Introducing: Learn from A to Z, with A & Z

Today, we are officially celebrating the start of our third year as

A to Z Law Erie.

The past two years have been rewarding and full of learning and growth, both personally and professionally. We wouldn’t be where we are now without lots of hard work, collaboration, and the trust and confidence of our clients, colleagues, community, and of course, family.

One of the most significant milestones during our first two years was growing our team. When we decided to start our business, we knew that everything would need to be scalable and that we would grow over time at a pace that only our actual progress could determine.

In our first year, we made the decision to create two new jobs based upon what we learned during our first six months. Both positions were created around how we were actually operating as a business, rather than whatever our expectations may have been when we started, or what we were used to before that. Agreeing to make changes was fairly easy because we both were comfortable with growing into the progress that we could see. What was harder, was deciding how to take this next step.

For Z, a veteran small business owner with a track record of success working as a family owned and operated business, the idea of openly posting a job online was risky. She had doubts and fears, many of which were perfectly reasonable. Bringing in strangers, who we found on the internet, without the help of a hiring agency or a direct referral from a trusted source; it all sounded daunting to her. My perspective was different. To me, the prospect of writing and posting thoughtfully crafted job descriptions, including a clear articulation of our mission and philosophy, and putting it all out into the world for the right people to find us was exciting.

In all fairness, we were both right, and it was important that we reached a healthy compromise. We made a clear plan and laid out a process that we agreed to follow, step-by-step. We agreed to respect each other’s perspectives, and to remain transparent, especially if there was any disagreement. It was a perfect example of practicing what we preach when it comes to peacemaking.

It was also a demonstration of the “journey” being every bit as valuable as the “destination,” because we truly believe that our clarity of thought and commitment to our process created the space for us to be ourselves, authentically and unapologetically. This made a difference on multiple levels. Our job posting made it clear that we were looking to build a team that could continue to work together like a family. After all, we are a mother-daughter team, and embracing the unique dynamic of a female-led intergenerational law firm is part of our identity. We wanted to connect with people who would identify with us, and with our mission.

The process worked, and it continues to pay off every day. We are incredibly proud of our team, which includes Annie, our Office Manager of many years (who also happens to be Z’s sister), as well as two more amazing women who we are thrilled to introduce!

Amanda (she/her) is an amazing listener and demonstrates patience, professionalism, and compassion in all that she does as our primary point of contact. She keeps our office as peaceful as she keeps it organized, and her calm and steady approach to all things makes her exactly the person who you want to have on the other end of the phone. She brings over 10 years of customer service experience, as well as editing the nationally recognized SLAB Literary Magazine, to her role as our Administrative Assistant. Amanda graduated Summa Cum Laude from Slippery Rock University and we are fortunate to have her knowledge, skills, and empathy in assisting our clients.

Kelly (she/her) is our expert with all things numbers and patterns, which makes her the absolute best with policies and procedures. On top of all that, she’s someone who you actually won’t hate hearing from if she’s calling about your account, because she’s a great problem solver who is always willing to help find the best solution for you and your circumstances. She brings over 10 years of experience in customer service and over 5 years as a billing specialist to her role as our Office Account Assistant. Kelly is currently studying Accounting at Point Park University and we look forward to continuing to grow with her.

A to Z Law Erie is a team of strong women deeply committed to creating a safe space for all people to resolve issues peacefully, with dignity and respect.

Along with the commemoration of our first two years in the books, and the start of a third, we are excited to launch Learn with A to Z, a space for you to learn with A & Z as we share information and updates…from A to Z!

We’ll keep you updated with news about our firm, educational material about our process options and practice areas, and other content that we hope will be interesting and helpful to our clients, colleagues, and community.

You can join us here for information and updates about:

Thank you for your trust and confidence,

A