Moms Making Moves: KMR Attorney and Mother of Twins!
“I labored for hours. Underwent an emergency c-section. Survived a double NICU stay. And endured four days of a grueling hospital recovery. I finally brought my babies home on a Sunday, and on Monday morning I got the call. ‘I know you just had babies, but…’ It was a real-estate agent calling to report that their clients felt I had been ‘unresponsive’ that weekend, while I was in the hospital, having my twin babies.
“During the call, my 4 day-old babies were crying in the background and I wanted to tend to them. BUT, I couldn’t lose this client because I was responsible for a very important real-estate deal that was almost slipping through my fingertips. I asked the agent to hold on for a minute. I broke down crying for 20 seconds or so, feeling in the moment that I was in over my head in all areas of life. I came back to the phone with a renewed voice and spirit… ‘sure, I can do it!’ I knew right then that I had to up my game and master being in two places at once. That pretty much sums up my life of motherhood and career.” -Yondi Morris-Andrews, Esq.
The law firm that started with a tweet
Yondi Morris-Andrews is a mother, sister, wife, friend, and partner in a popular and successful law firm. Shortly after graduation from law-school eight years ago, Yondi was a contract attorney at a large firm and felt demeaned and degraded one day when the senior partner told her and the other attorneys:
“okay slaves, get back to work.”
Feeling both angry, yet inspired, Yondi decided she would not be “stuck” in such a position, and later tweeted “I need to start my own law firm.” Attorney friend Keli Knight responded that they should meet for lunch and talk about it. The two women tapped a third friend, Jessica Reddick, into the first meeting of what was to later be known as KMR Law Group. Destiny was set and the legal trio has not looked back!
Six years and 300 clients later, KMR is a boutique firm representing people buying and selling homes, real-estate developers and small business owners. In fact, the ladies of KMR have gained a popularity and following that led to their featuring in Elle, NBC News, The Atlantic and Cosmopolitan, to name a few.
Yondi was also featured in Crain’s Most Influential Minority Lawyers in Chicago, 40 under 40 Game Changers, and KMR was given the Ms. JD Women’s Strength in Numbers Award.
But KMR doesn’t just serve clients, they also give back to the community. Service and charity remain a part of their fundamental vision and they are always seeking new ways to donate their time and resources. One of Yondi’s favorite career moments was when KMR hosted a water drive for Flint Michigan to deliver fresh drinking water to the residents in need. The project was featured on the local news and KMR was grateful to aid in impacting so many lives.
“No maternity leave; I’m my own boss”
But back to the matter at hand. You’re probably wondering how/why a mother would have to choose between twin newborns and work clients. Many women have the option of a maternity leave, where they can unplug from work and all other duties as assigned to focus on their 4th trimester of childbirth recovery, healing, and baby-bonding for the weeks or months after their babies are born. Well, when you are an accomplished attorney with your own firm AND you are your own boss, every client matters. Not to mention, purchasing a house is a big deal for an individual or family and it’s important to Yondi that their special day goes smoothly.
Maternity leave was not an option! To make matters even more challenging, Yondi’s partner was also due to give birth around the same time and preparing the busy firm to go from 3 partners to 1 partner in a matter of weeks was a complicated endeavor. Given that they were serving many clients simultaneously at different points of their home-buying process, no balls could be dropped and the firm had to have full-time coverage around the clock.
Missed calls or unresponsive emails could result in contract fines and devastating financial repercussions for both the firm and the client. Unplugging from KMR for a week, or even a day could mean that a client may loose their dream home in an instance. The firm did hire a paralegal to help cover the gaps, but to transition all the balls in the air and rearrange all the moving parts was still a huge undertaking.
“I know you’re in labor, but…”
The juggling act didn’t just start when the babies were born. Even when she was pregnant Yondi was balancing doctors visits with real-estate closings and client matters. In labor, a client texted for something she needed and Yondi responded that she was in the hospital. The client texted back saying “I know you’re in labor…. but.”
Even immediately after the babies were born and she came-to after waking up form her c-section, Yondi went straight to her laptop and began responding to important client emails that were on the brinks of fallen-deals. She didn’t want to be working, she yearned to be visiting her newborn babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). But that work had to be done and she stepped up to the plate. She also deeply appreciates all the overtime her partners put in to help her during this time; she could not have done it alone without their dedication and commitment to the firm.
