Arizona native Carly Whiteside has always wanted to be a lawyer. Her passion for law never changed, even when life had different plans. When she found out she was pregnant with her daughter, Carly finished out the year of college she was in and then pursued her paralegal degree once her daughter started kindergarten.
After finishing the program, she would work for the Arizona Attorney General’s office. She describes her time there as rewarding and a great learning experience. After her time there, she went on to work at a litigation funding firm. Her clients there were usually other law firms working on funding for big, expensive lawsuit, like class action cases. The day to day of the work had her wondering who exactly she was helping. It became a question that would lead her to try out a new firm in a different area of law.
She went to a probate firm. That question that was going on in the back of her mind, who am I helping? was answered in this new job. Carly had found an area of law where she could make a difference. She could connect with her clients and see the help she was able to bring. After a year and a half at the probate firm, Carly decided to start Copper Wren Law, opening in early 2023.
Carly is the first women to be a sole owner of an ABS in Arizona.
What is ABS? ABS stands for “Alternative Business Structure” and means that the firm is, in part or wholly (in Carly’s case) owned by a non-lawyer. The ABS allows Copper Wren to function like a regular law firm. As an ABS firm though, there is more oversight. Not just in the extra steps it took to start her business (it involved the Arizona Supreme Court Certification and Licensing division and background checks), but also with the daily workings of the firm. To be an ABS, you must have a licensed lawyer functioning as the compliance counsel. The compliance counsel is an internal lawyer that focused on the firm and ensuring ethical standards are met and kept.
Over the three years since Carly opened Copper Wren Law, she has narrowed down and defined the services her firm offers. Copper Wren Law specializes and offers services in probate, trust administration, guardianship and conservatorship. In these areas Copper Wren will handle uncontested and litigated cases. They can also help with deed work and Power of Attorney matters. If you need Estate Planning, Copper Wren does have firms they work with that handle estate planning. Copper Wren no longer handles estate planning.
There’s a mindset that comes with law and it’s one that many adhere to, not out of choice but more because it is the status quo. Carly wants to change the idea that “you have to work yourself to death to be successful.” With her goal to end that idea and culture, she is bringing back a focus on customer service. She is bringing compassion back to law.
Carly’s goal with Copper Wren is to change how the legal field is handled. So, she is focused on being an all-women firm. Her firm handles a lot of law that would fall into an emotional realm, where clients are dealing with emotionally charged situations. In her experience, women attorneys are truly trying to help and handle the emotional labor of the cases better. For her employees though, she is creating a work environment where moms in the legal community can work, utilizing their skills and knowledge, without being penalized for being a mom.
On top of her missions to better the law industry for clients and professionals, Carly hosts a podcast, Probate Problems and Practical Solutions. The podcast is dedicated to helping Arizona families navigate probate, guardianship, and conservatorship with confidence.
(Pull Quote #1 on flex page 25)—“I really want to give moms in the legal community a place to work without being penalized for being a mom.”
(Pull Quote #2 on page 3 of layout)—She’s organized, passionate, empathetic, and dedicated. Her family would describe her as a perfectionist and a workaholic. Carly is changing the game for law professionals and clients, allowing everybody to have time to be human, have a life, and enjoy it.