Donna Robinson

Honestly, my faith. I've always been someone who has a very strong faith, and it's been stretched. I've been to places that I didn't even know existed, that we couldn't even find on the map. Even when I wasn't perfect, even when I was a lot younger, I always knew there's a purpose, and instead of trying to spend my life trying to figure out what it was, I wanted to just ask the creator first, so I would know and then govern my life accordingly. When people ask me that question, there's no easy, straight answer. It literally came down to my faith every single time. I had no idea I'd be a lawyer - this was not in the plan. But that's what it always came back to, and that's why I have confidence knowing that this is what I'm supposed to do, even when it gets very challenging. A lot of the work I do is with people who've survived war, people who've been trafficked, and that's what helps keep me grounded and helps keep me going.

The advice I would give is to honestly don't rush it and stay true to why you started. A lot of times we're so quick to say, okay, well, I have to figure out what I want to do, but sometimes you might not always have that answer when you start out. Like, I had no idea I was gonna end up being a lawyer - that was not what I wanted. But after time and research and really getting into, okay, what really makes me feel alive? That's how I landed in it, and that's why I'm okay with being where I'm at today. Don't rush and try to go for the label and just sign up just because you feel like you need something. Take time to figure it out. It may even take a couple of years, but that's okay. It's worth the wait. And with mentorship, they do not have to look or act like you to be your mentor. It actually helps you more when they're completely different, in my opinion.

I think we're still trying to figure out AI, because the technology has advanced far beyond the legal regulations, and it kind of just is now in everything, and people are trying to understand it. But for protecting your company in general, and especially since there are a lot of women business owners, I think they have to exercise even more caution, because it's so easy to just copy, paste, and replicate. So just taking that extra step, regardless of what business stage you're in, to protect your brand. A lot of people try to do it on their own, because they follow ChatGPT, and oh, I just have to do this, and then next thing you know they're trying to find a lawyer to help them get out of something. So it's probably best to start with us first, even though people don't really like to do that, but it really does save a lot of time and money.