#143 Miriam Airington-Fisher From Courtroom Chaos To A Family-First Firm

What happens when the career you’ve chased for years stops fitting the life you’re building? We sit down with attorney and founder Miriam Airington-Fisher to explore how she transformed a courtroom-centered path into a thriving, family-first immigration practice—without abandoning ambition or impact.

Miriam traces her journey from legal aid and criminal defense to launching a firm as a new single mom. She breaks down the scrappy early days, the power of a 90-day startup plan, and the mindset shift from perceived job security to true entrepreneurial control. We dive into the boundary playbook she now lives by, no email on her phone, firm hours aligned to school pick-up, and a stacked team schedule that keeps clients supported while protecting deep work. If you’ve ever felt tethered to pings after dark, her approach will feel like oxygen.

We also unpack the business engine behind a sustainable law firm: choosing a scalable practice area, building an org chart that blends attorney judgment with strong staff workflows, and fixing fragile margins by treating profit as a discipline. Miriam shares how a women-led immigration mastermind and a trusted CFO turned chaos into clarity, why retained earnings matter, and how daily revenue visibility guides calm decisions. Along the way, we talk personal brand, Lawyer Like A Mother, how authenticity attracts the right clients, and why creators shouldn’t fear a few stray critics.

You’ll leave with actionable steps to start a firm faster, set cleaner boundaries, and scale without sacrificing family life. If you’re a woman in law or any demanding field, this conversation offers a clear path from overwhelm to ownership—proof that a values-driven practice can be both client-friendly and founder-friendly.

Enjoy the story, then subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to tell us the boundary you’re setting this week.

Resources:
LinkedIn lawyer-like-a-mother
Instagram: @lawyerlikeamother
momsalawyer.com (Company)
airingtonlaw.com (Company)

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Stakes For Women In Law
• 0:34 Miriam’s Crossroads As A New Single Mom
• 3:10 Early Career: Legal Aid To Defense
• 5:00 Launching A Firm Without A Net
• 7:45 Risk Tolerance And Lawyer Grit
• 8:45 Biggest Shift: From Employee To Owner
• 9:45 Boundaries, Accessibility, And Focus
• 11:00 Going Offline And Reclaiming Time
• 12:05 How To Start A Firm In 90 Days
• 14:00 Mentors, Masterminds, And Growth
• 16:26 Building A Family-Friendly Culture
• 18:15 Cash Crunch To Healthy Profit
• 21:00 Personal Brand: Lawyer Like A Mother
• 23:20 Owning Your Voice Despite Judgment
• 25:00 Three Myths About Women In Law
• 26:20 Why Immigration And Civil Rights
• 28:00 To Be Bolder And Advice To Self
• 30:10 Where To Find Miriam And Closing