Greg Hoekstra
Contributor
In many ways Nicole Garton-Jones is a trailblazer.
After graduating from law school in 2000, Garton-Jones says she found herself working long, gruelling hours as a lawyer at a major firm, but without a sense of satisfaction or purpose.
Looking back on it now, the 37-year-old jokingly refers to that period in her life as an “early-life crisis.” She says she couldn’t shake a feeling that there must be another way. So she invented one.
In 2005 Garton-Jones founded her own firm, Heritage Law, which specializes in family law, wills and estates.
The firm is unique in the law profession because it operates entirely in the digital realm, which allow lawyers to work seamlessly from either home or the office — a particular bonus to women lawyers trying to juggle a demanding career with a family, such as the six working lawyers at Heritage Law.
On June 17 Garton-Jones was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce for her success in carving a unique path, and in creating a business that is admired and revered in its field.
For what it’s worth, the young mother of two says she is honoured to have received the award, but is even more pleased that she is able to help the residents of West Vancouver.
“The award is really nice, but at the end of the day our clients really just want to know that we care about them,” says Garton-Jones. “That’s what’s really important.”
Also nominated for Young Entrepreneur were Haleh Alexander (RBC), Jason Bowman (BC Ferries), Dr. Sara Kinnon (Bellevue Natural Clinic), and Joe Heilman (Heilman Renovations).