Meet Tracey Ingle

Hi, my name is Tracey Ingle and I’ve been an attorney since 1995. I’ve worked in downtown, big city firms with multiple offices, and I’ve worked in small suburban shops.

As a typical Gen-Xer in her 20s, I went to law school because I wanted to help real people with real problems. I wanted to make a difference in the world of the everyday family.

Starting my career as a brand new attorney, I would sit it on meetings between senior associates and their clients. It was how new attorneys learned. I listened intently and took pages and pages of notes.

I’d done well in school, but in those early meetings I had absolutely no idea what anyone was talking about. Every now and then I’d hear phrases or buzzwords I recognized, but I really had a hard time understanding how they were all working together. My eyes would glaze over and I’d struggle to stay focused on the conversation.

Afterwards, the senior associate would ask if I had any questions. I was afraid to ask too many questions because I didn’t want to let on my lack of understanding. I mean, if this was something I was supposed to understand I didn’t want word to get back to my boss, and possibly lose my job.

One day though, I did ask one of the senior associates if he worried about whether the clients understood what he was talking about. His response shocked me. It went something like this, “Nah. It doesn’t really matter. More often than not the plans never work out the way they should anyway.”

Whoa! That was not at all what I expected, and not at all what I had in mind about helping real people with real problems. I wanted to work with my clients. I wanted to be their partner. I wanted the attorney-client relationship to be a collaboration. I didn’t want to be spewing out one-size fits all plans because “that’s the way it’s always been done.”

In 2002, I created my own law business with a singular focus on helping families in all stages of life plan for their unique future. As a new attorney, every new client was a new learning curve and it was terrifying. I was so afraid I’d mess something up that couldn’t be fixed. No more.

I dispensed with the typical, antiquated “way it’s always been done,” and started having conversations with my clients, in English (not Legal-ese.) My team and I worked with clients to help them figure out solutions to their unique challenges. We helped them understand the decisions they were making, and how to go about making those decisions. And we did it in a way that kept things moving to completion as simply as possible.

Our clients loved it! It’s not unusual to hear a client say, “Wow! You made that so easy to understand. Thank you.” Or “I’ve never had a conversation with an attorney like that before. You laid everything out in a way that made it so simple.”

From this Good Guardian was born. It’s no longer the 1800s, and it’s time the legal industry stopped functioning like it is. Planning for your family’s future can seem scary and overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be.

I’m glad you’ve found your way here. Take a look around. Take the quiz and determine your Good Guardian Score. Take a next step. Any next step. Your Good Guardian Attorney will be there to help you along the way.