Meet Marie Drake of The Drake Law Firm, PC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Drake

Hi Marie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I grew up in a family that struggled financially but had high standards with regard to educational achievement. Early on, I wanted to be either a doctor or an attorney, because that seemed to be the only path to climb out of the cycle of poverty we were in. I started working as a maid in a hotel in seventh grade when I was twelve years old, and then worked in restuarants in many capacities, drove a horse-drawn carriage, cleaned up construction sites and even learned to hang drywall. I worked fulltime through college, and then fulltime as a paralegal at a Wall Street law firm while I attended Fordham Law School at night for four years. My hippie mother was an activist for women’s rights, environmental causes, Native American causes and workers’ rights. She was also a ski bum who loved to have a good time. While I also love to have a good time, I wanted a different, more stable life. My father was a decorated full colonel in the Air Force and they divorced, remarried and re-divorced each other all over Southeast Asia and Colorado. Their tumultuous relationship and my experience as a child going through these multiple divorces with them shaped my philosophy and gave me some background in empathy as a family law attorney.

At my firm, I show people that there can be a different way to divorce, if they choose to get out of the victim-perpetrator-rescuer cycle and take 100% responsibility for where they are at in their lives right now.  If they decide to really take responsibility for themselves and their choices, I call that ‘Freedom Day.”

I began practicing law in 1999. In 2011, I opened my own law firm and began representing people in my own unique way. I remind every client that, at some point, they loved the person they’re now divorcing, and it’s important to show the children especially, who the grownup is in the room and to do this through action, not words. I recommend they look at their particular circumstances from about 30,000 feet, and urge them to think of the long game. By long game, I remind them they need plan on attending, hopefully with their ex-spouse, soccer games, school plays, graduations and their kids’ weddings. I ask them, “Will you regret your behavior during this divorce or are you going to choose to grow up?” I give them the example of my parents, who divorced the first time over their differences regarding the Vietnam War, remarried as that war ended, and then re-divorced each other. But they still loved each other, and showed us kids they loved each other, and that was a wonderful lesson for my siblings and me. Because of that experience in my childhood and early teens, I have a No Asshole Policy in my fee agreement. It states the following: “Whom We Help: We choose our clients as much as they choose us. We do not help those who: 1. Have a mindset of always being a victim; 2. Are lazy or unmotivated; 3. Try to use children as a weapon; 4. Don’t listen to good advice; or 5. Do things for the wrong reason. Most importantly, we don’t work with assholes. Yes, I know that sounds harsh, but we stole it from a Stanford Professor with a PhD. His book is The No Asshole Rule by Robert I. Sutton, PhD.” I give permission for anyone and everyone to plagiarize my No Asshole Rule. I think it is a great boundary to have across a wide variety of service industries, especially if you’re an entrepreneur who may, like me, have had some codependency issues in the past.

I believe my law firm is growing so fast and doing so well because we tell the truth, we’re pretty nimble and we refuse to allow our cases to drag on and on. I think my team is awesome and I’m invested in their growth and their dreams. In turn, they’re invested in the firm. I work on my mindset every day, and try to find at least five things to be grateful for no matter what. I really cherish the freedom I have as a business owner too, and believe being of service through meaningful and fulfilling work, is a real gift.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

I founded the firm with only enough money for 90 days of expenses. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, although I’ve since heard that what I did was crazy But hey,  by the 91st day, it was a going concern with a modest profit.

In 2019, I decided that I needed more targeted help. I hired a coach through an organization called How To Manage A Small Law Firm and with that membership, came a fractional CEO.  I begain working on my mindset in earnest. This year, 2024, marks a 9x growth rate from 5 years ago in 2019. I still have a fractional CEO today and have added a COO this year. We have 3 attorneys now and are hiring a fourth plus opening a second office in Lakewood this week. We’ll be hiring at least one more paralegal too. Our other staff, including a paralegal, scheduling assistant and legal assistant, are really good people who add so much to the firm and to the experience clients have with us. 

As far as bumps in the road go, I think we should all remember that those are going to happen, and it’s how we react to them. I hope I lead by example at least some of the time by actively refusing to blame shift. I also don’t think of the bumps in the road as obstacles. They’re what I make them and really, they’re “Problem-tunities” as my friend Beckie Moriello calls them.

2024 has been a particularly hard year. I nearly lost my husband in April and he is still working on some serious health issues. That’s been a tough road—for both of us. He’s better now, and we’re very grateful, but it’s been a long road for him. My challenge is self-care through this new chapter in our lives. But we’re both resilient and pretty good at taking things a day at a time.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Drake Law Firm, PC?

The Drake Law Firm, PC is a boutique family law firm, with offices in Golden and Lakewood, Colorado but we serve the entire Front Range and some mountain communities. We’re dedicated to practicing law with compassion and understanding. We help our clients focus on what matters most, see the big picture and find their own roadmap to a brighter future as they begin these next chapters in their lives. As attorneys, we take on difficult challenges and methodically work to find the right answers for our clients and their loved ones. Sometimes that means mediation, and sometimes that means litigation when there’s not another way forward to reach resolution of their issues.  I hope we always strive to have our client’s best interests at heart, and tell the truth about the different paths forward. 

The Drake Law Firm’s motto is that “We Specialize in No Bullshit Divorces.” Telling the truth, sometimes the hard truth, is a good way to cut through the red tape of divorce, and we strive to affect, in a positive way, our sometimes very clunky family law justice system here in Colorado. 

I think being of service is key and we have to hold that idea of being of service at the forefront of our practice. Choosing to practice law is choosing to be in a service industry. I like hiring people who have worked in at least one restaurant frankly, because then they tend to have an idea of what working in the service industry means. I want to continue to see my firm grow and be collaborative, and for all of us to contribute to the delivery of highly skilled, effective, and innovative legal representation. I want us to stay nimble and to never take for granted our clients choosing us to help them, and the need to really listen and understand their stories. I also want us to provide more than what other firms provide–such as follow up to make sure our clients have what they need post-divorce, including recommendations for financial planning, counseling, refinancing if applicable, and self-care.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?

When I was 8 years old, my mother took my 11-year-old brother Mike and me on an 8-day backpacking trip from the rim of the Grand Canyon down through the Havasupai Reservation, camping at beautiful places with massive waterfalls (Mooney Falls and Havasu Falls) in one of the most magical places on earth. It was fantastic. There were many other camping trips and hiking trips throughout Arizona and Colorado in those years, but the 8 days in the Grand Canyon really sticks out as a special time.  I regret my sister Kate could not do that particular trip, but she was too young at the time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thedrakelawfirm.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedrakelawfirm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100047184202082
• Twitter: https://x.com/MarieDrakeLaw
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedrakelawfirmpc5303