<![CDATA[Law for Conscious Leadership - Museletters]]>Sun, 13 Sep 2026 07:57:15 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[Providing resources to help people become better parents is a good policy.]]>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:31:25 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/providing-resources-to-help-people-become-better-parents-is-a-good-policyAnother child protection case I'm working on got dismissed today after the parents did a lot of work to improve their situation. Sometimes these cases are so awful, but a lot of the times the court intervention was exactly what was needed to inspire parents to stop neglecting/abusing their kids.

I'm working on an article on parents rights v. children's rights and the rising "anti-CPS" sentiment. Some of the anti-CPS arguments are rooted in the premise that foster care is more harmful than the family abuse/neglect. When that is the reality for kids, that is horribly wrong - and I wholeheartedly agree there MUST be protections to ensure foster parents are not abusers. It is gut wrenching to know how many predators over the generations have taken in vulnerable children with the intention of harming them. Disgusting and criminal and should be eliminated. Absolutely. Other facets of the anti-CPS arguments are founded in freedom-from-government in general; that parents can do whatever they want with THEIR children. That's the one that's most interesting to me. Where do the rights of the child and the rights of the parents intersect, and how does the government get to play a role in regulating that? I also find some of the proponents to be pretty disingenuous because the people who are the loudest in the "MY RIGHTS!" category absolutely LOVE regulating the lives of other adults who don't follow their religious rules.

I know in my experience, the child protection system has helped so many people. Child abuse used to only be frowned upon, but not illegal. While the child protection system is flawed, overall I think it is good and needed - providing resources to adults to get the help they need to become better parents is a good policy.]]><![CDATA[We're going back to school!]]>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:18:18 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/were-going-back-to-schoolPicture
I'm excited! I've felt like I wanted to go back to school for a while, because I need to shake some things up. But there is no way I'm going to stop my momentum in my law practice or do anything else full time at this point in my life. Remember how I promised myself no more overwhelming, all consuming side gigs that put me into debt? Hahahaha!

But I do want to keep growing my skill sets to better serve my clients, and one of my friends/colleagues (Amber, my partner in a sustainability consulting company years back) recommended the "Core Business Essentials" program through Harvard Business School Online. This is a short/accelerated very mini MBA-style program with renowned Harvard professors teaching Business Analytics, Business Strategy, Financial Accounting, and Negotiation/Trust/Ethics with a Capstone project. 

I almost got an MBA at Pepperdine when I was in law school. They had joint degree programs. But I went with the Master of Public Policy instead of the MBA because at the time I wanted to be a Senator or other policy official. I jumped off that train when I realized the trade-offs did not suit my desired lifestyle at all. I got a healthy dose (with sometimes unhealthy side effects) of learning how to start and operate a small business with my own companies. And that real life experience informs my practice for sure! But now I want some more structured formal education to build up on what I know from myself and my clients.

Here's to some new knowledge and new friends! Stay tuned - I'll report back! 

]]><![CDATA[When quitting is strategic, it's not the same as "just giving up"]]>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/june-08th-2026This is an older podcast from one of my favorite health inspo resources, Kris Gethin, but I just stumbled upon it and really resonated with the conversation. I used to take far too long to decide to let something harmful go . . . and suffered the consequences for sure. I'm hopeful that with my life lessons I'll be able to recognize sooner when it's time to strategically quit instead of holding on for unhealthy reasons (like fearing being perceived as a failure or hoping that people or circumstances will just miraculously change despite all evidence to the contrary) . . .

Give it a listen and tell me what you think!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zxX3MdeXatxzwX0G02tlY?si=tYqDgILKRwKWbxzZxc2HDg&t=1869&nd=1&dlsi=a50004cb528b43c2]]><![CDATA[Keep It Simple, Sweetie!]]>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 21:37:35 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/keep-it-simple-sweetieIt's so important to be creative, especially when it comes to solving problems for humans. There is this interesting human nature desire to create and chase new shiny things that appear more fun and cool than what we've gotten used to. I've been thinking about this a lot with legal drafting and relationship structures. Sometimes lawyers make things so complicated! And sheesh, sometimes statutory schemes mandate structural complexity that doesn't solve the problems it is purporting to solve.

I, like most lawyers and nerds, love to share what I've learned and offer innovation to my clients. Evolution and improvement is a good goal, and our job requires us to account for factual nuances and foreseeable problems. 

And one question always ringing in my mind is whether the new way is an actual improvement. If it's super hard to understand and super hard to explain, that feels like a red flag to me.

While honoring the virtues of consistent improvement and evolution, I like balancing one of my favorite mantras for life, *KISS IT - Keep It Simple, Sweetie!*. I use this frame of reference when helping my clients evaluate their options for entity structures, relationship models, and conflict management tools. It's critical to know the menu of options and how they help people, their trade-offs, and why they may be great or annoying, and I love playing the "What If?" game while taking into account the sustainability of simplicity and ease.

