Epi 28 An Interview with Ashley Sharek: How Coaching Changed and Grew Her Office

Curious about the intricacies of elder law and estate planning? Meet Ashley Sharek, an accomplished attorney from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who skillfully navigates this complex terrain. Get rare insights into her captivating journey—from her early interest in estate planning to the thriving practice she runs today. Discover how coaching has been a game-changer for Ashley, equipping her to apply theoretical knowledge to specific cases with aplomb. 

Ashley's story doesn't end there; she brings a proactive approach to her practice, integrating vital services such as Medicaid crisis planning. Take a deep dive into her unique approach to generational planning, where she works with multiple members of the same family tree. As her firm has grown to a team of nine, Ashley offers solid advice to those considering incorporating elder law into their practice. This conversation is packed with personal stories, practical tips, and Ashley's fascinating insights into the world of elder law and estate planning—an episode you can't afford to miss!

Check out our new website www.TheElderLawCoach.com.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

This is the Elder Law Coach podcast with your host, todd Walley. Let's not waste time, let's get after it. That's right. This is the Elder Law Coach podcast. My name is Todd Walley, and today we have a guest, and I'm super excited. This is one of my first coaching people, and so she's agreed to come on and let's just talk about coaching and some more Some of the things about it. So, hey, ashley, how are you?

Speaker 2: 0:33

I'm good, todd, how are you Good?

Speaker 1: 0:36

Tell me just a little bit about you and the name of your firm.

Speaker 2: 0:38

So my name is Ashley Sherrick. I'm the owner and founder of Intrusted Legacy Law, so we are a law firm that focuses on estate planning and elder law in the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania area. We're a northern suburb of Pittsburgh, so Wexford, Warrandale area. I started my own firm in 2018 and wanted to just focus on estate planning and elder law. And yeah, here we are.

Speaker 1: 1:01

Okay, so what was your firm like before you started coaching?

Speaker 2: 1:08

So before I started coaching, I mainly focused on estate planning. That was kind of my niche. That was kind of what I had always done, since I was a law clerk in law school and worked at a firm that did estate planning. So that was kind of my area of expertise was estate planning, probate that kind of thing and I started to get into. You know, I can do this with my eyes closed. I wanted something that was a little bit more challenging. So that was where the elder law piece came in.

Speaker 2: 1:34

Historically, the area that I live in is a very rapidly growing senior population. So when I talked with my mentor, kind of when I was deciding on some things when I started my firm, he was like you're more likely to get somebody that needs an elder law has an elder law need besides somebody you know, rather than somebody who has a federal estate tax issue. So I kind of always knew in the back of my mind that was something that I wanted to learn, because I didn't really have a whole lot of experience there. So that was where the coaching piece came in. You know, it was something that I could get that background knowledge that I needed. But then I could also kind of have you for the one on ones, as I started to take on cases and use that to springboard that practice area for me.

Speaker 1: 2:17

Did you try to get the educational part for elder law somewhere else?

Speaker 2: 2:23

I did. So I think I did a few CLEs, like all day CLEs.

Speaker 1: 2:30

So you know that's like local yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:32

Okay, and that was pre COVID, so they were in person, but it was like an eight hour. Somebody stood up with slides and you walked away with a little booklet, that was kind of it. And then I did do an emerging camp through elder council, which is a group setting and it's not state specific. So it was kind of good for overall big picture. But it was really hard to kind of figure out how that applied to what my state's laws actually are.

Speaker 1: 3:03

Well, yes, I've taught that course and the thing that I would hear from people is, yeah, they felt like they knew the law, but they got home and it's like how do I apply that law to this set of facts? Did you find that?

Speaker 2: 3:17

Yes, 100%. Yeah, that's what I've learned. Is anything in the elder law space, medicaid planning? It's very case, in fact, specific. I mean it's not even just married couple or single person, I mean even within there, where their assets are and what you know. There's so many moving parts. It was really hard to figure out how you take what you learned and apply it to a specific fact situation, because they're also different.

Speaker 1: 3:45

Okay, yeah, and I saw that need and that's one reason I started coaching was because I felt like people needed that ongoing support. So talk about that. Talk about what you learned in my course and then what helped you get from where you were to where you are today.

Speaker 2: 4:07

So the course was really helpful. I think it's been revamped a little bit since I started, but basically it was. You know, I listened to you know your trainings on specific topics and specific areas and kind of worked my way through the content to get familiar with all of it and to feel comfortable with it. And kind of at the same time I had clients that were starting to come in and so I was able to apply the big picture stuff that I had learned and then I would use kind of our one-on-one coachings to kind of talk through the scenarios, talk through the math, talk through you know what I was proposing to them for asset protection, that kind of thing, you know.

Speaker 2: 4:47

So it really was helpful to be able to have somebody to kind of springboard those ideas off of. Because, you know, when I was the only attorney in my firm so I didn't have anybody else to ask, you know, I didn't have a person down the hall I could go say hey, what about this? You know? So that's kind of where the one-on-one coaching piece came in was I had somebody that I could say hey, did I think through this right? Hey, is this, am I on the right path? Hey, did I forget anything? Hey, does my math work? Yeah, so it kind of gave me the confidence that I knew what I was doing, because I had somebody to kind of be that checks and balances, so that was good.

