“A little chaos is good in life,” laughed Poyner Spruill health care attorney Mysty Blagg. She knows of what she speaks, having started law school at age 42 while holding down a full-time job and raising a family. The experience inspired blogs and LinkedIn posts under the name Legally Mom.
Blagg worked for more than 20 years in the healthcare industry as a healthcare compliance investigator, a Medicaid appeals specialist, and a registered dental hygienist before enrolling in Campbell University School of Law’s Flex Program.
“I can’t imagine a career that prepared me more for being an attorney because every day I had to work with people coming into the office. I had to learn to communicate with them so they would open up about what their needs were,” said Blagg.
“I had become motivated to make a true difference in this world and believed the best way to approach that goal was with a law degree.”
Blagg’s practice at Poyner Spruill includes working with healthcare professionals, including those providing long-term care, primary care, home health, behavioral health, and laboratory services.
A Lot on My Plate
When Blagg started law school, her daughter was 16, and her twins were 3. “It was a lot on my plate. I didn’t get to see my kids much. That was the hardest part for me. They were at an important stage in their lives. I wrestled with that question a lot … should I go back to school? should I give up because you can’t do law school on the side,” recalled Blagg. “Luckily, my husband stepped up, and he was the Mr. Mom during that time, and he did it beautifully.”
Blagg said that while she was in law school, she would dedicate one full day a week to spending time with her kids. “One of my son’s favorite things was for me to sit beside him and watch cartoons. He just craved that time with me,” said Blagg. “They missed me a lot, but I think now they look at it and they’re really proud of me.”
Legally Mom
After Blagg’s first year at Campbell, she wrote a story for Thomson Reuters entitled, “Legally Mom: 5 Realizations from a Working Mom and Law Student.”
In it, she wrote: I would like to share a few personal realizations:
“I just wanted to share my journey. It’s not easy to make a career pivot. You do have to make some choices and sacrifices, but it is possible. There are pluses and minuses,” said Blagg. “I wanted to encourage women to think that they were not stuck in the same career. “A lot of women feel stuck. I wanted them to feel they could get unstuck.
“Women think they can’t do a career pivot, especially when you’re a mom. You’ve been put on this track. Is what you were doing when you started having kids what you want to be when you are 40 and 50?”
Blagg said that she hears from women who read her blogs and is always happy to contact them and offer encouragement.
Sharing Experiences
Blagg would like to use the Legally Mom rubric to podcast, blog, and give public speaking presentations to encourage women considering a career change. “I want other attorneys to share their experiences and career trajectories. We learn from other women. There’s a lot to share. I want more women to speak out and be honest. I still see a lot of women with their shields up and not feeling comfortable sharing their realities.”
“I remember being on a call, I was home with my kids, when they were trying to pull each other’s loose teeth out with dental floss by slamming the door on the doorknob,” laughed Blagg. “It’s just crazy, but it’s okay. We can navigate it. We can still be good attorneys and good moms and have a little organized chaos in our lives.
“I’ve got all this life going on around me, and it’s okay to have chaos. It’s okay for life not to be perfect. Because in the end, there’s a lesson to be learned from everything.”
