the most good, I needed more education. I needed a degree with authority – one that commanded respect, and a bachelor’s degree wasn’t gonna cut it.
So, I decided to go back to school. I applied to grad school and law school at the same time, because I hadn’t let go of my dream of teaching. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t get into any master’s program for education and ended up getting into almost every law school I applied to. Law school won by default. By the time I got there, I’d experienced heartbreak in the worst way.
A boyfriend I had – my very first love, was murdered a few months before starting law school and I had not even begun to heal from that. Law school was a distraction from life – a good one. It was the only thing that kept me enthralled enough to not wallow in the depression that was my life at the time. I never knew what I was doing, or at least I didn’t think I did, but like I said, it chose me, so needless to say, I beasted in law school, without even trying. I mean, I started drinking in law school; partying hardy in law school; clubbing in law school; I was depressed after all.
But, for some reason, none of that stood in the way of me getting the highest grades in my classes; and for being a silent threat to the students in my class. I never boasted or bragged because I didn’t even think I had it like that. I was always surprised at the end of every term when the A’s came rolling in and I’m thinking wtf is everybody else doing in here. I mean, I’d listen to people speak insightfully in class all day. Me, I’d never had the answers, or at least I didn’t think I did – until I was called on and said whatever came to mind and my professors are like “yesssss, yessss” and I’m like well, alright, glad that’s over.
Okay, let’s fast forward because I could do this all day. It took me YEARS to get into my legal career after law school. I partied for like a year, just because everyone made me believe law school was this major accomplishment for which I did the damn thing, so I milked it. And plus, I’d never really partied before law school, so I had lost time to make up for. I worked for a couple firms thereafter, to learn what I already knew, which was that firm life was NOT for me.
Then I kinda did my own thing for a minute – representing independent film production companies in California (got some IMDB film credits while I was at it) and remained unfulfilled in my career. I came back to Georgia because I got pregnant and had my son. I spent a few years thereafter just being a mom to him because motherhood was a role I longed for and refused to take lightly.
Once he got bored of me, I picked up my books again and sat for the Georgia bar (because there was no reciprocity, arrrrg) and started pushing my law stuff – kinda. I was more just an attorney with clients at that point. After I had my daughter in July of last year, she put a little fire under me that I hadn’t felt in forever. Maybe it was the fact that I knew I had some little person really watching my every move. I felt really responsible for her, in a way I didn’t feel for my son. And she got me moving. I went from lawyer with clients to a lady boss attorney running my own practice.
And it has been no easy feat. Running a business requires me to wear many hats that I thought I could just bypass, but now understand I really need, to actually be a success. I’m finally being challenged. I’ve managed to skate through my entire life not being challenged – law school included. But this challenge has been PHENOMENAL.
Although some days I’m deeply discouraged, I turn that discouragement into motivation. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I give myself a few minutes to be sad and cry and then I #bossup. I ask myself, what can I do to change this? And then I’m empowered. Because I’ve taken control of the situation and have strategies to implement to bring me closer to my goals. I still have lots of guilt about not living up to the expectation others have set before me. I have lots of guilt about not making boss moves earlier on in life. I have lots of guilt about not taking time away from my work to be a full-time mother to my daughter.
But, I feel productive. I wake up every day thinking, how can I make a change? What can I do to make someone else happier? Or their load lighter? Or be an inspiration? Or just serve them? And I think ultimately that’s what it’s all about.
Has it been a smooth road?
LOL, no. Definitely not. The struggle is real. I constantly battle whether I’m being there for my kids the way in which they need and deserve. I sometimes feel like being a mom impedes my success because I’m so hands-on with my kids, a single mother, and I have no real support system, and at times it prevents me from being able to move the way I would want to, being an entertainment lawyer. A lot of my work involves networking, events, studio time and the like, and it’s next to impossible to be everywhere with kids.
