Hi, I’m Darcel.

If you’ve found yourself here, you’re probably a solo lawyer (or maybe flirting with the idea of becoming one!)

I help lawyer moms take action to improve their lives and law firms.

Do you find yourself struggling to achieve a work/life balance that you hear everyone else talking about? Are you overwhelmed and ready to throw in the towel? You, my friend, are in the right place.

DAL Coaching was built to provide not only support for launching and growing your law firm, but to also help you juggle your personal and work life. So many law firm resources focus on only the law firm aspect, and this is helpful, however, my goal for you is bigger. I want you to not only have a successful law firm, but to also:

  • Be able to attend your kids’ after school functions

  • Have flexible work hours

  • Manage your time to be more efficient

  • Be able to spend time with your loved ones

  • Make yourself a priority in your own life

  • Have a clear vision for the future of you and your law firm

  • Avoid burnout and get unstuck

  • Believe in yourself

Learn how to run your law firm under 30 hours per week

Coaching Testimonials

  • β€œI worked with Darcel while I was re-starting my solo law firm, and it was more than worth it! Darcel helped me identify concrete changes I could implement to make my law practice more efficient, effective, and profitable. Some of these issues called for a true mindset shift. Others were extremely concrete tasks that I had simply not acted on. Darcel was there to help me identify the changes that needed to be made, prioritize what I needed to do, and offer all the encouragement I needed to meet each objective. While our meetings felt like coffee with a friend, I came away from every session with a manageable list of goals to improve my effectiveness and profitability as a lawyer. I am just finishing my most profitable month yet, and I don't mind giving Darcel credit!”-

    Latife Neu, Neu Legal

  • β€œI have been an attorney for over 20 years. Over the past few years, I have faced a variety of challenges in my personal life that in turn, affected my career. Once things settled down for me, I realized that my career as an attorney needed a reboot. I was in great need of some guidance and for someone to help me discover where my strengths lie and how I could use those strengths to overcome and "reinvent" myself. Darcel's coaching did just that. She provides thoughtful and insightful coaching sessions that are geared towards legal professionals. The fact that she is a highly experienced attorney herself is invaluable. I found that working one on one with an attorney coach is more effective overall than speaking with a counseling professional who may not have a clear understanding of what legal professionals face in their varying practice areas. Darcel provides encouragement, motivation, and accountability so you can reach your goals. I highly recommend her coaching services.”

