From Big Law to In-House to All In on Herself
Misty Leon has spent nearly 25 years at the intersection of law, business, and strategy — as a partner at a boutique firm, Senior Counsel at a Fortune 500 company, and now founder of Practical Counsel Advisors, where she helps small to midsize law firms modernize their operations and navigate AI responsibly.
In this episode, Misty shares the winding, intentional journey that led her to finally go out on her own — and why the bravest thing she ever did was stop asking "can I do this?" and start asking "do I even want to?"
In this episode, we cover:
- How Misty accidentally stumbled into ERISA law via a newspaper job listing in Charlotte — and why it opened doors in Big Law
- What five years in-house taught her that she never could have learned at a firm
- The moment she realized she was heading toward burnout — and how she caught it before it caught her
- What Practical Counsel Advisors does and why AI readiness is a reputational risk firms can't afford to ignore
- Why "change management" is more than corporate speak — and why it's the piece most firms skip
- The mindset shift from powering through to asking whether the path still fits
- Why women don't need more resilience pep talks — and what we actually need instead
- The concept of seasons, and why it's one of the most powerful tools for ambitious women juggling everything
- Her legendary legally blonde moment involving a law school interview and a closet
Connect with Misty:
- LinkedIn: Misty Leon
- Website: practicalcounseladvisors.com
Resources & Links:
- Book a connection call with Erin: https://calendly.com/eringerner/connectioncall
- Follow Erin Gerner on Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn
