A Lot to Write Home About

Last year forced a lot of attorneys to shift priorities and reevaluate their practice. But not many dropped their docket of clients, moved to another state, and became a full-time writer and researcher, as Lisa Schmidt did. 

“I started writing for other attorneys in 2013,” she says. “Until I found out my husband got a job offer in California and we would move [in 2020], I maintained a small docket of clients in addition to all the writing. Over time, it has gradually taken over.”

Since Schmidt began her solo family law firm in Ferndale in 2011, the Schmidt Law Services moniker slowly became synonymous with Your Law Geek—the name for her writing services. “Basically, I’m a legal researcher for all those busy trial and appellate attorneys who don’t have the time for the deep-dive research,” she says. “While they run from courtroom to courtroom, I’m doing research, so they’re prepared for that motion for summary or filing that brief.” 

But her writing isn’t all briefs and legal blogs. It also includes novels and short stories. She was a contributing author in Many Voices: A Collection of Short Stories, published last year. “I spend my mornings writing blog posts for attorneys across the country; in the afternoons, I put on my Michigan lawyer hat and write briefs; my creative writing happens some early mornings, otherwise Friday night and Saturday. I used to have other hobbies; I don’t know what happened to them,” she says with a laugh. 

While Schmidt may be in California to stay, she’s maintaining her license in Michigan. She has thought about getting one in her new state, but she doesn’t see much point. It’s not like she’s going to take on clients. “My writing docket is so full, I’m thinking about expanding and bringing on an additional writer, because sometimes I have to turn people down.