Meet Kelli Lieurance, Partner @ Baird Holm LLP.

Baird Holm LLP is a local law firm that offers a range of legal services in areas such as emerging businesses, intellectual property and technology. They’re a frequent resource provider in the community, often collaborating with other organizations and stakeholders in the startup ecosystem to support entrepreneurs. 

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur or support other entrepreneurs?

My husband, Ryan Lieurance, who many people in the startup ecosystem know, is himself an entrepreneur and had been attending 1 Million Cups and other startup events for several years.  He frequently commented that Baird Holm LLP could be a great resource for entrepreneurs given the firm’s experience in helping businesses scale and thrive. Ryan encouraged me to attend a few events, and I immediately fell in love with the positivity and ingenuity of the startup community. 

Excited to see how we can help, I then reached out to my colleagues at the firm to create a team that could specifically help this ecosystem. I, along with this small team of attorneys from a variety of practice areas, spent the next year conducting “market research” — talking to founders, leaders and other community supporters regarding the legal needs (and barriers) they faced.  

When we heard that founders did not even know when they needed legal, we provided substantive resources, like our legal checklist and short “Small Bite” presentations to highlight a particular substantive area of the law.  

When we heard that new founders were sometimes hesitant to engage with legal because of past bad experiences, or due to not understanding what the legal process means, I began providing two-three minute “tips” before 1MC on the attorney-client relationship: should your lawyer call you back, what is a retainer, etc. 

We hold legal office hours every week after 1MC Omaha and have since expanded to 1MC Lincoln to answer general legal questions and (perhaps more importantly) show that a lawyer doesn’t have to be stuffy, unapproachable or intimidating. In the end, our goal is to demystify the legal process so that founders get the assistance they need.

As an aside, one thing that surprised us when we first engaged with the startup community was that some individuals assumed that Baird Holm only consisted of the nine-10 attorneys in our startup group. However, Baird Holm is a 100+ attorney corporate law firm with offices in Omaha and Lincoln. This means that we have a “deep bench” of attorneys qualified to handle all sorts of issues as a business grows.  

What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to when you were just starting out?

I say this a lot to founders, new attorneys and my kids: “Everyone starts as a beginner.” That person who looks like the biggest success? They had to start somewhere, and likely failed … a lot. The person who knows all the answers? At some point, they didn’t. 

Every interaction, experience, win or loss is a learning opportunity, and it will shape everything you do next. 

How do you stay motivated when things feel overwhelming — or stagnant?

When overwhelmed, I like to break down everything into smaller tasks. Don’t focus on the 100 items on the to-do list; take one, complete it and move on to the next one. 

When things feel stagnant or “stuck,” I find a lot of value in seeking out someone else’s perspective on the issue. Even if that individual does not necessarily provide new insight, often the process of explaining the situation ends up getting me “unstuck” and to the right place.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome and how did you overcome it?

I’m a bit of a control freak, so dealing with the unknown, or things I cannot control, has always been a challenge. As mentioned above, focusing on one step at a time doesn’t just nudge the process forward but gives me the sense I’m still working toward the goal. Even if it just creates the illusion of control, that may get me through the challenge.

With that said, I’m also an “everything happens for a reason” person. So rather than wallow in what I cannot control, I try to see the broader lesson in the situation. 

How can the Nebraska community support you?

While we would hope that founders and growing businesses choose Baird Holm for legal advice, if not us, choose someone who is qualified and trustworthy. Don’t ignore your legal needs out of fear (or ignorance) of the process.