Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Young.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in a cozy home in the countryside of Shafer, Minnesota. I am the youngest of eight children and was taught to speak my mind, be respectful, and always treat others with respect. I graduated from Chisago Lakes High School and moved to Lake Tahoe, California, to pursue my college education. I graduated summa cum laude from Sierra Nevada College with a degree in Ski Business and Resort Management. During my junior year in college, I took a business law class and after numerous conversations with my mentor who was my professor and also a lawyer, I knew that law school was where I wanted to go next. I toured five schools in southern California and picked Thomas Jefferson School of Law in sunny San Diego. During my three-year law school period, I thrived. I ranked in the top 5% of my class consistently. I was a student ambassador for my law school and was invited to be on the two honor societies: Law Review and Moot Court. My article for Law Review was one of twenty articles selected for publication. Needless to say, I loved my time in Law School. I was fully submerged in the law and I managed my stress of it all by exercising (I was competitively training in bodybuilding my last two years of law school).
I was compelled to move back to Minnesota after Law School for a desire to be closer with my family. I also met my fiance, Ben, and got my dog, Leo, when I was studying for the Bar Exam, and that’s when I knew that I was going to be in Minnesota to stay. I passed the Bar Exam on my first attempt and secured a position with the Minnesota Judicial Branch as a Law Clerk. I was hired by the Chief Judge of Hennepin County as a floating law clerk, meaning I worked essentially for all 63 Judges and Referees whenever they needed additional help in their Chambers. After two years of that role, I decided I wanted to work solely on civil cases, and was hired on by Judge David Piper, who was starting his civil assignment. I worked with Judge Piper for almost two years and learned everything I wanted to learn about how litigation works, how the courtroom operates and how cases move through the court system.
I opened up the doors to my solo practice, The Law Office of Summer J. Young, on June 1, 2022. I secured an office in a building owned by a fellow Rotary Board member and the word spread, fast! When I started, I marketed offering family, personal injury and estate planning. While I still offer all of those areas of law, I am fast finding that family law is where my heart is. I love helping families navigate through complex and difficult legal issues. I feel personally rewarded when being able to assist with custody, parenting time, dissolutions and adoptions.
I used to have a professor in law school that would say, “Being a nerd is a good thing. Being a nerd means that you found something that you really like to do.” I can now say that I am a law nerd. I could read about the complexities and nuances about particular family cases all day long, and I feel extremely fortunate to have found my calling.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are a number of challenges when deciding to go to law school, moving from place to place around the country without knowing anyone who lives there, and also starting a law firm.
When deciding where to go to law school, I was initially set on moving to Los Angeles. I was accepted into my desired law school program and even put a down payment on an apartment two blocks away from the school. I was then told that the school did not have any scholarship funds to give out and the school I ultimately went to had a very large scholarship fund, so I had to forfeit my down payment on the apartment and shift my plans for going to Thomas Jefferson in San Diego.
When moving from Minnesota to Lake Tahoe and Lake Tahoe to San Diego, I did not know anyone who lived where I was moving. When I first moved to Lake Tahoe, I had not toured the school, seen the surrounding area or knew really anything about the Tahoe Basin, I just knew I was drawn there. When I moved to San Diego after graduating college, it was a similar situation, but I had toured the school and done my research about the area. At my law school, after the first year, a number of students who had the lowest grades got “cut” from the program and could not return. Talk about motivation! It was motivating but also extremely isolating. I would spend, at minimum, 6-8 hours a day sitting in the library, studying. It was easy for me because I did not know anyone who lived there and I did not socialize for fear of being kicked out of school. But that first year of school was very lonely. Early mornings and late nights with only me and my books for nine months. The fear of failure motivated me to do extremely well when the grades were published after Year 1 and I was in the top 5% of my class.
After I came back to Minnesota, the transition of that move was tough at times. I felt so loved by my family, but I jumped right into one of the most stressful times of my entire life: bar exam study. I moved into my childhood room at my parents home and told myself to swallow any pride or ego I had and that it was time for me to focus on getting my law license. After a grueling 10 weeks, I took the exam, and passed with flying colors. That was another example of how the fear of failure can be very motivating.
The latest struggle I have encountered with regard to my career and my practice was starting my firm. I had planned to start with it a business partner for over a year. And then, my partner decided to go in a different direction to gain experience and it was just me, faced with whether or not I would move forward with this business. After a few long conversations with my fiance and our families, I felt such an overwhelming amount of support to move forward with the business that I felt compelled to do so to help my community and create a life that I would be proud of. It has been the hardest and best decision I have ever made. I do this work to help my community, my neighbors and my friends. The connections I have made with other attorneys throughout Minnesota have been so helpful. There is a certain camaraderie amongst attorneys because we have all gone through the bittersweet time of law school and the stressful period of the bar exam, but there is another level of respect amongst law firm partners and solo practice attorneys. Not only are we full time attorneys, but we are also business owners and juggling five full time jobs at once, as well as managing our personal lives. It is a challenging job, but one that I would not change for anything.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Conveniently located in downtown Lindstrom, Minnesota, The Law Office of Summer J. Young, PLLC represents a wide range of clients. The firm specializes in family law, personal injury, civil cases, estate planning, trademark and copyright registration and environmental protection. Whether you’ve been injured in a car accident, are looking to have a helpful advocate to assist you in a contractual dispute, or are interested in getting an ordinance drafted to help protect your local natural resources, myself and my team are here to help!
My firm offers a free 30-minute consultation. You can call at (612) 770-0420 or email [email protected] to schedule a consultation today!
What does success mean to you?
I define success as being able to reflect on one’s life and being proud of their service to others. Success is knowing that you’ve helped someone through an incredibly tough situation, but with you by their side, you made it less of a burden for them to bear. I have always been civic-minded. Success has never been associated with money for me because as long as you’re helping people and you are genuine, the money will always be coming in.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.summeryounglaw.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawofficeofsummeryoung/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/LawOfficeofSummerYoung/
