Prioritizing motherhood in the midst of a legal career, attorney Delia Ledesma moved beyond her goal of being a part of something bigger to create her own firm supportive of women in the legal field.

While learning the types of legal practices during law school, Ledesma became interested in a family-focused niche. Interning at Legal Aid of North Carolina during school and practicing as a domestic violence attorney shaped the idea that she would work as part of a larger firm to provide assistance to those in need. 

After having a baby who often fell ill, she realized the challenges of motherhood were not aligned with working in the culture of a large firm run mostly by men.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mother,” Ledesma said. “Working at a big firm and trying to be a good mother did not jive because if I am 100% in my career, I am not 100% as a mother. That is something I have to reconcile in a way that I feel like a lot of men don’t.”

Ledesma feels this is a common thread among women who want to have a serious career and also be a mother. Sacrificing important things like income or community prestige often occurs in order to be present for children. Constantly compromising while often being the default parent presents challenges still not always understood by experienced, male leaders in the corporate world, and this was the largest factor in Ledesma leaving an established firm to go out on her own.

“I needed more flexibility to be there for my girls,” Ledesma said.

Tied to showing up for her community in a way that felt supportive, Ledesma’s family focus is mirrored in how she offers services, especially to the local Hispanic community. While other firms may accept clients based on the expectation of significant revenue, Ledesma recognizes the gap between those qualifying for free legal services and those without the ability to shell out thousands of dollars up front should the need for legal representation arise.

A major priority of Ledesma’s firm is to provide the Hispanic community access to good Spanish-speaking counsel that is also reasonably affordable. She focuses on developing payment structures with clients in order to cover the bases for her business while also allowing legal access.

“I practice family law, and the bulk of it is custody and divorce,” Ledesma said. “I work with people and their lives on an intimate level. Not being able to afford services is, to me, not a good enough reason to not get to see your kid.”

In her seventh month of running her own firm, Ledesma has other team members who share the same challenges and vision of balancing a legal career with motherhood. Their goal is to work as much as each member wants while being able to be the primary parent in the household. Each of them steps in for each other during instances like having a sick child or school being closed.

The team members are also similar in their approach of treating both the courts and clients with respect. She feels that in a male-dominated field, many women feel they need to be aggressive, but she has noticed that being authentic and respectful earns more grace. Maintaining confidence in their ability to do what is best for their clients rather than relying on abrasiveness allows them to practice law in alignment with their values.

“I don’t know of any other firm that’s modeled in these ways,” Ledesma said. “Maybe it’s ultimately not successful, but maybe no one’s ever tried. We’re all in the same boat, and that’s something none of us have experienced in other places. There are days when running a business and being an attorney isn’t easy. There are days when being a parent isn’t easy or keeping the house clean isn’t easy. There were lots of unknowns, but starting this firm was a great opportunity to serve how I want. I sometimes think if more people were willing to take that step, there would continue to be less unknowns and maybe more flexibility and more understanding in workplaces of all kinds.”