The Power of Mentorship and Support: Paige Zandri's Approach to Building a Law Firm

This week, Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guest, Paige Zandri. The two talk about Paige's unconventional journey from tax law to family law, the founding and growth of Artese Zandri PLLC, a firm dedicated to handling highly contested divorces and agreements with a focus on personal connection, and the critical role of mentorship, professional networks, and values-driven teamwork in building a thriving legal practice. In this episode, we discuss: How Paige's career took a sharp turn from tax law to family law after law school, when she realized she wanted a more direct connection with clients than tax consulting at Deloitte could give her, and her parents' early instincts turned out to be surprisingly right. What gave her the courage to leave Deloitte, go solo, and start from scratch by cold-emailing Brooklyn Law alumni, finding one solo-practitioner mentor, and trading support services and court help for real-world training and income. Why she knew solo practice wouldn't be the endgame: she wanted a team, realized she wasn't a litigator and didn't want to become one, and partnered with a former law school friend and courtroom attorney to create a complementary business and life partnership. How the firm evolved from solo work into a growing boutique practice, and why building the right team culture has been one of the hardest and most important parts of leadership, especially when your goal is to run the firm like a family, with warmth, boundaries, and accountability. Why she believes leadership in a group like Women Owned Law matters: the organization has become a place where ideas are welcomed, collaboration is real, and the "scaffolding" of a shared mission is visibly taking shape over time. Paige Zandri is a founding partner at Artese Zandri PLLC and is the firm's lead mediator. Paige handles highly contested divorces, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Paige brings to the firm her experience as a tax consultant for high-net-worth individuals before shifting her focus to representing clients in matrimonial and family law matters. Having represented clients both in and out of court for over a decade, Paige's ability to de-escalate and find creative solutions to resolving conflict underlines her approach to client service. Paige is trained and certified as a divorce mediator to help clients resolve the nuanced aspects of complex issues, including the division of property, calculation of spousal support, custody and support of children, and more. Paige's tax background is particularly useful for clients who hold sophisticated assets with varying tax consequences that impact their value in a negotiated property settlement. Paige also has extensive experience drafting and negotiating prenuptial, postnuptial and divorce settlement agreements. Paige approaches every client and every issue with personalized attention, compassion, and diligence. Education Brooklyn Law School, JD 2009 CUNY Baruch, MS 2009 SUNY Albany, BS 2002 Admissions New York State Bar Memberships Women Owned Law (501(c)(3)), Board Member and Executive Committee, DEI Committee Chair, Symposium Committee Chair, Virtual Programming Co-Chair New York City Bar Association New York Women's Bar Association New York State Bar Association Professional Philosophy: The best way I can serve my clients is to listen deeply to their fears and concerns - to look beyond the basics of their matter and engage with them as I would a family member. Each client should walk through this experience knowing that I have done everything I can to listen, understand, and protect them.  Personal Philosophy:  At the risk of sounding "eat-pray-lovey"...My personal philosophies are simple: keep your mind and body active, be kind, find the humor, and eat and sleep well. Hobbies: Athletics and outdoor adventures, fancy charcuterie boards, and making people laugh.  What I love most: The right song at the right moment.  Top Memorable Moment: Father-daughter dances. Website: https://www.artesezandri.com/ Social Media Links: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artese-zandri-pllc/

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