Attorney Brooke Goff of Goff Law Group: Relentless Personal Branding and Aggressive Independence Drive the Success of Modern Female Founders

As a part of our series about Women Founders, we had the pleasure of interviewing Attorney Brooke Goff- Founder and CEO of Goff Law Group.

Attorney Brooke Goff is founder and CEO of Goff Law Group, a woman-owned and operated personal injury law firm comprised of experienced female attorneys with various litigation backgrounds and skillsets. The firm’s foundation is built on its aggressive, no-nonsense tactics, free consultations, direct attorney access and a 99% resolution result rate As a young, openly gay, Mom-preneur, Brooke is on a mission to ensure that mothers in the workplace celebrate their life-changing milestones without having to sidetrack their careers. She is an inspiration for girls and strong advocate for women to live their authentic lives. Visit www.gofflawgroup.net for more information.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

Get ready- I grew up in a very small town in upstate New York. The “greatschools” rating currently sits at a three. The average median income in my hometown is 27.8% lower than the national average. There was very little diversity and I discovered that I was gay much earlier than most which made me different than everyone else in pretty much the entire town and surrounding towns. My dad was a janitor and my mom a secretary- having four kids they just made ends meet. We didn’t have the best things but we had things. We were not eating steak but we ate. We lived right in the middle of the village where crime was high and the presence of criminals was real. At a very young age I knew I wanted better for myself than what that small town could offer me. When I was in second grade the teacher told me “Brooke you should be a lawyer you negotiate everything.” When I learned that most lawyers are successful, financially secure, and get paid to fight all day it only secured that career path for me. I knew if I was going to be successful, I had to do it all on my own and I could not rely on anyone but myself. I intuitively always went after things independently and when people would say I could not do something it only fueled my ambitions to prove them wrong. When I first saw Erin Brockovich in the theaters, I learned that not only did lawyers get to fight all day but they got to fight to help make lives better. I was sold. I knew I wanted to be a personal injury lawyer. I dedicated most of my young life to being a competitive athlete, being a ranked New York State pole vaulter, being a small town softball star, holding a team record for my role in a swimming relay (which is still displayed on the wall in the indoor pool room today), being the first female to play football in my school and in the foothills council, and consistently taking first place in track and field triple jump and long jump competitions. Academically I always felt overlooked. I feel there was a real stigma in my school that being an athlete and academically gifted just did not go hand in hand. Again- challenge accepted. I always had the mindset that I could do better and sports woke the competitive side of me that I exercise every day in my life even today. I received a softball scholarship and that was the first punch in my ticket for a better life. I left New York and I came to Connecticut for undergraduate school. I had no money and my parents were not in a financial position to help me. I went to a local Goodwill to buy clothes so I could look professional for classes. I had about $40.00 and a mission. I saw a bucket of record albums at the checkout. I spent $35.00 and right there was a Bruce Springsteen album I had never seen before for $3.00. I bought it. I then went back to my dorm and looked up the album on my phone. I learned it was a rare release and it was worth $250.00. I read “EBAY for Dummies” that weekend, I set up an EBAY account, and I listed the album for $250.00. It sold within a couple days and I found my side hustle. When I was not waitressing in a local bar and grill 12-hour shifts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I would buy used record albums and resell them. I went to local flea markets at the crack of dawn and I bought every album I recognized, using my phone as a guide. I learned how to grade quality and how to spot rare albums within weeks. I made over $20,000.00 in profits my freshman year. Couple that with the wages I made as a waitress and I was able to buy a car, a good computer, some furniture, and save for my future business “Goff Law Group.” I started the ideas of building my empire in the four walls of that university and I went to work around the clock to learn about business and the law and more importantly I wanted to be an incredible boss when the time came. I worked full-time through my undergraduate schooling and still pulled a 4.0 GPA. I began law school and I worked full time as a paralegal. I woke up at 6:00 a.m., hit the road for a two-hour commute to work, left work after eight hours to go to law school at night, drove two hours to law school at night, then drove 45 minutes home to collapse in bed at 10:30 p.m. I did this four days per week. Everyday counting down until the day where I would be the boss of myself as I knew what I would be capable of as a young female gay entrepreneur. I had my son in my last full year of law school and I spent his first year away from him as I pursued a dream that would give him a better life than I ever had. I studied for my bar exam with my infant son in my lap singing Bubble Guppies and Daniel Tiger. I actually memorized the answers to some of the questions to the beat of Bubble Guppies. I sat there and hummed through it while answering the bar examination questions. Two years after I was sworn in, I cashed out my small 401k, and I began my empire and I never looked back. I drove for Uber and Lyft at night when my son was asleep so I could pay my employees. I would keep a suit in my car and in the morning, I would change in the courthouse after delivering my last Uber or Lyft ride of the session. Other lawyers looked at me like I was beneath them. Lawyers gossiped and commented about my advertising. Judges talked to me as if I was a small girl. I took all of that and it fueled the fire I had inside to succeed in a field dominated by men. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I put myself out there all over Connecticut on billboards and in TV commercials. I dealt with the hate speech on Reddit. I never let being a gay woman define me as a lawyer however it defines me as a human. I took my weaknesses and the words of the naysayers and I made them my superpowers. Today, Goff Law Group is the largest high volume personal injury law firm in Connecticut that is solely owned and operated by a woman. We boast 12 female lawyers, many of which are moms and we have taken the State by storm. All at the age of 37.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

