Solo & Small Firm Spotlight: Ashley B. Wheelock

• Citation: Vol. 21 No. 3
• Publication year: 2015
• Author: Interview by Renee N. Galente*
• topic: Business of Law

Solo & Small Firm Spotlight: Ashley B. Wheelock

Interview by Renee N. Galente*

Ashley B. Wheelock

NAME: Ashley B. Wheelock

FIRM NAME: The Law Office of Ashley Wheelock

FIRM LOCATION: Santa Cruz

PRACTICE AREA: General Civil Litigation

YEARS IN PRACTICE: 9

Favorite sayings: "Fake it until you make it" and "You make your own happiness" are words I often live by.

Best moment as a lawyer: Settling my first plaintiff personal injury case in my solo practice. It showed me that I could do it. I jumped into the case with only about eight weeks until trial, and went against my instincts to say "no" to taking on the case. I knew it was a decent case, but it had not been properly worked up. In just a few weeks, I was able to get key discovery, including a deposition, completed that enticed the other side to settle.

Best non-lawyer moment: The births of my two children without any pain medication. It showed me how strong I really was.

Q: WHAT LED TO YOU GOING SOLO/SMALL FIRM?

A: I always enjoyed the small firm environment and have practiced daily in smaller firms since law school, but I felt that I had no further advancement opportunities where I was. I wanted to be able to be a principal actor in the firm and have more flexibility. I thought that striking out on my own was the only way to get that.

Q: HOW DO YOU GET BUSINESS?

A: I get most of my business from referrals from other attorneys, often my female colleagues.

Q: WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES?

A: That business can be unsteady—sometimes I'm so busy, and sometimes I'm slow. It would...