We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anne Hamer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anne below.
Anne, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
In 2018, my husband of 17 years told me he wanted a divorce. I had been a stay-at-home mom for 10 of those years and had only recently started working again part-time. I was terrified of what divorce would do to my children psychologically and to me financially. After my divorce, as I started reconnecting with old friends who had continued to practice law while I was taking the mommy hiatus, I realized that by sticking with their careers, they had accomplished some phenomenal personal , professional and financial success. I became convinced by their examples that if I worked hard, I could achieve the same level of success. I knew I was starting out behind the eight ball, and that I needed to take risks and work hard if I wanted to catch up. I also wanted my daughters to see me overcome the trauma of divorce and build something beautiful by hard work and dedication. I had to mentally get to a place where I told myself that if I failed totally, I would still be proud to have tried. At that point, I started building a legal practice and never looked back.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I represent people going through divorce and other family law legal issues in Nashville and Memphis. I recently opened my own firm, Hamer & Taylor, in downtown Nashville in December 2023. I also published my first book in 2023, Fearless Freedom, a guide to navigating divorce. I love my job, because I remember the stress and fear I felt in my own divorce, and I want to help other people gain agency and control over their lives during divorce. Nothing feels better to me than to see my former clients living happy, fulfilled and successful lives.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The ability to work hard, to believe in yourself, and to seek out advice and help from other people brought me where I am today. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it best: “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise.” You have to be willing to put in the effort, which can sometimes feel overwhelming. It is also so important to talk to friends and colleagues about their struggles in reaching their personal milestones. I have a wide variety of friends who are at the top of their field in a variety of professions. Their search for excellence is a constant example for me. I recommend nurturing a network of people you admire for the qualities you need to reach your goals.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
When I was starting to build my own legal practice, I went all in on m strengths: communication, networking, competency in the law. As my practice has grown, I faced new challenges that I was not prepared to handle. In particular, as my law firm has hired more attorneys and staff, I’ve learned to manage people. I’m a people person, so this should be easy for me, but it is not. I have had to put effort into figuring out how to deal with different personalities to motivate each employee and to make sure each employee has the resources they need to do their best work.
Contact Info:
- Website: annehamerlaw.com; hamertaylorlaw.com; taylorbeanandhamer.com
- Instagram: annehamer1
- Other: Hamer05 – Tiktok
Image Credits
Shannon Fontaine