I have become a public figure in Connecticut with the billboards, TV appearances, etc. As such, I am regularly asked to go speak in schools to all grades about being a successful female business owner. One school requested I come in and be a mystery reader to a fourth-grade class. I walked in and the kids appeared a little nervous and star struck. I was surprised because they were so young- how is it that I reached that target market. Is there even a target market under 16? The kids then started whispering and of course nine-year-olds whispering is more like a regular talking voice and they were talking about my billboards and were verbatim reciting the billboard slogans. They sat there politely and I read the story. The teacher opened the room for questions and the first question I was asked was- how old do you have to be to hire you? I could not help but laugh. Than the others started asking me about how I came up with the slogans and were again repeating them out loud. In that moment I realized I had reached an audience that most entrepreneurs do not even consider- the audience of our future. They might not be able to hire me now but I will be the only name top of mind in 15 years. Since that experience, whenever I come out with a new billboard I always consider- what would that fourth-grade class think?

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Well, not much is funny when you are balancing being a female CEO, mom, wife, and attorney maven! I do remember an experience that happened to me in the courthouse six months after I started my law firm. My son was home with strep and I had a hearing that the judge would not allow me to miss. I was exhausted and my wife was traveling for business. Throughout my young adult life, I was and remain at heart a tomboy (surprise). I bought heels (really fancy Christian Louboutin heels) with the very limited funds I had to send a message to my clients and to other lawyers that I meant business. Well about four steps into the courthouse, after I cleared security my heel went out from under the shoe and broke off the shoe. The heel was 3.5 inches and either I fixed the problem or the judge and other lawyer would think one of my legs was oddly longer than the other. I tried everything. I then remembered I had chewing gum in my bag and I immediately chewed it and tried to connect the heel. Although it did not fully work it allowed me to stand motionless in front of the judge and answer the questions as any sudden movements and I would be done for. I actually won the motion. I then shimmied out of the courtroom, took off the heels, and walked barefoot to my car. The walk of high heels shame. I ran into the attorney I was up against later and we laugh about the story to this day. The lesson- save the heels for the office.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I would have to give this credit to my grandmother who unfortunately, I lost this year at almost age 90. She was always in my corner and was my biggest advocate. She was a trailblazer and threw societal norms out the window always going after what she wanted in such a big way. She went out of her way to spend time with me as a child doing the most mundane of things. I cannot remember a time when she did not in some way tell me that I was capable of doing anything I wanted if I set my mind to it. We were golfing about ten years ago (my golf game is on point) and I was having a very frustrating day. I said, “I can’t hit the ball today.” She looked at me like I had committed a sin. She very sternly said to me out loud for the rest of the range to hear “you can do anything I never want to hear you sell yourself short by saying you can’t do something.” She was constantly chasing her dreams and executing her visions. She worked when she didn’t have to, she raised five children, she lost two children very early, she lost two husbands, she taught her first husband (my grandfather) to read and write because he was illiterate, and she showed up for all of us whenever we needed her no matter the day. She was a closet feminist in a lot of ways. She attended all of my sporting events and when I got into law school, she was so proud. I remember her always saying to me “Brooke you are going to do great things but no one is going to give it to you. Being successful is not a form of charity. You need to chase it and when you catch it, you need to appreciate it. Not everyone has the natural abilities that you do. You have all the tools to leave a legacy. If you fail- it is your own fault.” Before she passed away, I was able to tell her about my pregnancy and that I was having a girl. She was very advanced in dementia but that look she used to give me- she flashed it to me and I know she knew her legacy would live on too.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

