Sarah Hobson: Helping Clients to Make the Best Legal Decisions

Founded by Chris and Sarah Hobson, Hobson & Hobson, P.C. is a family law firm focused on helping their clients make the best legal decisions during the most challenging time in their lives. Both Chris and Sarah use their specialized litigation expertise and over three decades of combined experience in divorce and custody matters to achieve a favorable, quick, and successful resolution for every client while defending their parental rights and safeguarding their financial interests.

Recently we got a chance to sit down with Sarah Hobson to learn more about her journey and how Hobson & Hobson P.C. is helping its clients protect their children, assets, and earning capabilities.

Below are the highlights of the interview.

Please tell me your story.

Sarah: I had just left my job as a prosecutor for the government and hung out my shingle. I rented office space from two older men who were the best mentors I could have dreamed of. Initially, I took cases all over the state of Georgia. I was working 12+ hours a day for years on end. But I started to have a vision of making an impact, and I saw the path to that impact would require a team. I started to build the foundation for that team by hiring a consultant who taught me how to write policies and procedures. I learned that if I build the system, the system will run the business. Finally, I made a commitment to grow personally and professionally. Four years ago, I rented office space that was 10 times larger than the four of us who worked for the Firm. I would walk around the empty rooms with a fire in my belly and a decision to build and retain the best team to fill those rooms. Today, I’m waiting on the buildout of our new office location that will hold 46 employees. I grew up without a father, and I lived with family members off and on. My father went to the custody hearing without a lawyer when I was three years old, and I never saw him again. I am so proud to have built a powerhouse family law firm that keeps healthy parent-child relationships intact despite a divorce.

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to appeal to the target audience?

Sarah: We really make a commitment to listening to what the client wants. Part of listening is being conscious about not inserting your own values or beliefs into your client. We do this by asking “why” they want a particular outcome and by asking, “what does that mean to you?” Assumptions will kill customer service.

What is your “Secret Sauce?” i.e., what are the 3-5 Leadership Principles that you have discovered and executed that have contributed to your success?

Sarah: 1. Tell them “Why.” If you start every policy and procedure with the reason for it, the employee can comprehend the “how” much more effectively. 2. Failure to hold your employees accountable is cruel. 3. Define thoroughly for your employees what a job well done looks like. 4. Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. 5. Trust your intuition and make a decision.

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to appeal to the target audience?

Sarah: We really make a commitment to listening to what the client wants. Part of listening is being conscious about not inserting your own values or beliefs into your client. We do this by asking “why” they want a particular outcome and by asking, “what does that mean to you?” Assumptions will kill customer service.

What are your biggest failures professionally?

Sarah: What have you learned from them, and what would you do differently? I think one of my biggest failures professionally is that I have tried too often to be nice. I’ve wasted a lot of time on “potential.” I’ve learned that there are some people who just do not want to grow. They want the company to stay the same. I’ve learned to spot those issues and accept the fact that we aren’t the company for everybody. We are curating a roster of elite professionals, and for those who aren’t committed to personal and professional growth and all the work that goes into it, it’s best we offboard them quickly so they can find the work environment that is more suitable for them.

What does success look like for you?

Sarah: success looks like having goals that frighten you, a team that’s ready, willing, and able to execute the supporting initiatives to conquer those goals, and everyone on the team feels that their personal mission compliments and aligns with the Firm’s mission, vision, and core values.

What do others say about your leadership style?

Sarah: Give us some examples of your leadership skills. I’m good at inspiring people to take action. I know for a fact that we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. So, I push myself hard, like a determined athlete, to take action, have that experience, take that shot, test that theory, and let that toxic person go TODAY. Because I hold myself to that resolve, it’s natural for me to inspire action in others.

What is your “vision” in life, e.g., what drives you to a Successful Journey?

Sarah: I’m the daughter of a convicted killer. I grew up without a dad and lived with relatives and other families from time to time. I felt less than. I felt orphaned. I felt unwanted. I was told how daughters without fathers turn out, statistically. But I also felt loved. My grandmother believed in me so much and constantly told me I was going to succeed. She demanded it of me, and I was honored that she did. I wanted to do everything I could to make her proud. As I started racking up accomplishments in my education, I started to believe that statistics aren’t defining. I took advantage of every opportunity I could, including moving from Florida to New York at 15 with 72 hours’ notice. Another family saw something in me and paid for me to go to an elite boarding school on Long Island. Even though I didn’t feel deserving of success or good things, I was determined not to let the people down who felt I was deserving of it. This realization turned into an immense curiosity about finding the ceiling to success. There is no ceiling, I’ve learned, but I will still chase it and make the ROI as great as possible for those who believed in me when I didn’t know how to.

Brief us about your company’s future perspectives.

Sarah: We are working on launching a whole new client journey. Divorce and family law cases are surrounded by uncertainty and conflict. We are working on a project that is going to coach the client throughout the process by providing them with valuable resources and access to video lessons that they can complete on their own time…and it is going to be complimentary.

What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

Sarah:  Calculated risk-taking. I talk to my kids a lot about failure and success. I believe that there is no failure until you decide to give up. The rest are just mistakes. But if you are resolved to be decisive, you will make mistakes. Just get up and keep going. Be more afraid of the lost opportunity than afraid of deciding and being wrong about something.