Adriane Grace blends her roles as prominent attorney, wife, and mother without missing a beat.
“I have a pretty great life!” Attorney Adriane Grace’s smile is contagious and underscores the sentiment of her words. It’s a typical day with a jampacked calendar, phones ringing, and people vying for her attention. Yet Grace doesn’t appear rushed or anxious. In fact, her whole demeanor is one of quiet confidence; open and optimistic. But then, this is precisely the poised, assertive attitude that earns her the title “Law Mom”.
Although I enjoyed the work with Social Security, the fact that you don’t have an actual ‘client’ but rather a large entity to represent, wasn’t as fulfilling for me”
Managing her own thriving and highly-respected legal practice since May 2014, Grace also has a loving marriage of more than 13 years and two beautiful children (ages 2 and 6). Perhaps what is most impressive is that she not only manages to fulfill each role successfully, transitioning quickly from one to the other, but makes it look effortless!
“Truthfully, the idea of my own firm was born of necessity,” says Grace. “We waited seven years before deciding to start a family. I was 31 years old, in the second year of legal practice at the time, and working for the federal government in Washington, D.C. Just a few months into my first pregnancy, my husband transferred jobs back to Texas and I sat for the Texas bar exam. I took some time off while awaiting the bar results and then eased back into legal practice 10 months after my daughter’s birth as a part-time contract attorney. But the work I was doing was not interesting. Going out on my own was the only way I could have this perfect combination of a flexible work schedule while utilizing my legal experience and practicing the kind of law I truly enjoy.”
A Texas native, Grace was born and raised in Austin and even as a young girl, seemed destined to practice law. In high school, friends, teachers and other adults told her it was a career perfectly suited to her talents and personality. Then, in her senior year, Grace was selected from among the top 20 percent of students in the school district to participate in a special internship program. She was assigned to intern for a district court judge in Travis County.
“Judge Jon Wisser (of the 299th District Court) was very popular,” Grace recalls. “And during the late 90s he heard some very high-profile cases. It was fascinating. I was hooked.”
After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin in 2001, Grace decided to take some time off to save a little money before going on to law school. During this time, she was employed by Lockheed Martin in global supply chain management. Barely in her 20s, Grace negotiated and managed a multi-million dollar technology acquisition and services support contract. She also met and married her husband, David, and they decided the time was right for her to proceed to law school.
“A lot of what we studied in law school in D.C. had to do with regulatory law,” says Grace. “And, it was during law school that I decided I wanted to work on the government side.”
Upon graduating, Grace honed her legal skills while working as an attorney-advisor for the Social Security Administration, Office of Appellate Operations, which she found particularly interesting.
“Although I enjoyed the work with Social Security, the fact that you don’t have an actual ‘client’ but rather a large entity to represent, wasn’t as fulfilling for me,” Grace explains. “In my practice, I still work in the same practice area, but my clients are real people. Having an individual to advocate for is so much more rewarding.”
Every experience was preparing Grace to be the extraordinary attorney she is today. Her primary focus is advising and representing clients in estate planning, probate, guardianship, and social security matters.
“I like working with my clients, I enjoy troubleshooting their problems and finding answers and, as my clients know, I won’t quit until I find the best resolution. Being a lawyer, and specifically those areas which I focus on, is so gratifying. It’s the main reason I wanted to become a lawyer. Best of all, everything about my work suits my personality!”