Imposter syndrome. Intimidation. Fear. Plain and simple. Women are conditioned by society that the only leadership positions they should strive for are within the home. To be the matriarch of the family. When women get a leadership opportunity outside of the home, they think they cannot do it and they become fearful and intimidated as no one has ever treated them as a leader outside of the four walls of the home. Women lead in every single aspect of their lives and the lives of their family members. Women are the CEO of their households, so why can’t they be a CEO of a business. In an arena like entrepreneurship that is predominately made up of men, women feel intimidated by the competition and are fearful of failure. Much more efforts are made to educate men and provide them the tools they need to be a successful business owner where for women it is much more difficult to obtain a mentor. Unfortunately, other women are at times the intimidation factor. Many women carry a chip on their shoulder with the mindset that they had to claw their way to the top and another female should have to do the same. Instead of focusing on who worked harder to get where, as women, we need to focus on how we can work together to elevate one another. We need to take our experiences and use them to help and empower others. Some women hold themselves back as society has convinced them that their role is to support not to lead just as it is expected we support our family within the home. These archaic thoughts and behaviors result in an incredible loss of talent among potential female entrepreneurs. As women in 2024, we need to put ourselves out there, burn our invisible female entrepreneurial bras, and empower young girls and females to be leaders not supporters.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

Promote the advancement of women in the workplace. It is hard to overcome these obstacles when being the household matriarch is a thankless job and one that employers discriminate over time and time again. The government should provide women that chose to stay home and raise a family access to education and vocational training to promote returning to the workplace. As it is harder for a woman that has not worked for ten years outside the home to gain funding for a venture this is an area where the government should invest in grants and funding that can be forgiven under certain circumstances. Efforts should be made at a young age to empower females, educate females regarding accessibility to higher education, and encourage and reward females that enter fields that are dominated by men.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

As women, we bring a maternal element to any business that we choose to start. Clients and customers do not want to be treated as a number as they are in a world dominated by men. Women have the ability to exercise patience in the most difficult of situations, we can multi-task, we can command a room, and we can take accountability for our actions. As women we owe our younger generations the encouragement to take steps to give them more than our generation had when it comes to equality. To do that, we need to rise up, put ourselves out there, push the limits, slash the stereotypes, and really hammer home the fact that an economy without women owning 50% of the businesses is an economy that is not firing on all cylinders. As a mother of a four-month-old daughter I drive by my billboards, I shoot commercials after a long night with very little sleep, and I show up every day for my staff and the public so little girls like her can aspire to do such big things with no limits. Young girls today are the female founders of tomorrow and we owe it to them to take our market share and pave the way for a better and more equal future.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

People think that being a founder is a glorious existence- it certainly is not. Being a founder comes with exposure, liability, and a lot of responsibility. The saying “build it and they will come” is something I could not disagree with more. It should be- build it, work like a dog, nurture the business like it’s a child, put the business before anything else in your life, spend money you do not have to advertise and promote yourself in the early years, create your brand, and they will eventually have no choice but to come at some point in the not so near future.” It may seem dramatic but it is the truth. The life of a lesbian CEO, although rewarding in so many ways, is not cut out for everyone. I would not change a thing but I am also not most people.

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

The short answer is no. You either have it or you don’t. In my experience to be a successful founder you must:

(1) Be selfless (it’s ok if you are not, being a little selfish can get you up the ladder in many major corporations);

(2) Be risk tolerant. You cannot be afraid of taking risks and losing it all. The greatest empires were built on decisions that could have resulted in the walls crumbling. Empty your 401k, empty your bank accounts, and buckle up for the ride;

(3) Lack some empathy. You cannot be a bleeding heart and rise to your full potential as a business owner. Yes, you can care, but to show empathy is weakness and when you are a successful entrepreneur you are a target- people will take advantage;

(4) Love the business more than they love themselves- your money will be going back to the firm for quite some time. Treat the firm like the teenage kid that keeps coming to you with their hand out. Keep funding it- it will pay off; and

(5) Be an extrovert- you lead by example. Your staff need to be in your presence and feel protected and secure. You need to reek of confidence and lead with your voice. Have control of your emotions and never lose your cool in front of the people that work hard for you day in and day out.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1 . Build your brand around yourself. Doing so prevents people from ripping off your content because there is only one you. Put yourself out there in the public on billboards, radio, television, and in print. Do not be afraid of the unknown- jump in, take the risk, own any mistakes, and hold yourself to a high standard.

