Melenni's Story About Opening Balbach & Davenport Legal

It's the week of Christmas 2025, and I'm sitting here thinking about how different my life looks than it was a year ago. And I mean completely different.

Let me back up.

The Setup: Work Besties to Real Friends

Kayleigh and I met at my previous law firm. Like, instantly-throwing-candy-at-each-other-across-the-office kind of work besties. The kind where you're texting at 9 PM about a case, then texting at 10 PM about something completely unrelated to work. The kind where you start out as colleagues and then one day you realize you're just... actual friends. Real friends. The kind you want to keep around even if you didn't have to see them at work.

Here's the thing though: we never planned to open a law firm together. Like, not even a little bit. That was someone else's idea. Our significant others kept saying, "You two should open a firm together." And we kept being like, "Yeah, sure, someday." Translation: absolutely not, we're busy enough as it is.

But then the universe had other plans.

The Burnout

I'm going to be real with you: I was burned out. Like, scheduled-appointments-with-a-neurologist-because-I-was-having-weekly-migraines burned out. Not-wanting-to-wake-up-in-the-morning burned out.The kind of burnout where you're tired of billable hours, tired of the pressure, tired of being in an environment that wasn't serving me anymore.

So on a random Friday in August, I decided to take control of my own career. I applied for the paperwork to start my own law firm.

That same day (and I didn't know this at the time) Kayleigh got an amazing opportunity. She was offered a position as a Guardian Ad Litem with Columbus County. It's about one week a month, and it's work that truly matters to her. She gets to fight for kids who can't fight for themselves. Because honestly? That's what GALs are. They're superheroes.

But here's the thing: most traditional law firms don't allow you to do meaningful work outside the firm, especially work that matters this much. So Kayleigh had to make a choice: keep doing what she was doing, or take a leap of faith and pursue work that truly aligned with her values.

She chose her values.

So there we were. Both of us, on the same day, deciding we were done with what we had both built our careers around.

The Conversation

I told Kayleigh what I'd done. I told her I'd sent the paperwork to the state bar. I told her I was tired of fitting my life around my job, and I wanted to create a job that fit the life I wanted to live.

And she told me she'd decided to leave too.

It was like the universe was like, "Okay, you two idiots, here's your sign. Stop ignoring your boyfriends and your husbands. Just do the thing."

We looked at each other and basically channeled that Yellowstone scene where Rip goes, “Best we came up with, sir, is like, fuck it, you know.” Because that's literally what we did. If you don’t know what I’m talking about: here ya go.

The Background (In Case You're Wondering)

I started practicing law in June 2021 at Legal Aid in the Domestic Violence Unit. After a few months, I moved to a family law firm for a year. Then I went to my previous firm, where I stayed for three years before the burnout became unbearable.

For the record, I don't go to court anymore. That's Kayleigh's lane. She's the one in the courtroom, fighting for families and kids. But she prefers a collaborative approach, we're all about resolving things without unnecessary drama if we can help it. And when court is necessary? She's there. She's ready. She's phenomenal.

August 2025: Balbach & Davenport Legal Opens

We opened in August. I remember being terrified and excited and completely sure we were insane all at the same time.

And then something amazing happened.

Within the first week, we got a rush of congratulations from local attorneys. Not just congratulations, referrals. Other attorneys started sending us clients. Law school friends reached out. Previous paralegals we worked with reached out. Our significant others were just like, "Duh, we told you so," but in the most supportive way possible.

Our families have been incredible. Our dogs have been... well, they've been dogs, which means they've been demanding but adorable. (I have a pittie and a dachshund. Kayleigh has six dogs. Yes, six. We're both that person.)

The Best Surprise

You know what the best surprise has been? I fell in love with practicing law again.

Like, actually in love with it. I genuinely look forward to answering the phone. I get to help people. I get to do work that matters on terms that make sense. I don't have billable hour quotas that are designed to break your spirit. I don't have a boss yelling at me. I don't have migraines every week.

I have a life that fits my job, not the other way around.

Oh, and Kayleigh and I made one very important executive decision as business owners: we don't have meetings before 10 AM. Because we're adults now, and we can do that. That's the real power move.

The Real Talk

Here's what I want you to know if you're reading this and you're burned out. If you're tired. If you're thinking about making a big change but you're scared.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is trust your gut and take control of your own career.

Not recklessly. Not without a plan. But sometimes you have to stop trying to fit yourself into a box that was never meant to hold you. Sometimes you have to trust that if you're good at what you do, people will notice. People will support you. People will show up.

And they did. They absolutely did.

The Gratitude

This is the part where I get sappy, so bear with me.

Thank you to Kayleigh, for being the kind of friend who decided to jump at the exact same time I did. For being brave enough to say no to our old firm and yes to the work that matters to you. For being a superhero. For being the best business partner and friend I could ask for.

Thank you to Tyler and Matthew for being annoying enough to keep suggesting this until we actually listened. You were right. We hate that, but you were right.

Thank you to our families for the support, the encouragement, and for understanding why we're obsessed with our jobs in a way we weren't before.

Thank you to the legal community, the referrals, the kind words, the collaborative spirit. We see you, and we appreciate you.

Thank you to our clients who trusted us with their cases and their families. You are why we do this.

And thank you to everyone who's supported Balbach & Davenport Legal in these first few months. It's been wild and wonderful and exactly what we needed.

What's Next

As we head into 2026, Kayleigh and I are just going to keep doing what we're doing: helping families, practicing law on our own terms, not taking meetings before 10 AM, and making sure our dogs are happy (which, let's be honest, is the most important part of the job).

We're going to keep building something we actually believe in. We're going to keep being there for our clients. We're going to keep supporting each other through all of it.

And if you're thinking about making a big change? If you're tired? If you're scared?

Just remember: sometimes the best thing you can do is just, fuck it, ya know?

Merry Christmas, and here's to 2026. We're ready for whatever comes next.

— Melenni