Speaker 1: 5:25

Okay, cool. And you got through the year and then of training, all of that stuff, and we got to the end of that year and I was like, okay, we're done. What did you say then, which surprised me actually?

Speaker 2: 5:45

I don't remember.

Speaker 1: 5:46

Well, it's like, okay, we're done. No more phone calls, no more anything.

Speaker 2: 5:50

Oh yeah, I was like no, I don't know enough. What do you mean? No, you're not allowed to leave me, I don't know enough and I don't know that anybody ever knows all of it. But yeah, I mean I definitely wanted to have that continued coaching piece of having city to check in with and that kind of thing.

Speaker 1: 6:11

Okay, I didn't purposely withhold anything from you. It was just the mentor relationship of just, yeah, you know, having someone with you know, now going on 25 years of experience to run things by, and yeah, that surprised me and I didn't think about that component when I created this. I thought I would do the year and it's like, okay, nice to meet you, Talk to you later, and they're like no, no, no, no. So there's quite a few people doing that right now, which honestly surprised me, but it seems to be a really good relationship. So talk about how your practice has changed from when we first started to where it is right now.

Speaker 2: 6:54

So I've integrated the proactive planning from an elder law side into my everyday estate planning practice and I kind of think that kind of just rounds it out because there was definitely a need there. And now that I have the background of explaining how a crisis plan works and what will happen if they don't do anything, it's easier for me to convey to clients why, if they kind of fall in that sweet spot of proactive planning, why that is super beneficial. And I do a lot of family kind of generational planning. So typically, you know, I'll work with a couple in their 50s and 60s and they're like oh, our kids just got married and had a baby. They need a plan. And we have a parent in a nursing home or going into a nursing home and they need help. So I end up kind of helping multiple people in the same. You know family tree and there's definitely a need for, you know, mom or dad's going into skilled care.

Speaker 2: 7:52

We, you know most people if they know anything about Medicaid, they know there's a five year, look back. And so they just assume, oh well, they're going in, it's too late, there's nothing to do. And that's where I really take what I've learned and say, well, but we can do something. You know, sometimes we can save all of it, sometimes we can save 50 to 60% of it, but like there's an option there that so many people don't know, so that's really been a good way for me to integrate that into my practice and be able to offer that Medicaid crisis planning as well. You know, if they don't proactively plan ahead of time. So it really just gives me the ability to serve everybody, especially in the elder law side of things, to make sure that they know and have you know everything the way it should be.

Speaker 1: 8:38

Okay, and how big is your firm now?

Speaker 2: 8:42

So when I started with you, it was just me and I had one. I had one other employee, so we have a team of nine employees. So we've grown a lot. We've grown leaps and bounds every year and it's crazy and goofy, but I think it's because we do things a little differently and we do things a little non traditional People like that, you know, and if somebody wants that traditional experience, by all means they can go get that somewhere else. They don't need me, but try to do things a little different. And so, yeah, yeah, nine employees, two other attorneys besides myself.

Speaker 1: 9:19

So Wow, three attorneys and six staff. Yeah good deal, yay, okay, well, I mean, yeah, that's a great summary. So is there anything that you would tell someone who's thinking about doing this? You know, I don't know. You know, what would you tell them?

Speaker 2: 9:39

I think if somebody has a firm that focuses on estate planning, I think that the elder law piece is the natural progression to be able to best serve your community. And I mean this is an area that you know. I feel like so many general practitioners say oh yeah, I know how to write a will. I know how to write a will and I think if you can offer the full range of yeah, we can do your basic documents, but we can also do the more complex stuff, I think it just really makes us kind of an expert in our area and I think there's definitely a need at least where I live, you know there's a need for that kind of focus area. You know where somebody can help with those and they're not a general practice attorney doing 27 other areas of law. So you know that's really been helpful for me to be able to offer that piece to my clients and to their family my clients, family members who need it.

Speaker 1: 10:35

So yeah, yeah, that's true. I mean, so many of my coaching folks are people who say I didn't really choose elder law. Elder law chose me because I was doing a state planning. And then these people got owed and they're like, hey, henry's going into the nursing home now. They're like I don't know, and so it just allows you to continue. And I think what surprises people is when they start. They're like I've referred out 10 or 15 cases to elder law attorneys and I didn't realize those are 10, 12, $15,000 cases that I just sent out the door for nothing because I didn't know what to do. And so, yeah, it's quite a few. Coaching people are like I'm here because my clients have forced me here. I was like, okay, well, it's a great practice and I love it and you can really help people for many more years and so good deal. All right, ashley, is there anything else you would like to say?

Speaker 2: 11:32

I don't think so, not that I can think of.

Speaker 1: 11:36

You've truly been one of my favorite coaching clients and I think we've covered a lot of area together and we've helped you grow and I've enjoyed working with you and we're not done. I appreciate that. I enjoy talking with you and I enjoy our visits. So thank you so much for doing this and if you have any questions or anything, please email me, todd at the other law coachcom, and we will see you on next episode. Thanks, you've been listening to the outer law coach podcast. For more information, go to our website, the outer law coachcom. Thanks, and we'll see you next time.