The nurses kept telling her that “it can wait.” But hours after she gave birth, Yondi worked through morphine drips and dozed off attempting to send emails to clients.
“If it could wait, I wouldn’t be doing it.” -Yondi, shortly after giving birth
She found herself mad and frustrated with others that didn’t understand the stakes of her “unresponsiveness.” Only days after the birth, Yondi was sad because she felt like she was failing at both motherhood and career, already. She recalls feeling angry at society and herself for not implementing a viable maternity plan. She knew she had to build a sustainable work-life balance and put her family first.
Eight months into motherhood, Yondi is improving her time-management capabilities so that she can better juggle work and home. She has learned to multitask and build clear boundaries so that career and family can thrive at the same time.
A day in the life of twins = CRAZINESS
For Yondi, a typical day is very tight as she balances motherhood, work, and being a devoted wife. After waking at 6 am and making a morning cup of coffee, she reads to the babies, introduces new stimuli, cleans the house, and attempts to respond to overnight emails. By 9am she’s already been up for hours, has forgotten her cup of coffee, and hasn’t even started her work day!
“One time one of the babies kicked my laptop and sent half of email to a client. So now I only send emails through my cell phone when they are on my lap!” -Yondi
When the nanny arrives a little after 9am, Yondi sheds a tear of relief, hops in the shower, and hits the road to begin her rigorous day. Attending closing after closing, making client phone calls at red-lights and running around town to meet her clients’ needs, Yondi finally makes her way home to the babies and husband to begin what they call “the 4 B’s”: Bathe, Books, Bottles and Bed. When the babies fall asleep at 8pm, the rest of the night is dedicated to her husband, more work, wine, and Netflix as she drifts off to sleep for the night…only to work up early and do it all again the next day!
Of course, Yondi signs up for more “stuff”
Not only is Yondi a partner in a firm, she is also the Chair of Board of Directors for a charter school, an Associate Board member for another charter school, in charge of organizing volunteer projects for her firm, and a speaker on an array of panels. Recently, she had the honor of speaking to Columbia law students in New York about entrepreneurship.
The women were excited that she actually had her babies in the room as she presented, demonstrating firsthand how to multitask between motherhood and professional ventures. Even though Yondi is busy with her babies and law firm, she loves talking to others and rarely turns down a new opportunity to reach back.
No more bottomless mimosas
Yondi used to be the life of the party and never had a dull moment! Only two years ago, she and her husband loved hitting the streets and painting the town red. Their dinner bill was never under $200. In fact, they earned so many Open Table points from upscale restaurants that they accumulated countless gift cards and perks to wine and dine for free!
But now…
The Andrews bill is usually under $50. There are fewer endless appetizers and bottomless mimosas these days. When the babies are in tow, she and her husband are looking to get in and out the restaurant at record speeds. And goodbye to the upscale swanky meals featured on “Restaurant Week,” Yondi and her husband only go to family-friendly and loud places where their babies can easily blend into the chaos. Sometimes they do get a taste of their old life and venture back to the fancy restaurants, but they have to hire a babysitter and coordinate the entire evening.
Always looking ahead
Having twin babies is a far cry from her former life, but Yondi is loving her new reality and looking forward to the future. Having the babies has taught her the importance of being patient, appreciating the moment, sustaining a strong marriage, and the beauty and fear of raising young black boys in America.
“I always knew about racism first-hand, but it hits much, much deeper now that I have boys of my own. I pray that society sees them as innocent and does not fear them.” -Yondi
Although she wants to continue her journey of self-awareness, balance, travel, and unforgettable date nights with her husband, her priority is raising happy, healthy, polite, well adjusted black men. She dreams of being “soccer mom” and “PTA mom.” However, she admits that she will not be trading her car in for a van (any time soon)! As for her law firm goals, she would ultimately like to hire additional attorneys to help with work-life balance and start a foundation to help people of color realize dreams of going to law school. Additionally, she feels privileged to continue building a law firm with women that she considers to be true friends.
Even though being an entrepreneur is tough, Yondi wouldn’t trade it for the world. Working both in and out of the home gives her the flexibility to check on her babies often and be present for many of their special moments.
“My life is full of roller coasters, ups and downs, twists and turns. And although I’m obsessed with being a perfect mom, sometimes I have to relax and realize what my babies need most is just love.” —Yondi Morris-Andrews, Esq.
You can follow KMR Law Group on their website, Instagram and Twitter.
