Down to Business: Naperville family lawyer promises her firm ‘does law differently’

Business: Kuffel Law

Address: 400 E. Diehl Road, Naperville

Phone/website: 630-923-6006; www.kuffellaw.com

Owner: Missy Kuffel, 43, of Bolingbrook

Years in business: 4

What does your business do? “We are a family law firm. For people unfamiliar with that, that means child support, custody, divorces, parentage,” Kuffel said.

What’s your background? “I’ve been practicing for about 18 years. For my first seven years, I was with the Public Guardian’s Office (in Cook County). I represented abused and neglected kids. I had 100 kids assigned to me, ages zero to 21. I had to take care of them in court and go to their homes, foster homes, psych wards, hospitals, schools, wherever it was.

“I went to law school because I wanted to help people. It was a perfect fit, something I could really sink my teeth in. After seven years, it took an emotional toll. I couldn’t quite do anymore. Then I moved to family law, which to me, in the private sector, was the closest thing that was still like helping people.”

What did you learn? “As I worked for these other firms and even when I was at the public guardian’s office, I saw a lot of things I would not do if I had my own firm. I learned a lot of things I would do. So, I knew when I started my firm, I wanted it to be drastically different.”

How is it different? “I’ve given some presentations about my business model. … If you can treat your employees with respect, give them all the leeway they can ever want, pay them more than they could ever expect, will they give me what I want in return, which is commitment and dedication to the cause? (That’s) what we’re trying to do. (It’s about) the clients and me. They all know the worst thing they can do to me is take advantage of me.

“When I started my firm, the tagline is, ‘Kuffel Law does law differently. Be heard. Be empowered.’ The dedication to that. We all have to be dedicated to that in order to make this work because I built my firm completely 100% on personal referrals. If you don’t have business coming in the door, it doesn’t matter what you offer.”

How many lawyers work here? “Three that work for me, two associates and one I just made partner, Jessica Defino.”

What’s the key? “What I always tell people is network, network, network. Hustle, hustle, hustle. And get out there and meet people. Right? Half the people who refer business to me, they don’t know if I’m a good attorney. They like me. They trust me. That’s my whole brand, me. When I’m out in public, they say, ‘Call Missy. You’re going to love her. She’s going to take care of you.’ Do they know that for sure? No, but they feel they know that. Missy’s a good person who will take care of you. And then I do. That’s how I built my business. … How much do I spend on marketing? Nothing.”

What was it like here at the start? “It was wild. … I was getting so many clients in. I was doing everything. A normal caseload for a family law attorney is 30 to 40. I was pushing 65. … (Adding attorney) Jess Delfino was the piece. She’s a partner now. … She wasn’t a new kid I had to teach the ropes to. I knew we’d hit the ground running.”

What’s the goal? “I want a full-service firm for people going through these issues. For example, you come to us in a custody battle. You might have to worry about DCFS, an order of protection. You may have to sell or refinance your home. … We do a lot of networking with real estate firms, title companies, appraisers, inspectors. Each of my associates has a list of referral sources. … I want to connect (our clients) with professionals. … Divorce is a lot more than divorce. There’s a lot going on.”

What sets this firm apart? “I am a lesbian. Someone who is LGBTQ+, anywhere on that spectrum, I want them to feel they have a safe place to come. …   We do sperm donor agreements, second parent adoptions.”

Is Naperville good for business? “It’s a good community and this location is fantastic. Right off the highway.”

What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Lean on everyone around you. Ask questions. (The) only reason I made it was because of about 20 people who were there for me. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.”

Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.