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EMBRACING THE JOURNEY: Jessica McCall of Legacy Design Strategies Reflects on Milestones
EMBRACING THE journey
JESSICA MCCALL OF LEGACY DESIGN STRATEGIES REFLECTS ON MILESTONES
From very early on, Jessica McCall was a go-getter with ambitious career goals and an undeniable drive — so, when she was promoted to managing partner at Legacy Design Strategies, a boutique estate planning law firm overseeing more than $12 billion in family and business assets, she was thrilled to witness one of her greatest professional aspirations coming true.
Yet, her journey to success didn’t happen overnight and it certainly didn’t come without detours along the way.
Some children dream of becoming an astronaut or actress, but McCall dreamed of becoming financially stable. This became an early goal for McCall, who was raised by a single mom who struggled to provide for their family after divorce. Knowing that she never wanted her own future children to experience the same kind of hardships, McCall decided that she needed to pull herself out of poverty. In her young mind, this meant becoming an attorney.
“All I knew was this meant that I needed to be smart, get good grades and go to law school,” McCall said.
All of which, McCall quickly accomplished.
After completing her undergrad at the University of Wisconsin with honors and a double major in three years, she graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School and promptly began working for the Federal Reserve Bank.
“I loved working with numbers and finance, but quickly found out I needed to be an attorney to pay for my student loans,” McCall said.
This realization led her to Omaha, where she landed a job at Kutak Rock.
Change of Plans
Just as her career goals seemed to be falling into place and she was destined to become partner at the firm, McCall’s mentor retired and her client went private. Terrified of the possibility of failure, McCall decided to change course and accept a position in the general counsel’s office at First Data.
Soon after, she and her husband welcomed their first child and she made the choice to pause her career so that she could stay home and raise their baby. This decision was far from easy for
McCall who has always been very career driven. After their second child was born, McCall said it became increasingly difficult to watch as others advanced professionally while her career was at a standstill.
“I did struggle mentally, and I think as women, we must prioritize ourselves and not downplay our mental health,” McCall said. “It’s expected that women are supposed to figure out how to do all and be all simultaneously — and it’s the simultaneous part that trips us up. I learned that I need to afford myself grace.”
All Part of the Design
It wasn’t until McCall met Andrew Sigerson, owner and founder of Legacy Design Strategies, that her career outlook changed. She began working at his law firm part-time and eventually accepted a salary position in the office during her third pregnancy.
Over the past 13 years, McCall has slowly taken on more responsibility and in 2016 she was named chief financial officer of the firm. As a process-driven individual, McCall has enjoyed building procedures to create efficiencies for the team, which ultimately lead to a better client experience. She said she is also proud to oversee the settlement department, which has grown to become the No. 1 revenue source for the firm.
The Power of Knowledge
Education is important to McCall, who volunteers for Millard Public Schools (MPS) in a number of capacities, including school improvement teams, parent advisory committees, teaching Junior Achievement and helping with math at Hitchcock Elementary, starting a Rubik’s Cube club for the high ability learners, campaigning for bonds, speaking on career days, and herding the high school orchestra students on concert nights.
For McCall, it was crucial that her three children, especially her two daughters, saw her working outside the home so that they see her on equal footing with her husband in their marriage — contributing to the well-being and stability of the family.
“I don’t want any of my kids to think a man works and a woman raises the kids and that was their lot in life, such that the girls wouldn’t do their best in school, or that my son would think any female was a second-class citizen,” McCall said. “My kids have seen me work hard — I have put in more than my fair share of nontraditional hours on nights and weekends, trudging into the office and working from home. So it wasn’t just that it took me longer to achieve my goals, I still really had to work for them and I continue to make choices about what gets my attention on a daily basis.”
The Future Awaits
As far as current goals go, McCall said the focus is on doubling the firm’s revenue in the next five years. She also looks forward to working with a business coach over the course of the next year to learn new skills about being an executive leader as she takes on her new role as managing partner.
Sometimes, McCall said she still has to remind herself that being an attorney is what she does and not who she is.
“At the end of the day, I believe the professional sacrifices I have made and will continue to make for my family will be more meaningful than any accolade I could achieve,” McCall said. “I couldn’t see that 15 years ago when I was lamenting the career opportunities passing me by as a stay-at-home mom with my babies. I didn’t believe it when my therapist told me my kids would only be young for a finite amount of time that I could never get back, but that I could essentially work for the rest of my life. It turns out, she was right.”
MBJ
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