Muah!
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Schedule Appointment
]]><![CDATA[My first lawyer blog post in 7 years!]]>Sun, 10 May 2026 02:10:41 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/my-first-lawyer-blog-post-in-7-years2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, and 2025 was the Year of the Wood Snake. This most recent transition of shedding of what was no longer serving me to make way for a fully charged forward push was intense!

My ownership of the apothecary has come to an end. I am excited to have only 1 business for the first time in more than a decade! You may recall that I started a sustainability consulting company in 2017 after ending the Idaho Green Fest, and then began the apothecary adventure in 2018. And I was doing these businesses while also building a solo law practice! I am disciplining myself into taking on no new "side gigs that end up completely dominating my life" for the foreseeable future! Please, hold me to it :)

As I reframe my goals to be fully focused on Law for Conscious Leadership, I've been reflecting on how bad ass all the people I've been working with are! My sweet spots have become collaborative business law, cooperative relationship agreements, and amicable divorce. I ran the numbers on my last year of client work and I'm feeling pretty great about this trajectory! 
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Over the years, I have learned so much from and have great memories of working with:
  • nonprofits that are improving renewable energy policy and increasing access to farmland and local food
  • couples that honor their relationship as it shifts outside of marriage
  • small organizations improving their processes and expanding their potential to help people heal and support the community
  • people dedicated to helping families recover from abuse and neglect
  • social entrepreneurs seeing clarity and structure in the operations
  • individuals and groups looking to formalize interpersonal relationship agreements
  • people who live life with hearts forward, minds open, and a dedication to creating meaning!

Thank you to all my clients - past, present, and future! I look forward to what's ahead! Contact me to talk about what you've got going on!
SCHEDULE NOW
]]><![CDATA[Social entrepreneurs holding each other accountable.]]>Sat, 24 Aug 2019 16:19:13 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/social-entrepreneurs-holding-each-other-accountable​Hello! 

Just a quick message to share an article I recently published in the Idaho Advocate, Enforcing the "Benefit" Part of Benefit Corporations." A benefit corporation is a legal entity form that creates a duty for managers to consider a wide range of stakeholders and to strive to create positive social and environmental impacts. Social entrepreneurs around the country are choosing this form and doing amazing work! My July 2019 article covers issues related to accountability and enforcement - what happens when the promises are not being fulfilled or results are not being achieved? Check it out on the Idaho Advocate website or by going to my Education page.

My next article entitled, "Entity Selection for Social Entrepreneurs" will be published this fall and I will send it to you! Please contact me if you want to discuss how to incorporate your commitment to social good into your legal business framework!

PS: You're invited to the SOFT OPENING for my new plant-based apothecary, The Vervain Collective! This has been my passion project for the last 2 years and we're finally ready to open up to our community and are super happy to be inside the Roots Zero Waste Market!

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Thank you for reading!  I hope you are finding plenty of opportunities to feel joyful!
~Kelsey]]><![CDATA[News featuring snack tacos and an apothecary!]]>Tue, 09 Apr 2019 23:05:18 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/news-featuring-snack-tacos-and-an-apothecaryPicture
Greetings People Who are Reading This!

I just finished a snack taco while drafting a proposal for a potential new consulting client, which I made after squeezing in some gardening time in between rain showers. I do love working from home, as it feeds my need to flow with my go! Despite what you might think, I am not a disciplined "sit down and get this done" kind of person. I've tried lots of techniques, but I've realized that listening to my intuition and doing the work that feeds me in that moment works best for me. The challenge is not putting my true self down - I'm a high performing slacker and proud of it! Ha!

Currently, I'm feeling like writing a long letter to you! So, in my last musing, I shared a bit of woe about a failed business relationship and alluded to bigger and better things on the horizon! I am STOOOOOOOOKED and honored to finally be ready to share a new chapter in this amusing book of life.
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Dr. Nicole Pierce, Carolyn Swenson, and I formed The Vervain Collective to support the natural health community - the professionals, the health conscious, and the curious; the growers, the makers, and the dabblers. Together, we collectively learn about and celebrate relationships between plants, minerals, fungi, microorganisms, and each other! Our plant-based apothecary will have a treatment/consultation room for natural health practitioners and a community education space! We're opening inside the Roots Zero Waste Market in late spring! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Here are some happy shots of Vervain's official launch at Yogafort this March! Our booth was a hit and we got to talk to a lot of people about the special opportunities ahead!

