Meet Roxann Smithers | Business Attorney, Educator, Speaker, and Mediator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Roxann Smithers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Roxann, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The Firm was started twelve years ago with idea that there was a dearth of high quality legal support for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Myself, along with my original co-founders, wanted to bring our Big Law experience and skills to Small Business. We had all been practicing for ten (10) years by that point and wanted to take our careers into our own hands a bit more. For me it was a decision to step out on faith and believe that the work and clients would come over time. It was a calculated risk, but I knew that the worst case scenario was that I would go back to a law firm or work in-house. You are very blessed when that is the worst thing that can happen. Out of law school, I never thought I would have my own practice, but the idea grew on me as I saw the nature of big law firm life and re-aligned what mattered to me in my life.

From there we plotted and planned our launch. We had a modest budget and no clients. We decided to start off virtual, with an intention to get traditional office space after a year. The goal was to keep costs down for our sake and to allow us to charge a rate that would be affordable for small business owners. We were ahead of the curve and the firm has been virtual ever since its formation. Over time, the other co-founders left the firm, but I have been more than able to continue and expand upon the original mission.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
SLG’s brand is 360 degree legal support for small business owners. Through five categories of services we meet entrepreneurs where they are today and help them to be better for tomorrow. The first category is traditional legal representation in corporate law, commercial litigation, employment law, and intellectual property. We utilize technology and a virtual practice to keep our hourly and flat rates within reach of small business owners. The second category is legal education. We partner with organizations and service providers to provide business law education in the form of presentations and webinars. We are a co-founder of the Small Business Mastermind Forum (https://smallbizmastermindforum.com), which is a collective of professional services providers that provides training and technical assistance sponsored by our partners. SLG has a YouTube channel where we broadcast our video series Notes from My Legal Pad (https://www.youtube.com/@smitherslawgroup). We provide short informational videos on a variety of business law topics. That series then provides content for SLG’s Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages.
The third category is business mediation. I am a registered mediator, with a focus on business law. We offer mediation services (https://stulawgroup.com/mediation-services/) for business owners to resolve internal disputes or management stalemates, as well as external disputes with third parties. In order to provide business owners with certainty in pricing, we offer half day and full day mediations for a flat rate, which is a bit novel in the mediation space. The fourth category, are our virtual consultations (https://stulawgroup.com/legal-consultations/). Sometimes you just want to pick a lawyer’s brain on an isolated issue or basis without committing to a full engagement. Our 1 hour virtual consultations provide time with an attorney to research an issue, discuss a document, or get a better idea of the legal implications of a new business opportunity. Our fifth and final category is our Contract Bank (www.thecontractbank.com). Many small business owners, particularly those is creative service industries, have a difficult time making the financial commitment to a full legal engagement. However, their businesses are vulnerable, because they do not have legal protections for their services, payment rights, or ownership of work product. Therefore, we offer template contracts that are tailored to each of 14 creative service industries. For a flat fee that is a fraction of what it costs for an attorney to draft a custom agreement, entrepreneurs can download a template contract that they can use with all of their customers–with or without any further modification.

The goal is to provide a comprehensive legal partner that can meet a business owner’s needs at every stage of the development of the business. We have solutions at various price points or commitment levels. The mission is to empower and strengthen business owners no matter what. I am proud of our concept and excited about the impact we can have in the future–particularly with the Mediation and Contract Bank offerings. SLG is Your Trust 360 General Counsel (R).

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would want to give my friend a taste of all of the amazing things you can get in Georgia. To represent Atlanta, I am going to knock out three things in one. We are going to start at Piedmont Park, walk the Beltline and hit up Ponce City Market. That way you see that we love our “Central Park,” we love the Beltline and we love food halls! We have to do a trip to Blue Ridge. It is an entirely different world and only 90 minutes from Atlanta. We are going rafting or ziplining and we are going to hit up The Black Sheep for dinner and Mona Lisa’s for dessert. We are going to round out their visit with a trip to Savannah and at least one Georgia Coastal Island. We have to experience live music at Good Times and brunch at Collins Quarter or Dottie’s. Once they are exhausted and full, we round out the visit by catching a movie at the Starlight Drive-In.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Wow. I have to shoutout my parents, mom Georgia, dad Cecil, bonus mom Irene, for dreaming a bigger dream for me than they every dreamed for themselves. They have always supported my goals and made a way for my goals–even when they did not understand or they were scared by them. They have always rooted for me.

I would also shoutout various teachers and school administrators who did whatever they could to pour into me and make my path a little bit more probable. They recognized that my talent and intellect warranted opportunities and access that my family income could not afford me. From the elementary school secretary who gave me bus passes to get to school. To my college guidance counsel who told me to apply to Columbia University. To my college financial aid officer who would always find an extra grant or stipend. Every action helps to create a path forward. I am eternally grateful.

Website: https://stulawgroup.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smitherslawgroup/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smitherslawgroup

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmithersLawGroup/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@smitherslawgroup