Approach & Strategy
Plan for prosperity.
Peyton Law’s philosophy, direct from the Founder:
“Perhaps because I began as an entrepreneur, or maybe because I tend to look for the proverbial “silver lining” in everything, but my philosophy is that there is a win-win opportunity in just about every situation. At Peyton Law we not only keep our clients out of court; we pride ourselves on helping our clients through new situations in a way that benefits them immensely, and also benefits those around them – whether it appears we are dealing with adversaries or comrades.
This, I think, makes us very different from most law firms. We are not profiting from litigation, so our first instinct is to find a solution; not a fight. We look for an answer that suits all parties… and we usually find it.”
Our first instinct is to find a solution; not a fight.
“My career path was a little different than most attorneys’ stories because I didn’t grow up in a household of lawyers. I didn’t know a legal brief from a report or a single Latin word when I entered law school. My parents graduated from high school, went to work in their small town, married each other, bought a house, and started their family. They wanted the best for their kids, and we were expected to get good grades and go to college. Their plan for us was a great start… but then we were on our own.
In law school, I was taught to “think like a lawyer;” the recipe, I believe, is to be one-part pessimist and another part competitive. This was not in line with my creative nature, and I considered quitting, but instead, I opted to do what any “normal” person would do… [she laughs]… I took extra classes and graduated a semester early. But while there, I learned an important lesson.
As a student, I was chosen to be part of a special program provided by a non-profit mediation institute in San Diego, where I received their complete mediation training at no cost. The nonprofit offered free mediation to parties appearing in small claims court matters. Generally, when a judge is making the decisions, no one leaves the courtroom happy (except for the lawyers). Contrastingly, our mediation parties would often leave with smiles on their faces – many times, they would even be engaged in friendly chatter.”
When a judge is making the decisions, no one leaves the courtroom happy.
“Most of our mediations were very successful; and although I don’t like to make generalizations, I learned that most litigants were simply seeking an apology – or some acknowledgement that something had gone awry. And most defendants were afraid to acknowledge the mistake or accident but were absolutely willing to make up for it. Somewhere the communication took a wrong turn, and this miscommunication was driving almost every small claims court filing. I found that if I could get the two sides to first attentively listen to each other, and second to respectfully discuss a logical resolution, we would find a win-win solution in minutes. The party at fault simply needed a payment plan, and the party bringing the suit was happy to oblige after receiving a sincere apology, or at least acknowledgment of the damage.
After law school, I passed the New Jersey bar exam and opened up my first business with a partner. The construction company was a success, but the most striking thing for me was the first time I ran our payroll.”
In that moment, I fell in love with small business.
“For the first time I can remember, I felt like I was a part of the economy. Myself and my business were being trusted with scopes of work and budgets totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. We created a payroll out of nothing – where no business had existed before – and this payroll was helping our craftsmen feed their families, buy their homes, and send their kids to college. In that moment, I fell in love with small business.
Fast forward a couple of years and I moved back into the practice of law. At first, I drafted Last Testaments and Wills and helped my clients with simple estate planning; I then moved into transactional business law, and ultimately ended up in a firm that focused on intellectual property. My desire to collaborate with CEOs and Presidents of companies melded with my creative side (I took every art and science class possible in high school); and my current practice of intellectual property protection began.”
…helping you protect your investments, reduce your risk,
and plan for your company’s prosperity.
“As a result, my team is a team of collaborative, creative, kind, and highly intelligent people. We are business-growth attorneys helping you protect your investments, reduce your risk, and plan for your company’s prosperity. To us, this means preparing for growth, planning for succession, protecting intellectual property, and making sure that contracts and agreements are up to date and working effectively for both you and your clients/customers/vendors – because when the lines of communication are open, the growth happens. I believe that all small business owners know this inherently.
We look forward to becoming your partner and trusted advisor and working together for the success of all. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats.”
– Janelle Peyton, CEO & Managing Partner at Peyton Law
Janelle Peyton leads her team with a different philosophy than what you would normally expect from a lawyer.
