Kenneth Piercey, Principal Partner, Piercey & Associates, Ltd, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview

Kenneth Piercey, Principal Partner, Piercey & Associates, Ltd, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview
Kenneth Piercey, Principal Partner, Piercey & Associates, Ltd, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview

Kenneth Piercey is one of the principal partners of Piercey & Associates, Ltd., a law firm located in Illinois. Piercey’s expertise lies in helping high net worth clients secure their estates for the next generation. His services range from estate planning and tax elimination to asset protection and long-term care planning.

Piercey received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Seattle Pacific University. He completed MBA coursework through DePaul University and received his law degree from the John Marshall Law School. He has deep roots in the Illinois community, having lived in Illinois most of his life, and is focused on enhancing the lives of local people through his legal services.

Kenneth Piercey and his firm are focused on providing caring, compassionate service to their clients in accordance with Christian values. They believe that proper legal representation can take the acrimony out of the process of distributing a person’s estate after their death. This helps to preserve family unity and reduce stress for the surviving family members.

Piercey & Associates, Ltd. is dedicated to excellent client care. They have a 99-customer satisfaction rating based on 2,700 client surveys. The firm strives to live up to Biblical principles of peace, kindness, service, wisdom, and integrity.

If local clients are in need of excellent legal representation in financial and estate planning matters, they should consider turning to Piercey & Associates, Ltd. Dealing with estate planning can be stressful, but the firm tries to make the process as trouble-free as possible. People do not always want to think about what will happen when they are gone, but it is important for every person, regardless of their net worth, to engage in estate planning.

Let’s start by telling us about your business.

Kenneth Piercey, Principal Partner, Piercey & Associates, Ltd, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview
Kenneth Piercey, Principal Partner, Piercey & Associates, Ltd, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview

Piercey & Associates, Ltd. is a law firm that specializes in tax and estate planning. We also deal with probate court issues, guardianship, real estate, capital gains, elder law, and succession planning. We also work with non-profit organizations to advise donors on the most tax efficient way to transfer assets.

Please tell us how you make sure your customers will become raving fans of your company?

Our central philosophy is to do business based on Biblical principles. We take these principles to heart, making sure that our clients are treated with respect, honesty, and compassion at all times. Lawyers may sometimes have a poor public image, perhaps because they may be viewed as arrogant and hard to deal with. We do our best to model the behavior that we believe would be most appropriate.

We have a 99 percent satisfaction rating for our client services. We take pride in our clients’ high opinion of our services, and we do everything we can to make sure that we live up to our principles every day.

Please tell us the one thing that separates your business from the competition?

I truly believe that our Christian principles set us apart from the competition. When clients deal with our firm, they often immediately notice the difference. We understand that estate planning can be highly emotional, and we do all we can to take the trouble and complexity out of the process.

I personally believe that standing up for my principles has made me a better attorney. It is not always easy to live up to our firm’s high standards, but I feel that it is well worth it.

And to finish this section, please tell us what is the one major key to your company’s success?

A major key to Piercey & Associates, Ltd.’s success is that we have a deep understanding of the law in all of our service areas. We deal with a wide variety of legal issues, and we have attorneys who focus their practice in the particular area of law they handle. If we need backup from one of our colleagues, we always work together.  

Estate planning, in particular, is complex and requires a broad understanding of legal principles. I think that my personal expertise helps my clients achieve their goals.

For our readers just starting to build a company, what advice can you give entrepreneurs just starting out with a new venture?

First of all, congratulations on taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. Building a company from the ground up is an immense undertaking. My best advice for you is to get good legal, tax, and financial advice.  With regard to legal advice, it is best to hire a law firm before you think this is needed, so that you are not left scrambling for legal representation or miss issues that are too late to address after an issue arises. This will also take the time pressure off you when something arises, as well as allow you to focus more on growing your business.

For entrepreneurs seeking to build a business as successful as yours, what one big piece of advice can you give them when times get a little challenging?

Every business experience difficult times. My advice is to stay the course. Even when you are mentally and emotionally exhausted, often the continued push allows you to meet your goals. Do take the time you need to refresh yourself, but make sure that you always have your business’s needs in mind. I have seen too many businesses fail because the principal partners give up when in reality, their businesses would have survived if they had just hung on a little longer or changed some key business factors after obtaining proper advice.

In today’s fast-changing business environment, how do you stay abreast of things?

I read business journals and law journals frequently. These journals give me a focused view of what is happening in the business and legal worlds. I also work with my friends and colleagues in the legal profession as often as possible. We share information and keep each other up to date.

What is your “Why”? In one sentence, why do you get up in the morning?

My primary responsibility is to my family. The business is very important to me, and I view it as a tool to both help others and provide for my family. The demands of the legal profession often call on working more than a 40-hour week, so it is important to set up boundaries and allow for a proper balance.  It helps that our business is a family business and can provide some flexibility with my schedule.

In one sentence, what is the most important thing one has to do to be a great leader?

Great leaders need to have a humility and attempt to adhere to it always. Many leaders pay lip service to their values but when they are under stress, they take actions that do not line up with their principles, causing failure and loss. Our firm tries to live up to Christian principles at all times, and while it’s not always easy, it helps us to have a strong moral compass and focus on the important things, which is not myself.

In one sentence, describe how important your customers are to your business?

Client satisfaction is everything to us. Our clients are unique people with needs and desires. I think that anyone who does not dedicate themselves to their clients and are instead focused solely on profit can’t do a good job representing clients. If you care about individuals and their feelings, you will be a better attorney.

When I meet a client, I love to listen and learn from them, as every client usually teaches me something and has a great perspective to offer.

In one sentence, describe a positive way that technology can make the world a better place?

Technology allows people to organize their knowledge. When you think about it, it’s amazing that you can simply tap a few words into a search engine and see millions of pieces of information. Of course, you have to know which sources are reliable.

Information sharing is the number one function of technology, in my opinion. Information keeps our business running and helps us find solutions to our clients’ problems, provided the information is reliable.

In one sentence, tell us something positive to motivate our readers?

If you live a principled life, you will find that you can find success. Many people believe that their personal convictions have little to do with their work, but I strongly disagree. Stand up for what you believe in. Everything else will follow from there.

In one sentence, tell us how you start your day to get ready?

I start my day with stretching.  I love the yoga poses and there is constantly new research and information showing newfound benefits to stretching, including stress relief, heart health, strength and balance, and pain relief.

In one sentence, describe how you handle rejection and setback?

Rejection and setbacks are universal, unfortunately. The way I deal with rejection and setbacks is to step back and look at ways I could have improved my process. If I can pinpoint what I did wrong, I can avoid doing it again. I also attempt to talk to the client and find out, from their perspective, how I could improve.

In one sentence, describe what your hiring philosophy is?

I like to hire people who have a servant mentality.  Our goal is to serve others the way we would want to be served, and usually everyone calls tell if someone working for the benefit of others versus working for the benefit of themself.

In one sentence, describe how you keep your sanity in a competitive business environment?

It’s definitely hard sometimes to keep my sanity. Since my work is so demanding, sometimes I can lose sight of my goals. I give a lot to my work, and when I run into problems, it is a source of mental strain.

One of the best ways in which I keep myself sane is to spend time with my family. No matter what I am doing at work, I take at least one day off from work to provide a much-needed break from the urgency and deadlines of owning a business. 

 

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