Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Avard Turner.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in Thomasville, Georgia, where I was that child who loved color, all things girly, and to be in charge and at the front of the line. When I was in 5th grade I had a sketchbook, and I just knew I was going to be a fashion designer. So when I was able to go with my aunt, who owned a high-end retail boutique, to the Apparel Mart in Atlanta, I vowed to myself that I would choose a profession that allowed me to “come back here,” At an early age, I had two passions–anything creative and the law.
Fast forward to college, I attended Furman University, which was a fantastic experience that solidified my desire to practice law. While I was in college, I worked on several fronts to build my pre-law resume. From interning with family court judges to working for a Congressman in Greenville, working on Capitol Hill for Strom Thurmond and the Federal Courts’ Sentencing Commission, I was clear that I would be in a law practice somewhere. After Furman, I secured a job with the Solicitor’s Office in Greenville, and I quickly learned that I did not want to practice criminal law. At the same time, I was figuring out how law school would fit into my future; my high school sweetheart (we’ve known each other since we were both 5 years old), who I had been dating for the past four years, decided to move to Michigan to get a second degree in furniture design. This really shook up what I thought my plans would be because I just knew I would attend law school in the South. Well, never say never. Over the next 8 months, I was accepted to law school in Michigan at Thomas M. Cooley Law School. I did not know another soul in Michigan besides my then-boyfriend, Steven.
I loved law school. It was entertaining, challenging, and nerve-wracking–all the things a true Enneagram 3 thrives on. However, while I was in law school, I still could not shake this creative part of my spirit that seemed to pop in and check on me. I can remember getting dressed to visit with clients one day as part of an externship in elder law I was completing and looking in the mirror. I though to myself, “This is not me. I don’t have on an ounce of color or pattern. I look like a legal robot.” Truly, it was a little deflating, but nevertheless, I picked myself up and assured myself that brighter color days were ahead. Wow, were they ever?!?
After finishing law school, my then-boyfriend, but now husband and I moved back to where we grew up. This was in 2000. I knew finding a job as an attorney would not be easy, but I was not prepared for what actually happened. I took a few interviews, and they seemed to go well. But nothing. Then one day I took an interview with someone my family knew, I though surely this will turn into something. During the interview, the attorney said that he could hire me, but he could not pay me. Okay, that was it. I was not going to practice law in this way over the next 30 to 40 years. I promptly went home and told my husband I wasn’t practicing law.
I turned my attention to my creative side. I began creating design, teaching myself Adobe, and learning as much as I could about product-based businesses. Hype Strype was born after I attended one of those “no-gifts-please” (yeah, right) birthday luncheons. Conflicted over whether to take something but nothing too nice, I threw together some designs I had been working on. At the luncheon, of course, everyone brought a gift. However, the gifts weren’t supposed to be opened then, were they? Much to my horror, the gifts were opened. To my complete shock, I was asked to fill orders on the spot. And the girls who asked just told me to design something, anything. So that’s where it all began. This was in 2002ish. Over the next few years, I really began trying to figure out what my product offering would be. I knew I wanted to go wholesale from the outset. I came really close to beginning a needlepoint handbag company before landing on Hype Strype. Hype Strype started with one stationery product but grew to over 80 products all manufactured in Georgia. Our products were in over 45 states and over 2000 retail stores. We scaled the business over a period of a decade before I pivoted to my niche law practice.
In 2012, it was clear that I needed to pivot. The stress of travel, raising a family, and the financial rigors of running a wholesale business were taking a toll on our quality of life. My husband suggested I practice law. Well, I wasn’t going to practice law the way the opportunity presented itself a decade ago, so I began diving a little deeper. I took a class from Rachel Rodgers, an attorney in New York City at the time, but now a well-known business coach and top-selling author, she is the one who showed me in the blink of an eye that I could marry my passion for the law and creativity into one beautiful calling and career. And the rest, as they say, is history. I began my practice in June of 2012 and have never looked back.
In 2012, because I had been out of the law scene for over a decade, I knew I need to go back to school to get more specialized schooling in the areas that I would be practicing. So, I enrolled in my alma mater, Cooley Law, and received my LL.M., with honors, in Intellectual Property.
Now I represent hundreds of mostly women owned businesses all over the country in trademark law and copyright law matters. I don’t just represent those in creative industries, though; I’m proud to say I’m a part of it. As a designer, artist, and entrepreneur, I understand the legal needs of creative businesses because I owned and operated a creative business for a decade. I know how it feels to have contract issues, employee problems, or someone knocking off your designs, branding, and rebranding matters. My not-so-secret sauce is I can truthfully say to my clients, “I know how you feel.” And that has power.
I feel so blessed to be able to come alongside some of the most amazing brands in the United States and help them protect what they are working so hard to build. I spend time advising, counseling, and teaching because I feel like it is vital for business owners to understand why we are doing the legal things we are doing in their business. It truly is my dream job!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, I would definitely say the path to success has not been a straight line. As a child, my parents instilled in both my brother and me that life is not always easy. You must work hard to achieve a goal. They taught us that you don’t give up and you don’t quit. You may pivot, but you keep going. When you have struggles, and you will, you have to make sure you have a team of supports and cheerleaders around you. You need encouragement from those folks who see your strengths and can lift you up. For me, that is my husband, my children, and my immediate family. Any obstacle I have faced, whether it was when I had my creative business or my law practice, they were there for me.
We’ve been impressed with Angie Avard Turner Law, LLC, 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?
I practice business law and intellectual property law for creative women-owned businesses. I represent a handful of men-owned businesses. Some of the clients I represent own apparel, handbags, jewelry, furniture, food and beverage, needlepoint, and home accessory brands. I also represent retailers, wholesalers, attorneys, doctors, educators, musicians, producers, authors, painters, photographers, graphic designers, business coaches, and conference owners.
The areas I specialize in are Contracts, Copyright, Trademark, Licensing, Entertainment, E-Commerce, and Social Media law.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see this area of the law continuing to grow. I don’t think there will be a shortage of creatives in the future, so there will need to be those attorneys who are uniquely positioned to understand and service their needs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.angieavardturnerlaw.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angieavardturnerlaw/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angie-avard-turner-j-d-ll-m-3b85bb13/
Image Credits
Angie Avard Turner