2 . Have enough money in the bank to live for a year without a paycheck. You need to walk into a business with the expectation that you will not get paid your first year and instead you will be paying others to help you and investing in the business. With advertising, go all in- right away. Do not hold back. I took every dollar of profit and I put it back into the firm to advertise it and promote it. I emptied my 401k. I drove for Uber and Lyft with a young child so I could pay the bills. It is not glorious- but every sacrifice you make pays back in royalties tenfold. Remember- people respect you for what you did not what you thought about doing.

3 . Get a therapist- a good one. Being responsible for multiple employee households and having the weight of success vs. failure over your head is not for the faint of heart. Being without income, taking major risks, being away from your family, and having the buck stop with you for everything is exhausting and unsettling at times. A good therapist will teach you coping methods so you do not bring the stress home with you. It is a lonely existence at the top and having someone that you can talk to will lead to a better workplace experience and thereafter lead to a peaceful home life. Further, it will help you sleep at night, which is one of the most important gifts a new business owner can be given.

4 . Get to know your employees. Employees are human beings with lives and families. You should know the names of their children, their spouses, and their overall interests. Ask how their day is going every day regardless of how successful you may become. A great employee is the most valuable asset when you own a business. Keeping employees is much cheaper than investing in new ones. Treat your employees like family but know your boundaries- doing this will pay off and your staff will speak highly of you throughout the community.

5 . Hire a really good social media rockstar (no you cannot have mine). The most cost-effective way to reach as many people as possible for as little money as possible is by boarding the social media train. People can tell when you try to do it yourself- you focus on building your empire and leave the social platforms to the professionals. Start this early as it can take years to build up a following worth talking about.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I use my position as a female CEO to educate the public on everything personal injury law. I take profits from the firm and I invest it into commercials and social media ads that educate the public about the laws surrounding personal injury law in the State of Connecticut and their rights. During the pandemic, I watched small businesses struggle all over my hometown, yet my business continued to thrive. I went to small businesses and I bought gift cards and gave them away as part of promotions on our social media platforms. Having just given birth to my 2nd child with my wife, the subject of infertility and access to family planning is very near and dear to my heart. I wanted to provide my employees with access to the ability to have children no matter their sexual orientation. I invested in a program that covers infertility for all and I provide up to $10,000 for lifetime coverage fully funded by the firm. This is a pledge of up to $500,000 for my small business to shoulder to provide those that work hard for me and give them the opportunity to have the gift of family. I have gone above and beyond to not only be a symbol for women in such a male-dominated field but also a symbol for the entire LGBTQ community sending a message that regardless of who you are, you can do anything you set your mind to despite the ignorance of others. I am a very successful lesbian CEO that refuses to accept anything less than greatness- professionally and personally.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I would focus the movement around working mothers. Many women are unfortunately programmed that pregnancy and childbirth is a weakness in the corporate world. Women invest in baggy clothing to cover their bump as long as possible to avoid retaliation for an employer. Women get picked over every day for jobs in corporate America just because they are a female of childbearing age. What most of corporate America does not understand is being a mother is in itself a superpower. Working mothers are forced to exercise time management, organization, and people management not only in the workplace but at home as well most of the time with little to no sleep to boot. What I have found in welcoming mothers into my practice is no one works harder and has more to lose than a working mom. In eight hours, a working mother does the same tasks that others take 10–12 hours to complete. Pregnancy in every environment and childbirth should be a time of celebration not one of shame. More protections need to be provided to working mothers and more monitoring and reporting done by corporate America to protect this under-served class.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

My private lunch would certainly be with Oprah Winfrey in her gardens. Talk about a woman who has overcame all odds and had to claw her way to the top! Oprah is a symbol that all young females should admire. She has made herself a brand and it has made her indispensable in the world of media. She uses her media power to create awareness that when young women aspire to do great things, no matter the obstacles, they can and will do great things. Anytime Oprah has been faced with adversity, she didn’t fight back with words but instead used her own strength of being an entrepreneurial female to combat it. I would love nothing more than to share my story with her and connect about how women can continue to pave the way for young girls that allow society to dictate their limits. I have watched society criticize her business decisions over the years when they would not dare say the same to a member of the opposite sex and I just sit back and wait- wait for her to prove everyone else wrong as she has done time and time again. Women that have pushed the envelope so publicly as we both have done despite the adversity that surrounds us daily can move mountains if we band together and share our experiences and entrepreneurial knowledge with young girls and young females nationwide.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.