I’ve been blessed to have a clientele base that understands and respects my hustle, but I personally wish I could do more. Money is always a thing. Once I bossed up, I had overhead like nobody’s business, so that means less money in my pockets, but it’s also meant a lot for my brand (in a good way), so I take the good with the bad, the happy with the sad, and make it work. Also, I’m hard on myself, so I never give myself enough credit for the small strides toward success, and I never know if what I’m doing is working or if I’m busy to be busy, instead of being productive.
So, I go through this cycle of going hard, burning out, sulking, being motivated, to go hard all over again. And I can see the light at the end of the tunnel – the one that says don’t stop, get it, get it. So I’m getting it. Struggling with a smile because I know the outcome.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Funderburg Law story. Tell us more about the business.
Funderburg Law is a boutique Atlanta based law firm that focuses on entertainment and media transactions, business law and estate planning. Our clients include entertainment professionals and companies, small businesses, and parents of minor children, but we are most known for our music law practice. Our philosophy for success is individual attention, coupled with high-quality work product, completed on time, and always with the client’s overall vision in mind. We are very passionate about everything we do, and we utilize that same passion in helping our clients to achieve their goals. At Funderburg Law, we root for the underdogs. We love the creatives and the indie scene and work tirelessly to ensure that our “indie” clients receive “major” quality services.
As a lawyer, I’m always told I’m personable and approachable. That makes me unique from other attorneys. It amazes me when people tell me they’re afraid of their attorney or their attorney makes them feel dumb. I’m like how does that work, exactly? And why would you pay someone to represent you and your interests when you’re lightweight scared of them? But I get it. Truth is, I don’t care for very many lawyers myself – the grandiose personalities, egos out this world, stuffy demeanors – I mean, who needs ‘em, right? But in our defense, it’s part of the grooming process. They literally teach you that you’re the sh** in law school. And if you already felt that way prior to coming, well there you have it.
Another skill I have is the keen ability to process complicated and convoluted information and break it down to a kindergarten level. That’s helped me tremendously in all walks of life, and it helps me to really connect with my clients. No one wants to be talked at. Lawyers like to sound smart all the time and for whatever reason, they like to play that game with their clients. Maybe it’s because we like to justify why we charge the big bucks, but I like to play things a little differently. I speak to my clients in a language they understand, and I go through their contracts with them, so they know what’s at stake. Drafting an agreement is one thing, but my client has to live with that document, so they need to know and understand what they’re obligated to do thereunder, and what the other party’s rights and obligations are, so they can determine if someone is in breach and what the proper procedures are to minimize damages. I can’t be there every step of the way.
So, I like to educate and empower my clients to handle their day to day affairs and to consult with me when it’s necessary. I mean I like to be paid, but I’d prefer to have clients who have a thorough understanding of their transactions because it just causes less stress for everyone in the long run. While doing things this way hasn’t always been a huge financial benefit, I’ve benefited in other ways. I have a high retention rate for my clients and they happily refer me every chance they get. And I have built long lasting relationships and friendships with many of my clients.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Eeeek, it’s hard to say. Because I’m a transactional attorney and not a litigation attorney, I can honestly see a shift where there’s less of a need for us. Let me rephrase that, I see a shift where people believe there’s less of a need for us. I mean you can find just about any contract template on the internet, but I tell people all the time “please do not confuse your google search with my law degree”.
Because people have free access to all of the documents we charge the big bucks to prepare, and they think they can work things out on their own (and some can – don’t get me wrong), I see the legal profession beginning to be undervalued. It doesn’t command as much authority and respect as it once did. I hope I’m wrong though.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1372 Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30309
- Website: www.funderburglaw.com
- Phone: 678.814.6300
- Email: lerae@funderburglaw.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funderburglaw/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FunderburgLawLLC/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FunderburgLaw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/funderburg-law-atlanta?osq=funderburg+law
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lerae-funderburg-ab201b29/
Image Credit:
Makeup by Oz, Jay Wiggs Photographer
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