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I'm going to still be a lawyer! 
I've been reflecting on the funny-ness of life and the many circles we travel through. When I was a freshman in college, I was pre-med pursuing a career in alternative medicine. Then for a few reasons (including almost failing organic chemistry!) I chose law school instead. I never stopped loving plants or believing in the healing power of nature. I'm super in love with my niche private practice, and I'm so grateful that I am able to pursue Vervain as well. Part-time lawyer, part-time sustainability consultant, part-time apothecary owner! Full-time Kelsey Jae!

Selected Things to Say About Lawyering: 

* Social entrepreneurship - I believe in the mission of B Lab, which is "using business as a force for good". The creation of a rigorous and ambitious third-party standard to measure a broad scope of issues (workers, environment, government, supply chain, community, etc.) helps to eliminate greenwashing. If you can't back it up, it's getting harder to say it with a straight face. That said, pursuing a B-Corp Certification isn't ideal for all businesses. Deciding whether it's worth it is a decision based on factors such as the need for transparency and accountability and the need to distinguish yourself in the marketplace.

Even if you don't have the intention of getting certified, doing the Impact Assessment is illuminating. You take the assessment and get a score. Usually, it's pretty low the first time you do it because you have yet to focus on documentation of the issues it tests. The assessment comes with an Improvement Report which gives you targeted ways you can improve and get more points. Then, after you implement some/all of the suggested improvements, you get back in the assessment and update your answers. Once you get to 80 points, you submit for approval. Then a staff member is assigned to you and they grill you and ask for more proof. If you stay above 80, you can become a Certified B Corp!

Full disclosure, I have had a hard time getting certified as a solo practitioner lawyer in a single member LLC. Even though social entrepreneurship has been my guide, it's hard to get points in governance, workers, and supply chain when I work from home from a laptop. BUT, I am not abandoning the effort! My consulting company, Warm Springs Consulting, earned our certification last year. And I will be pursuing it for The Vervain Collective as well.

If you (or your colleagues or other attorneys) want to know more about the law of social entrepreneurship, you know where to find me!

* "Low-Bono" - Being accessible to my community is important to me, and I've tried to create a compensation model that allows me to meet my needs while helping awesome people who might otherwise forgo legal representation due to cost. I love the term "low-bono" - a concept that applies to offering modest rates to clients of modest means. My clients on the lower end of my sliding scale are brilliant, ambitious, courageous, and inspiring. Please help spread the word that I do not turn people away for lack of funds if their needs align with my values and we are able to work out a mutually beneficial arrangement.

* Child Protection Cases - I am in my second year of volunteering for the Court Appointed Special Advocates/Guardian ad Litem program. It has been empowering - and very sad at times. I'm glad that this program exists to step in and in most cases stop child abuse and neglect and get families the help they need. Please consider volunteering - we need more volunteer lawyers and guardians (non-lawyers).

* Nonprofit Law: From Incubation to Fundraising - Here is a link to a great video/CLE from the Sustainable Economies Law Center, a source of great inspiration to me. 

Alright friends - it's been a long letter. I have a few more "billable" things to tend to before doing some laundry and hitting dance class! 

Be not-too-safe out there! Strive to find what moves you and move with it!

With love,
Kelsey Jae
]]><![CDATA[Welcome, 2019! I'm soooo ready!]]>Mon, 07 Jan 2019 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/welcome-2019-im-soooo-readyHaaaappy New Year!
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I really love the symbolism of the fresh start, and this year marks 3 years since I launched my solo law practice. What an adventure! I've been enjoying interacting with a growing book of amazing clients - most of whom were or have become friends. While I've been told it's ill-advised to get emotionally connected to work, I've never been able to separate "work Kelsey" from "real life Kelsey". To me, it's all LIFE. And feeling connected to the people I work with is critical to my well being. I hope my service as an attorney helps my clients do well in their chosen ventures while appreciating the interconnected nature of law and community. I choose to honor the role of love in our economic relationships. 

Are you with me?!?!  You must be - you're still reading! Hahaha!