    Sheri Nevlin, Law Office of Sheri Nevlin

40th bday πŸŽ‰
40th bday πŸŽ‰
A fun night was had at the Jodeci concert! 🀩
A fun night was had at the Jodeci concert! 🀩
Me and my little ol’ A-board 😬 ‌ Just hit my 8 year anniversary of opening my own law firm! ‌ For a few years leading up to March 1, 2016, this was just an idea I had; a dream that I wasn’t sure if I could turn it into reality.
Me and my little ol’ A-board 😬 ‌ Just hit my 8 year anniversary of opening my own law firm! ‌ For a few years leading up to March 1, 2016, this was just an idea I had; a dream that I wasn’t sure if I could turn it into reality. ‌ Going strong and so glad I trusted myself and prioritized what I wanted for me and my family ☺️ ‌ I’m thinking I should start planning for my 10 year anniversary. It definitely should include a really nice gift to myself. Or maybe a party? πŸŽ‰ ‌ Hmm… we’ll see! 🀩
We all have the ability to make time. ‌ When I make a plan, and follow through on that plan, I’m so much more efficient. I can get so much more done in far less time than if I didn’t have a plan. ‌ If I need to draft a motion, I
We all have the ability to make time. ‌ When I make a plan, and follow through on that plan, I’m so much more efficient. I can get so much more done in far less time than if I didn’t have a plan. ‌ If I need to draft a motion, I can either: ‌ a) block out one hour only dedicated to drafting that motion with no distractions (no phone calls, no emails, etc); ‌ OR ‌ b) put it on my task list for the day and work on it here and there throughout the day, then having to work later than I wanted to get it done. ‌ Have you ever worked on a motion or some other pleading past 10pm? ‌ I have. ‌ Want to know why? Because I didn’t plan for it, and I dragged my ass and procrastinated in getting it done. ‌ It’s so much easier if you plan for it and block out the time to get your tasks done. ‌ And that frees up so much of my time, which allows me to do things like work a half day on a Wednesday and not work past noon on Fridays 😊 ‌ Make sure you grab your free guide on how I run my law firm working under 30 hours/week (currently about 25 hours/week): https://www.darcellobo.com/workless
Top 5 things to do before opening your law firm (doesn’t have to be in this order!): β € 1. Develop your website. 2. Create content (this can be blogs, YouTube videos, social media content, newsletters if you’ll be using an email list). 3.
Top 5 things to do before opening your law firm (doesn’t have to be in this order!): β € 1. Develop your website. 2. Create content (this can be blogs, YouTube videos, social media content, newsletters if you’ll be using an email list). 3. Develop your business plan. 4. Save some money! You’ll want to be able to cover your overhead before revenue starts coming in the door. 5. Identify your top 20. β € What’s a top 20? β € Your top 20 is a list of the top 20 people who currently know, or want to get to know, who can be helpful in your business. β € Where do you look to create this list of your top 20? β € - Lawyer groups - Local attorneys around you (although location doesn’t really matter so much these days, but I do like having face to face time with people IRL) - Identify some lawyers who are doing what you want to do and reach out to them! β € Need some support opening your law firm? Reach out to learn more about my 8 week program to get your law firm open. Imagine finally having your law firm open by the time Q2 rolls around 🀩 β € Learn more at: https://www.mamasbuildinglawfirms.com
Kicked off our reception for our 2024 Ladder Down class! So glad to be able to be a co-director of this amazing program. β € Excited for all the connections and business development these women will receive.
Kicked off our reception for our 2024 Ladder Down class! So glad to be able to be a co-director of this amazing program. β € Excited for all the connections and business development these women will receive.
Want to open your own law firm? β € Understand that practicing law will be the smallest part of your day 😳 β € Why is that??? β € Well, because as a solo, you wear all of the hats: β € - Biz owner/manager - Marketing/Sales - HR - Billing - Visionary - Custo
Want to open your own law firm? β € Understand that practicing law will be the smallest part of your day 😳 β € Why is that??? β € Well, because as a solo, you wear all of the hats: β € - Biz owner/manager - Marketing/Sales - HR - Billing - Visionary - Customer complaint dept πŸ˜‚ - Bookkeeper and tax preparer (actually I hope you’re not doing those roles. Please outsource this asap) - Receptionist (another one for your to refer out asap) - Filing clerk β € … and then somewhere down the list is lawyering! β € When you’re just starting out, you’ll be doing most of these roles. But as time goes on, you’ll begin outsourcing these roles and taking some of this off of your plate. β € I’ve been a solo for almost 8 years now (where did that time go???) and even still, I have help but lawyering remains the smallest part of my day. At least this is true on most days. β € It’s important to understand that that as a law firm owner, you want to ensure you’re focusing ample time on the “running the business” side of law firm ownership 😊
Just wrapped up recording on Melinda Lee’s podcast Speak in Flow. Talking all things on juggling law firm ownership and our personal lives. β € - Setting boundaries - Time management - Protecting your time β € Just to name a few topics! So grateful
