Are You a “Rezooming” Attorney?

{3:48 minutes to read}

Aimee B Davis

October, 13 2015

An interview: by Aimee B. Davis, of Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton, Principal of Hamilton Law & Mediation

The legal blogging community is gaining momentum. Not only do I blog about my personal experiences as a solo attorney, I’m also an avid reader of other blogs relating to solo and small-firm practice.

I was intrigued by the term “the rezooming attorney,” in a recent blog post on the Solo Practice University Blog, by Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton entitled “4 Steps Will Take You From Employee to Entrepreneur.”

Although the article didn’t define a “rezooming attorney,” something about the term resonated with me. My professional experience is marked by my refusal to be turned away from private practice, despite being laid-off over five years ago from BIG LAW. I’m a Phoenix.

So, what is a rezooming attorney?

I wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth (pun intended). Through the magic of Linkedin, I reached out to Debra. I learned she mediates conflicts involving animals that arise in divorce, landlord/tenant disputes and animal welfare matters. Her practice is focused on facilitating conversations between conflicting parties engaged in animal-related disputes and helping her clients avoid suffering in silence or litigating over these issues.

Debra was receptive to discussing the catchy term she coined. The following are excerpts from our inspiring conservation:

What is a rezooming attorney?

“A rezooming attorney is someone who went to law school, practiced law and then left the practice for some reason… but later in their career, decided, ‘I want to go back into the practice of law’ and they do it differently. They’re rezooming their practice.

I began my career as an assistant DA, then I was an assistant inspector general, then a PTA mom. When I came back into the practice of law, I was a litigator in private practice. I then matriculated into becoming a mediator of conflicts between people over animals.”

What does this term mean to you?

“I chose the word ‘rezooming’ (rather than resuming) because it represents looking at one’s career through a windshield, rather than looking back wondering (or dismaying) how your career ended up here or worrying why it isn’t further along at this point. The word “rezooming” reflects a positive attitude about where you are going, rather than lamenting where you’ve been. Rezooming attorneys are looking forward and reaching for the stars!”

How is private legal practice shifting as experienced attorneys continue to leave Big Firm practice and become rezooming attorneys

“I think rezooming attorneys have a benefit over large firms, because we’ve had professional experiences outside of law. Big firms are losing clients who want more personal attention. Rezooming attorneys are providing that service, and keeping clients happy. We’ve left the practice of law, but are coming back in with this incredible benefit of knowing what people expect, what people want. We took sort of a detour, learned new things on that detour and brought that back in to make the practice of law an incredibly different experience.”

Our conversation inspired Debra to write a blog on this topic. To read Debra’s article, click here!

Aimee B. Davis Law P.C. is committed to advising its clients and resolving issues relating to the legal and business matters that are important to them. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at (917) 617-2243 or email aimee@aimeebdavis.com.