Today we’d like to introduce you to Jehan Crump-Gibson.
Hi Jehan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am an entrepreneur and attorney by trade. I was imported to Detroit from Virginia during my childhood. I graduated from Michigan State University with dual bachelor of arts degrees in Political Science and English. Immediately after college, I attended Wayne State University Law School and graduated with my Juris Doctorate. I had BIG plans upon graduation…until the bottom of the economy fell out. Potential employers were either rescinding offers, deferring them, or not making them at all. I took a job on a contractual basis with the City of Detroit and also began doing legal research and making appearances for attorneys at small firms to build my experience. Eventually, I took the leap of faith and hung my shingle. I was bitten by the entrepreneurship bug by happen stance! I formed C&G Solutions dba C&G Law, a specialized legal and consulting firm. After about five years as a solo practitioner, I took another leap. I co-founded Great Lakes Legal Group PLLC with my law partner Ayanna Alcendor. Great Lakes is a minority-owned law firm based in Southfield, Michigan. The growing firm has four attorneys and serves clients’ needs in various areas- business and commercial transactions, real estate, family law, probate, and estate planning, criminal law, a myriad of civil matters, employment law, and more.
I regularly work with small business owners and investors breaking into the market, expanding their footprints, and protecting their assets. I assist many professionals and their families across the gamut of industries with estate planning needs. I also consult with businesses on municipal and policy matters and nonprofits with best practices. While the firm began experiencing steady growth, I saw another growing need. There lacked a comprehensive space for professional women- from all walks of life and across all industries- to grow, learn and network with no other goal or motive than to improve themselves. Once I identified that need, I, along with Nikkiya Branch, founded Style and Order. Style and Order is subscription-based network for professional women. There are many issues that face the professional woman of today: from politics to work-life balance, to entrepreneurship, career moves, community involvement, and more. Style and Order focuses on the whole woman – intellectually, mentally, spiritually, and financially, with the ultimate goal of showing women how to #levelup and look good while doing it.
I firmly believe I can live well by doing good, so I am active in my community. I am passionate about youth, specifically feeding the pipeline to success and citizen engagement. To that end, I serve as Chair of the Board of Directors for CitizenDetroit Action Group, Fund Development Chair for the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit, Board Member of Pretty Brown Girl Foundation, Board Member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and more. I am a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, Detroit Alumnae Chapter, having been initiated at The Elite Epsilon Epsilon Chapter at Michigan State University nearly two decades ago and The Renaissance Chapter of The Links Incorporated. In 2017, Senator Gary Peters appointed me to serve on the Senate Judicial Advisory Committee, which vets and makes recommendations to the President of the United States on appointments to the federal bench.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road has been like the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz. There is a new challenge to face regularly. Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy. The internet glorifies it but unfortunately, mostly only see the movement, not the work behind it. There’s no paid leave. It’s not simple to walk away and let someone else handle everything. Everything falls back on you. You have to kill what you eat. And when you expand, you have people counting on you, your leadership, and tough decision-making.
In addition to that, being a black female lawyer has inherent challenges. Far too many times, I have been mistaken for a client, a court reporter, or administrative staff- by lawyers and even judges. And while these roles are critical and highly valued, it is insulting, devaluing, and off-putting for individuals to not be able to fathom that you hold a certain position just because of how you look. It is even more egregious when you are treated differently for it. You have to outperform your counterparts just to get baseline respect.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At Great Lakes Legal Group, we represent individuals, professionals, and large and small businesses in a wide array of matters. What sets us apart is that we are client-centric. The relationship is just as important as the outcome of the client matter. Clients are not just another file number. You can regularly find us at clients’ birthday parties, graduation celebrations, and, unfortunately in some cases, funerals. We’ve even been invited on trips with clients! It’s because we CARE. We provide the following services: Business and Commercial matters, Real Estate, Estate Planning, Family Law, Criminal Law, Civil Litigation, Trademarking, and Mediation services.
Style and Order is a new community for women by women. Founded in January 2022, the organization offers a unique opportunity to help you grow your professional network and connect with a growing community of people ready to help you meet your goals. With them membership comes many benefits: Access to one of the most powerful networks of professional women, Exclusive Facebook Network, Discussions with subject matter experts on wide-ranging topics, Discounts on exclusive merchandise, Discounts on events and workshops, Style and Beauty tips, and much more. We are just getting started, and the movement is taking off!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was an outgoing child. I was always inquisitive, independent, and a problem solver. I was a bit of a perfectionist- I literally went through a period where I would have a conniption if I had to make an erasure when I was learning to write. Thankfully, my mother balanced that out and taught me that you can strive for perfection, but it is human to make a mistake. You don’t have to be defined by that mistake, though- what really matters is how you recover from it.
I LOVED to read as a child. You could barely tear me away from a book. I had a huge imagination and loved to dance. I would perform shows with my dolls- and that was with or without a friend or cousin over. I was not a girly girl, though- I also got down and dirty with my brother and male cousins. That gave me heart 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: http://gllegalgroup.com / styleandorder.net
- Instagram: @gllegalgroup/ @style.and.order
- Facebook: @gllegalgroup/ @Style and Order
- Twitter: @gllegalgroup
