In this special feature, EO Portland mothers and founders reflect on the ways motherhood has transformed how they lead, define success, take risks, and build community. Their stories are honest, thoughtful, and deeply personal, filled with lessons on resilience, boundaries, ambition, presence, and purpose.

Here, Bonnie Richardson shares a reflection in her own words.

“Most women lawyers would leave after starting families. This was not an option for me.”

When I started in the profession of law, it was not set up, as a profession, to support motherhood. In law school, we had equal women to men in my graduating class and I came out thinking it would be the same for me in this industry. It was not. There was a significant attrition rate of women leaving the legal profession soon after starting their legal careers. Most women lawyers would leave after starting families. This was not an option for me.

I had significant student debt and was the primary earner in my family. I wanted to be a mom but also wanted to develop into being a good trial lawyer. When I was pregnant with my first baby in 1999, I learned that there was an unspoken expectation that I would just leave the practice of law. The law firm had no paid maternity leave but would allow me to take some unpaid time off…so long as I paid them back for the medical premiums they were paying during that time period.

Firm litigation monthly meetings were held at 6 p.m. (daycare closed at 6 p.m.) and then people would all go out for drinks and dinner afterwards. I looked around me in 2001 (with my 1 year old baby boy) and realized that in the big law firm, I was the only woman attorney in the firm who had children. There were very few women partners and none of them had children. I was told by a more senior associate (woman) that women who had babies just couldn’t make it at the firm. But what about the men – a majority who were fathers and were successful at the firm? Why was it so much worse for women? I worked to change the culture for parents and others at the firm but was finding it to be too slow to change. And a little infuriating, to be honest.

“I was more focused than others because I had to be as a mom.”

It was at that point that I knew I could build what I want but only if I did it my way with my own law firm. I was pregnant with my second child when this realization dawned on me. But I set out to figure out a way to do it. In 2005, newborn baby in tow and a feisty active 5 year old, I left the law firm to start off on my own venture.

When I look back on this time, I see that I was more focused than others because I had to be as a mom. I wanted to get home to my babies and to do that, I needed to focus on the time I put in during the day to work. I was also an early adopter of technology in the law. Technology allowed me to be able to work in the evenings as needed after I tucked the little ones in bed. When hiring staff to join me, I saw huge potential in women who were moms and were volunteering at their children’s schools. One of them I met in my neighborhood – she was the PTA president and had raised her two boys, juggling all they did along with being a house manager for her home. I convinced her to come work for me as an office manager. She did! And eventually retired after a career helping me launch the law firm.

In 2007, I had my third baby (daughter) while building the law firm. There is a different pressure and what is at stake when you are running a business and supporting your family. But it is also a great privilege to do so. When you think about supporting your family and can feel confident and proud of that, then it helps you to lean into the next step which is now supporting many other people (our employees) and their families.

“I share with them the joy I feel in my business.”

I think my kids keep me grounded. When you are the CEO or person at the very top of your company, you can find yourself in this situation where no one wants to displease you or to say anything that is critical to you. But if you have kids (and especially teenagers) they are often not afraid to tell you exactly what you need to do or why you are wrong. They push your buttons and test you in a way that is very different from the people who surround you at work. My business is very conflict-oriented. We are in the business of conflict as trial lawyers and litigators. I remember at some point, someone at work made a comment that no one (opposing counsel) can tell Bonnie what to do. And I just burst out laughing with my response—talk to my kids! because they are always telling me what I should be doing.

In this line of work, entrepreneur/founder/service industry, it is time consuming and can be all consuming at times. I found my true happiness in working in and on my own business. With that came a lot of time away from my family, my kids. But I share with them the joy I feel in my business, by example. I share the good things that happen, small and big. And I make sure when I have my time with my kids (reading at bed time back in the day, or watching a softball game in a hot uncomfortable suit, or driving them all over the place with the music blaring) I am all in and they don’t even know my company exists. I am hopeful living this life in this way sets them up to do what they want to do in life in the way they seek out. Stay tuned!