Meet Vanessa Vasquez de Lara | Founding Attorney of the Vasquez de Lara Law Group, a Family and Divorce Law Firm

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa Vasquez de Lara and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?

As a practicing attorney for 20 years, the culture around me has changed significantly. As a child, many moms stayed at home but also were starting to go out into the workforce. My mom was an example of a working mom who took a break to stay home for a few years while my sister and I were kids. I saw her as an example of someone who balanced work when needed but kept her family’s best interests in mind and was not afraid to pivot when she felt it was needed to prioritize us.

When I started my legal career I worked for small firms with a great balance of work and home. But there came a time where like my mom I felt my presence was needed at home with my small children. So I stopped working on my career. Many professional women are afraid that taking a mommy break will derail a career, but this was not a concern I had since my break was intended to be short. Three years and a separate business later, I was done with my law career break and excited about returning to the legal field.

I knew though that I wanted something different from my career after returning to work with children. I wanted to work in a place where my family was my priority and I could be present for the important and not so important moments. I realized the only way to guarantee this would happen was to work for myself. So 11 years ago, I officially opened my own law firm. This has been the best way to ensure that my priorities are maintained. I am able to take my kids to school in the morning, be present in the evenings for dinner, and go to all school and extracurricular activities. I feel this is so important that my staff has the same allowances. We strive to give our employees the same quality of life and balance that I was seeking when I went back to work 11 years ago.

I frequently say that our generation was told women can do it all. But the subtitle to that should have been but not at the same time. Balance needs to be about prioritizing and about the different seasons of life. Some seasons will involve more work, some more time for family. Balance is finding the right mix of managing your time in the season that you are in.

What should our readers know about your business?

Our firm, the Vasquez de Lara Law Group, is a family law and divorce only firm. That means that we are focused on assisting families when their family problems become legal problems. We only handle issues in the family court. This allows us to better assist our clients as we are constantly in the family courthouse, we know the judges that are there, and we are continuously updating our knowledge with the newest case law and the newest changes to the law.

My most recent achievement is that I published a book! The Florida Man’s Guide to Getting Divorced: Things Dads Don’t Know About Divorce (But Should). Our firm is passionate about helping our clients and this book is an extension of that passion. We want to try to help our clients see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that their new life is waiting when this legal process is over.

Starting the firm was a simple process in the sense that I went from being a stay at home mom to practicing for a few hours a week. I didn’t have to jump into a typical crazy law career where you’re working 60-80 hours a week. I was able to organically grow the firm from me being the only employee 11 years ago to now a staff of 5 attorneys and 14 team members who support the attorneys, not including me.

There are so many lessons I’ve learned in the journey that it’s difficult to boil it down. Some of the best ones though are s follows:

1. Learn to delegate. Figure out what you’re good at and delegate the rest away.
2. Know your numbers. Know what you need your company to make and figure out what you’re going to spend to get there. Know what your profit is and what you want it to be.
3. Invest in great staff. Nothing moves a company forward better and faster than having great people supporting you.
4. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Business owners spend an outrageous amount of time on small details instead of the big picture.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you need to do some good shopping, you have to go to the Shops at Merrick Park for higher end brands, Dadeland Mall for variety and International Mall for some bargains. We love to eat at a tiny Italian restaurant called Secreto in Kendall. The food and service are excellent.
If we want to go dancing, but not do the trek all the way to the Beach, there’s great music, late night snacks, and drinks at Tu Candela Gastro Bar.
For a great spa, nothing beats the Fontainebleau Spa in Miami Beach. Good massages and great indoor spa.
For a fun day, renting a cabana at the pool at the W Hotel in Miami Beach is a great way to people watch, while enjoying some drinks.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Thanks to my mom Liliana Delara for her example as a godly woman, who loves her family, and continues to provide a great example of a working woman who balances it all.

Website: familylawprotection.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessavasquez/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VDL_LawGroup

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7NtRjT8gZtjt7a2XbB0eZw

Other: https://www.instagram.com/vanessavasquezesq/ https://www.tiktok.com/@familysolutionfirm