Just wrapped up recording on Melinda Lee’s podcast Speak in Flow. Talking all things on juggling law firm ownership and our personal lives. β € - Setting boundaries - Time management - Protecting your time β € Just to name a few topics! So grateful she had me as a guest and I’ll be sure to share the podcast when it drops! ☺️
2024 is already trying me y’all 😫😫😫 β € But I know that it’s gotta be better than how 2023 ended (insert ➑️ dog bite, having an allergic reaction which created hives from head to toe, and just overall feeling like someone kicked my ass f
2024 is already trying me y’all 😫😫😫 β € But I know that it’s gotta be better than how 2023 ended (insert ➑️ dog bite, having an allergic reaction which created hives from head to toe, and just overall feeling like someone kicked my ass from all the prescriptions I’ve been on 😱) β € I trust and believe next week will be better! β € It has to. β € Please. Pretty please. Can next week be better? β € Kthxbye
Spent yesterday evening with the Women’s Law Caucus at Seattle University on a panel discussing all things about our careers as lawyers and how we got to where we are. β € Such amazing panelists and a wonderful event!
Spent yesterday evening with the Women’s Law Caucus at Seattle University on a panel discussing all things about our careers as lawyers and how we got to where we are. β € Such amazing panelists and a wonderful event!
In Portland on a little getaway with Lucy’s Girl Scout troop. β € Send help πŸ€ͺ
In Portland on a little getaway with Lucy’s Girl Scout troop. β € Send help πŸ€ͺ
Bestie has a big bday this month so we had to do it up big!!!
Bestie has a big bday this month so we had to do it up big!!!
Spa day! 🀩
Spa day! 🀩
So grateful for MAMA Seattle’s wonderful networking event! β € Spent Saturday morning at Defy networking with other lawyer moms while our kiddos played! β € And at the end of the event, my kiddos were exhausted. Talk about a win-win event 😬
So grateful for MAMA Seattle’s wonderful networking event! β € Spent Saturday morning at Defy networking with other lawyer moms while our kiddos played! β € And at the end of the event, my kiddos were exhausted. Talk about a win-win event 😬
At the MAMAs banquet yesterday and it was a great event! β € Some of our board members got together at the bar afterwards for a little reward ☺️ β € And yes, the bright pink Monster drink is mine; I clung to that because yesterday was a long day full of
At the MAMAs banquet yesterday and it was a great event! β € Some of our board members got together at the bar afterwards for a little reward ☺️ β € And yes, the bright pink Monster drink is mine; I clung to that because yesterday was a long day full of events and meetings!
40th bday πŸŽ‰ A fun night was had at the Jodeci concert! 🀩 Me and my little ol’ A-board 😬 ‌ Just hit my 8 year anniversary of opening my own law firm! ‌ For a few years leading up to March 1, 2016, this was just an idea I had; a dream that I wasn’t sure if I could turn it into reality. We all have the ability to make time. ‌ When I make a plan, and follow through on that plan, I’m so much more efficient. I can get so much more done in far less time than if I didn’t have a plan. ‌ If I need to draft a motion, I Top 5 things to do before opening your law firm (doesn’t have to be in this order!): β € 1. Develop your website. 2. Create content (this can be blogs, YouTube videos, social media content, newsletters if you’ll be using an email list). 3. Kicked off our reception for our 2024 Ladder Down class! So glad to be able to be a co-director of this amazing program. β € Excited for all the connections and business development these women will receive. Want to open your own law firm? β € Understand that practicing law will be the smallest part of your day 😳 β € Why is that??? β € Well, because as a solo, you wear all of the hats: β € - Biz owner/manager - Marketing/Sales - HR - Billing - Visionary - Custo Just wrapped up recording on Melinda Lee’s podcast Speak in Flow. Talking all things on juggling law firm ownership and our personal lives. β € - Setting boundaries - Time management - Protecting your time β € Just to name a few topics! So grateful 2024 is already trying me y’all 😫😫😫 β € But I know that it’s gotta be better than how 2023 ended (insert ➑️ dog bite, having an allergic reaction which created hives from head to toe, and just overall feeling like someone kicked my ass f Spent yesterday evening with the Women’s Law Caucus at Seattle University on a panel discussing all things about our careers as lawyers and how we got to where we are. β € Such amazing panelists and a wonderful event! In Portland on a little getaway with Lucy’s Girl Scout troop. β € Send help πŸ€ͺ Bestie has a big bday this month so we had to do it up big!!! Spa day! 🀩 So grateful for MAMA Seattle’s wonderful networking event! β € Spent Saturday morning at Defy networking with other lawyer moms while our kiddos played! β € And at the end of the event, my kiddos were exhausted. Talk about a win-win event 😬 At the MAMAs banquet yesterday and it was a great event! β € Some of our board members got together at the bar afterwards for a little reward ☺️ β € And yes, the bright pink Monster drink is mine; I clung to that because yesterday was a long day full of