Meet Ashley B.

We were lucky to catch up with Ashley B. recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley B. , thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.

Generosity is the hill I’m willing to die on. I have a tattoo of my life motto and it reads: “Givers never lack.” I believe that so heavily and that’s the foundation of everything I do. I didn’t have the best childhood and I really had to fight through struggle as a young adult. I think understanding what it feels like to not have enough or not have what you need gives me more insight into why it’s so important to give. God really put me here as a vessel and I long ago accepted that calling on my life.

Every time you hear a story about people passing away, someone is speaking at their services saying “They’d give you the shirt off of their back”. When my time comes, I don’t want anyone to have to lie on me. If I can do it, I will.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m Ashley and I’m an attorney in the Deep South. I’ve spent the majority of my life, even pre-law, protesting, advocating, and speaking out on behalf of humans who couldn’t. I’ve devoted my life purpose to justice and equity for all. I handle criminal and civil matters, both on state and federal levels. I also represent delinquent and dependent juveniles. Simply put, I’m a champion for people of color. I intentionally attack systems and communities that mistreat black and brown people and, in turn, I restore dignity for every citizen who deserves it.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three tools that I think are pertinent to being a good attorney and/or advocate are (1) empathy, (2) resilience, and (3) courage. These three qualities will get you through law school admissions all the way through the practice of law. A good attorney needs to have a level of empathy or compassion to be able to humanize their clients. Having a full understanding of a person’s story allows you to better tell it to others. Resilience is necessary because the ones you’re telling the story to won’t always listen the first time, not even the second. This isn’t a field of work where things tend to just fall into place or into your lap. I learned very early on how to turn multiple “no’s” into the “yes” that I needed. Lastly, courage. This isn’t a job you can do if you’re scary. Depending on what kind of law you’re practicing, you may be defending someone in the scariest season of their life. It benefits them none if you’re scared as well. As an attorney, we have to learn how to walk into every room fearless of the outcome. Even the things that we fear, we learn to do it scared and still do it well. This is the best advice I could ever give to someone wanting to do what I do.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

In my younger years, if you asked me who helped me to get where I am today, I would’ve proudly exclaimed that I did it alone. In my older, wiser years, I am so excited to tell people about what I call my “care team”. People (especially people of color) tend to champion independence and figuring life out on their own when frankly, that’s unnecessary. Over the decades, I’ve been able to build a community of people around me who are the sole reason for not only my health and success, but also the health and disposition of my children. My closest friends and family members serve as everything from therapists, doctors, accountability partners, co-parents, financial advisors, test jurors, sounding boards for us, and everything in between. I’ve successfully surrounded myself and my kids with people who love us, care for us, and constantly remind us to/how to care for ourselves. And vice versa. No amount of money could replace it.

I am always talking against people being “islands”. I often see so many people in my age group who do not have true friend circles or communities around them. I can wholeheartedly say that I would and could not overcome the challenges I am confronted with without my people around me. Please find good friends. Not associates or acquaintances. FRIENDS. Abeg.

And tell them you love them, often.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.attorneyashley.com
• Instagram: @ashleytheattorney
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/attorneyashley/
• Other: TikTok: @ashleytheattorney

Image Credits

Javetta Clemmons, Brandon Lee, Derek Wilson