Economic scholars define capitalism as the art of creative destruction. New businesses innovate, taking over old ones in an unending struggle for market supremacy.
It is possible to find this pendulum of innovation and destruction at all levels. Even within an organization, every new stage of its business growth requires replacing and re-calibrating existing processes.
Charlotte Christian, founder of the Huntsville-based family law firm Charlotte Christian Law, learned to embrace this facet of entrepreneurship when she transitioned from being a solo practitioner to becoming a law firm owner. For her, this need to constantly innovate adds a unique charm to her work as the owner of her own practice.
“When you climb from one level into a new level, it is a completely different devil,” said Christian during a recent interview. “You move from one level to the next, trying not to lose what you had built underneath, but it breaks, at which point you have to adapt and build back up.”
For more than five years, Christian has helped people across Alabama undergoing the hardship of divorce to build a new life. This Alabama-native family attorney has committed to serving those experiencing the trauma of loss. Today, she and her team at Charlotte Christian Law advocate for the best interest of their hundreds of clients across Huntsville and nearby communities.
Back in late August, Christian connected from her residence for an exclusive video interview, where she reflected on her journey as a law firm owner. During this interview, she narrated what led her to take the leap to open her family practice and some of the challenges that came along with her new role as an entrepreneur.
Like the clients she serves on a daily basis, Christian is not a stranger to the grief of losing a significant other. After working for 16 years as a real estate closing attorney, the unfortunate passing of her husband led Christian to give a new direction to her life.
“In 2016, after my husband passed away, I didn’t want to stay in the same town where we lived, so I made the decision of moving on and doing something else,” said Christian. “So, I sold my real estate closing practice and decided to start a family law firm in Huntsville.”
Christian’s first years as a family attorney were as a solo practitioner. Three years had to elapse before Christian decided to transform her solo practice into an actual business.
As Christian explains, this transition from solo practitioner to law entrepreneur required her to overhaul her firm’s internal structure drastically.
“From 2017 until 2020, I was just a solo practitioner in the family law firm business,” said Christian. “It was not until 2020 that I decided to make it an actual business. I began getting coaching and working with groups to learn how to build a business. In doing that, I began building the foundation of a strong business and creating the processes I needed to build a larger firm.”
For Christian, one of the biggest challenges of building a team was maintaining the culture she had envisioned for her firm. She learned over the course of the past two years that business culture is not easily scalable. As her staff expanded and her company grew, Christian had to establish new processes to enhance engagement and preserve her service standards.
“I felt that the way that we practice law is really unique,” said Christian. “We always try to give people the best results possible. The biggest challenge was hiring people who embodied the vision, mission, and values I had set up for my organization.”
To this point, Christian has been able to circumnavigate all the hurdles that come with growing any enterprise. She is conscious that being an entrepreneur is an unending learning experience. However, Christian is eager to work to overcome any obstacles that may arise in the future as Charlotte Christian Law continues to scale.
“On every level, something breaks, and you must figure out how to fix it,” concluded Christian. “It’s been a challenge, but it has been one that I have loved. I like building processes and building businesses up. That’s how we got here.”
Today, Christian and her team continue to help individuals struggling their way through a divorce to recover hope and build a better future. She feels fortunate to have in her legal team the support of some of the best family lawyers in the state. With their help, Christian is confident that she will reach her vision of making Charlotte Christian Law the leading family law firm in Alabama.
By Juan Sebastian Restrepo,
With Artistic Initiative Agency