Since this is a new year newsletter, I'll share some highlights of last year - including both celebrations and setbacks, because we all know that a full life includes both.
  • My sustainability consulting company, Warm Springs Consulting, earned status as a Certified B Corporation® and is working on several innovative projects for an inspiring future. 
  • I took a 10-day road trip to Florida, then California, and back BY MYSELF! Whoowee that was intense and healing and fun.
  • I got licensed to practice law in Oregon so I can represent clients in the growing legal cannabis sector. I already have two clients that are growing industrial hemp and that makes me happy!
  • I worked with small businesses and nonprofits to share their success with employees, add clarity to their governance and communications, stay in compliance with the law, bring more local food to our community, and incorporate their values into their business models.
  • I helped secure families' futures by demystifying wills and trusts and adding peace to divorces.
  • I got my hopes up and went all in on a new business venture that I felt really passionate about     . . . and it didn't go well and is dissolving. I'm mourning the loss and embracing the failure. I know that I will take all that knowledge and pain and channel it into something even better. Like the Sword of Gryffindor, I only take in that which makes me stronger! News on a new and improved project is forthcoming!
  • I moved through some deep personal insecurities and fears and had quite a few epiphanies about love and purpose. I feel more centered now than I ever have, while gladly embracing my vulnerabilities. 
BRING IT 2019!!! Let's do more awesome things together! Here's what's up for me and my clients this year:
  • Workshops on economic empowerment
  • Collaboration with securities lawyers and business consultants to increase local investing opportunities
  • A renewed commitment to using my resources to support the social and environmental performance of my business and my clients' businesses
  • A reinvigorated commitment to supporting non-conventional couples and families navigate the law governing their relationships with compassion and creativity

I'M SO GRATEFUL for all of the ups and downs. I'm reminded to let go of attachments and the need to control the world around me. I'm grateful for the fear because it shows me what is possible. I'm grateful for Idaho because it is full of amazing people who hold me up and love me.

And I'm grateful for you. Let's stay in touch this year!]]><![CDATA[Are you curious about benefit corporations and Certified B-Corps?]]>Tue, 22 Aug 2017 21:17:06 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/are-you-curious-about-benefit-corporations-and-certified-b-corpsIt's been a while since I sent out an update, which is just a sign of how much life I have going on! All is well in my neck of the woods, and I will have an exciting announcement coming out next month so get ready!

In my practice, I spend a lot of time talking to people about social entrepreneurship or using business to create positive impacts to people, the planet, and profits. This topic has been near and dear to me since college when I studied the game theory of corporate social responsibility. In law school, I dived deep into the law governing businesses that sought to do well while doing good. Now, as an attorney, I dedicate most of my time to helping kind and compassionate bad asses succeed in this realm of social enterprise! I feel honored to have so many opportunities to fulfill my mission of helping awesome people do awesome things!

Recognizing that many people don't know what a "benefit corporation" or "Certified B-Corp" is, or why these business forms exist, I co-authored an article for Idaho's monthly lawyer magazine, "The Advocate".  This article provides a great overview and will get you up to speed, and I'd love to talk to you more about your views on the issues.

Click here if you're interested in reading the article, and remember that I have other educational materials on my website!
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Thank you for reading!  I hope you are finding plenty of opportunities to feel joyful!
~Kelsey]]><![CDATA[Join me for "Joining the Sharing Economy"!]]>Tue, 24 Jan 2017 04:26:13 GMThttps://www.kelseyjae.com/museltters/join-me-for-joining-the-sharing-economyWinter is not my favorite time of the year, but I am doing my best to have fun and enjoy what this season allows - calm focus, planning, and introspection. Aside from fantasizing about my garden, which will be AMAZING this year thanks to the farm internship I had with Earthly Delights, I've been working on spreading the message about the law of the sharing economy, cooperative culture, and social enterprise. I'm writing to let you know that I will be teaching a course through Boise Community Ed this Wednesday, January 25.  If you'd like to attend "Joining the Sharing Economy", please register through their website.  Or, if you'd like me to meet with you and your group of friends/colleagues, we can arrange another showing! Of course, I will also put the presentation on my website.
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While I've got you on the line, let me remind you:

I am committed to being accessible. It is part of my personal mission to do what I love by helping awesome people do awesome things. I understand that social entrepreneurs and those focused on sharing and cooperation often hesitate to reach out to attorneys due to costs. To reduce barriers to building a relationship with a like-minded attorney, I offer sliding scale hourly rates and flat fees, as well as a newish Legal Coaching Subscription Service, which welcomes frequent calls, brainstorming chats, and document review/interpretation in exchange for a $150/month subscription. Limits apply - READ MORE.

I love giving presentations to audiences of great people. Learning about interesting topics and sharing what I discover is a favorite activity of mine. In addition to the Joining the Sharing Economy presentation this week, I recently presented on how to support our sustainable food economy with creative and collaborative legal agreements. I am currently working on one dedicated to how local businesses can raise capital from within our community. I always post my slides and handouts on my website; please check it out!

I can help you finally get to that will you've been avoiding! It's hard to acknowledge our mortality or really think about what we want to happen when our souls transition out of this world. If you've been worried about this, and think you'd like me to help guide you, please contact me! I offer great flat rates for simple will packages.

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Thank you for reading!  I hope you are finding plenty of opportunities to feel joyful!
~Kelsey
This is me having fun on the farm!  Getting turnt with the best turnips ever and leaking tears of joy at our leek harvest. I was really excited to finally get a pair of Carhartts, too.
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