About Jolee
Known as “The Compassionate Divorce Attorney,” Founding Attorney Jolee E. Vacchi is licensed in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She is a certified Coercive Control Trauma-Informed Attorney by the Coercive Control Consulting Institute.
While being an empowering and calming presence for her clients, Jolee also has the uncanny ability to transform into a zealous and compelling legal advocate when the occasion calls for it. Once dubbed “The Weapon” by an opposing party in a divorce case, one of her favorite sayings is: “Underestimate Me– That Will Be Fun.”
Jolee emphatically believes that the best outcomes for families in legal conflict most often result from negotiated settlements. She is a Collaboratively-trained attorney and Certified Divorce and Family Law Mediator and leverages her expertise and experience in alternative dispute resolution to obtain optimal results for her clients.
In addition to her interests in alternative dispute resolution and settlement negotiations, Jolee also enjoys working on high-conflict cases involving the potential removal/relocation of children out-of-state, representing survivors of domestic abuse and coercive control, and contested guardianships of a minor.
Jolee also prioritizes providing free divorce education and resources to empower clients to make informed decisions. She co-hosts the Divorce Detox podcast and also volunteers her time as a panelist at monthly divorce education webinars with the Vesta divorce organization.
About this Episode
In this heartfelt and insightful episode, Liz Theresa welcomes her longtime friend and fellow entrepreneur Jolee Vacchi, founder of Foundations Family Law, for a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, family law, and the realities behind making big life changes.
Highlights:
- Origins & Friendship: Liz Theresa and Jolee Vacchi reminisce about meeting at college theater orientation, choosing each other as roommates, and supporting one another through life’s milestones, including weddings and business launches.
- Starting Foundations Family Law: Jolee Vacchi shares her journey from working at a traditional, litigation-focused law firm—where she felt out of alignment with the culture—to bravely launching her own practice centered on mediation, settlement, and empowering clients to negotiate terms rather than relying on court outcomes.
- Support on the Entrepreneurial Journey: The importance of having a support system—from friends to family—is emphasized, especially when facing the daunting leap from a secure job to starting a new venture.
- Facing Fear & Change: Discussion around the fears that keep people stuck in unsatisfying jobs or marriages, and how the fear of the unknown can be paralyzing. Jolee Vacchi highlights how initial divorce consultations give clients clarity and hope for a new future.
- Divorce Realities: Both speakers address the grief, ripple effects on families (including children losing relationships with extended family), and the emotional complexities of divorce.
- Prenuptial Agreements: Jolee Vacchi, a proponent of prenups, shares why they’re valuable for protecting both assets and against unexpected debt, and stresses they’re not just for the wealthy.
- Collaborating with Her Husband: A peek inside the firm’s growth—bringing on her husband as Director of Business Operations, hiring a fractional COO for operational guidance, and maintaining healthy boundaries and communication in a family business.
- Scaling & Staying True: Jolee Vacchi candidly discusses her vision for her firm, choosing not to become a large mega-firm in favor of hands-on quality control and maintaining a client-centered ethos.
- Professional Partnerships: Plans for expanding collaborations with divorce professionals—such as specialized mortgage brokers, coaches, and real estate experts—to provide holistic support for clients.
Key Takeaways:
- Courage is moving forward in spite of fear, and believing in yourself is everything.
- The ripple effects of divorce are real and extend far beyond the couple.
- Clear communication and maintaining values are critical to scaling a business without losing its soul.
- Building a network of trusted, specialized professionals can create a more seamless, supportive experience for clients in transition.
Where to Find Jolee Vacchi & Foundations Family Law:
- Website: foundationsfamilylaw.com
- Socials: @foundationsfamilylaw (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn)
Listen for: Inspirational stories, real talk about both business and family law, and actionable insights for anyone contemplating big life or career changes.
All links are included in the show notes. Thank you for tuning in!
