Today we’d like to introduce you to Nasischa Anderson Malone.
Hi Nasischa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in a small town in California called Marysville. It wasn’t the best place to grow up as there was a lot of negative influences around with drugs and gangs. Thankfully I had a strong family unit with my brother, grandmother, father and mother who shielded me from a lot even though I still lived through a lot of painful times. My parents divorced when I was five but they both were very active in my life and helped to shape and mold me into the person I am today. I lived with my mother until the 7th grade until I moved to Sacramento, CA with my father as my mother had many internal struggles. She passed away when I was 16 which was very tough to deal with. I managed to push through and graduate from high school in 1994. Family and friends all pitched in to help me reach that milestone. I decided to leave California for a fresh start and attend college at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. I graduated in 1998 and went on to pursue my law degree at Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern Unviersity in Houston, where I graduated in 2001.
I decided at the age of 12 that I wanted to be a lawyer. It was at that time that I had to live through the effects of my father struggling with race discrimination on his job for many years. He had to file a lawsuit against his company without a lawyer because he could not afford an attorney. He ended up losing his case after years of fighting which ultimately caused a great hardship on our family. I made a promise to my dad that I would go to school to be a lawyer so that he would never have to be without adequate representation again. I never strayed from that promise and here I am today going in to my 21st year of practicing law. I also believe that my childhood experiences, seeing what my mother went through and feeling somewhat helpless to save her also gave me the motivation to become a lawyer to help people who couldn’t otherwise help themselves. I reside in and am licensed to practice in Texas, however, because my father still resides in California, I took the bar and also became licensed to practice there in 2003 so that I could always be available to assist him in any way.
I graduated #2 in my law school and was hired by a downtown law firm upon graduation as a probate attorney. I also did some contract litigation. I enjoyed practicing probate because it allowed me to communicate regularly with and get to know my clients. I loved the idea of helping families get through the grieving period after losing a loved one and taking the pressure off of them by handling their estate matters. At the time, I was the only black female attorney out of approximately 100 lawyers in the firm. I worked with the firm for 3 years and decided to start my own firm with more flexiblity after having twin daughters in 2004. In that short period of time, I worked on a probate case where I wrote a Texas Supreme Court brief that won the case. It was a huge win for the firm. I practically worked that case my entire 3 years there. I learned a great deal from the attorneys I worked with and from my clients during that time. To have that Supreme court win under my belt gave me a great deal of confidence as a young lawyer. I have been operating my own law firm since 2004. I have continued to practice probate and contract law since 2001. In 2014 I added NFL disability to my practice after seeing a need to help my husband and other retired NFL players obtain benefits. I also, now represent my daughters as musical artists and social media influencers where I handle all contracts and negotiations on their behalf.
I am currently married to a retired NFL player, the mother of 4 daughters ages 18 (twins), 15 and 4. I am also the owner of several other businesses. Being grounded in my practice has definitely helped me manage it all.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I have made many mistakes along the way but of course, that is a part of life. Some of the struggles I encountered were as a result of being a young black female attorney handling probate matters with white older males on the opposing side sometimes. I would have to fight for my respect from them. Probate law is dominated by middle to older white male attorneys and because I never shyed away from a battle I believe I was unintentionally intimidating. Earlier in my practice, I also struggled with the management side of the practice. I quickly learned that everyone has a role and just because I may have been a good lawyer, I wasn’t necessarily good at managing. That’s where a lot of young attorneys who go solo make mistakes by trying to fulfill all roles of their practice. I eventually learned that I couldn’t do it all and for several years I have had a great team who keeps the practice going successfully.
As you know, we’re big fans of Anderson Law Group. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I have been operating my own practice for 17 years and practicing probate, estate planning and contract law for my entire 20-year career. My firm currently specializes in Wills, Trusts & Probate, NFL Disability and Social Media and Entertainment contracts. I am known for my probate expertise and my ability to successfully pursue disability benefits for retired NFL players. What set’s me apart from others is my life experiences and how those experiences have shaped me into the person and lawyer I am today. I am most proud of the fact that my 20-year practice has survived based on clients who were referred to me and because of the relationships I have established with them and my colleagues. To get this far without any marketing or advertising is a blessing. I would like all who read this to know that if you engage our firm to represent you, we care about you and your circumstance and will do what is needed to represent your legal interests. One of my ultimate goals is to educate and help my community with preventative measures as it relates to probate and estate planning. We also currently offer online estate planning, probate and contract forms at discounted prices to make it affordable to protect individuals and their families.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
For young attorneys starting out, I would advise you to pick a specialty, stick to it and study it. I tried many different areas of practice as a young lawyer. I made mistakes, wasn’t efficient with time and sometimes let important matters fall by the wayside with having too much on my plate. It took me a few years to realize that it’s ok to tell clients “no I don’t handle those types of cases.” It’s also ok to perfect and master one or two areas of practice and build your business model around that. You will get much farther much quicker doing it that way.
Pricing:
- Prepare your Will starting at $99
- 30 min-1 hour consultations starting at $0-$200
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: theandersonlawgroup.com
- Other: https://www.theandersonlawgroup.com/shop-online-forms
Image Credits:
DH Photography
