PINK Compass Pioneer Interviews

PINK Compass is excited to bring to you our first PIONEERING Women interview with Jane Tabor

What makes Jane Tabor so unique? Well plenty! Jane is one of the four partners who have been acclaimed for their non-traditional law firm, Taber Estes Thorne & Carr, a women-owned firm in a very male dominated Dallas setting. Jane is also an inspiring example of how to achieve balance as a woman who has a successful career, a happy family life and still has time to give back to the community.

Read below to learn know Jane does it.

PC: At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to become an attorney? What was it that influenced you to make that decision?

Jane: I didn’t decide to go to law school until my senior year of college. I came from a family where my father owned his own business and was involved primarily in the sales side of the business, so my siblings and I, as children, were not really exposed to dealings with lawyers or legal matters. It wasn’t until I met a friend of my high school Latin teacher, an SMU law school student, that I was introduced to the legal academic environment. From this limited law school exposure, I got my first feel of the legal world. A couple of years later, one of my college sorority friends, who was two years older than me, and who attended LSU law school, encouraged me to apply to law school. I took the LSAT, was accepted at LSU and found myself in the most challenging and interesting scholarly environment I had ever experienced. Funny thing happened though as I celebrated law school graduation day with my family; my father told me that he had always wanted to be a lawyer and was happy for me in pursuing the vocation—who knows, maybe it was in my genes all the time and I just didn’t know it.

PC: Was there someone who influenced you to make this decision? If so, who were they and how did they influence you? Are they still in your life?

Jane: Both of those friends were certainly influential. Ironically, the SMU law graduate contacted me several years after I was in practice to ask about employment opportunities at the law firm where I was working at the time. Eventually though, he left the practice of law altogether to pursue his interest in financial investments. The college colleague, Martha O’Neal, was a bridesmaid in my wedding, and we keep in contact, mostly through annual Christmas cards and occasional telephone calls.

PC: We as women, we are constantly tasked with balancing life, career and family. How do you achieve your personal balance?

Jane: I’m sure I’m not as good at the balancing act as I should be, but I try to keep focused on what’s important and the right balance seems to result. It’s when I let circumstances dictate my time and priorities that I find myself out of balance and needing realignment.

PC: Have you ever had to compromise that balance? If so, what did you do to make the compromise(s) work?

Jane: Sure, life is a balancing act and there are times when you have to decide to put more emphasis on one area of your life than another. When this happens, I consciously look at the other areas of my life that are being negatively affected due to the change of emphasis, time and energy spent on only one area. I try to compensate as soon as practical by taking time soon after to compensate for at least some of the imbalance in the areas that have been neglected.

PC: You recently have achieved acclaim for your business and its success, please tell us about the challenges you face as a successful mother, especially one who has recently come into the public eye, and the secrets to your happiness.

Jane: Starting a new law firm with three friends and colleagues has been challenging, but also fulfilling and enlightening as I do things I’ve never really done before. We know there are risks both professionally and personally, but there are also the benefits and rewards of being able to practice law the way we want to practice. Being in an environment where we trust one another’s professional judgment, truly like and respect each other while serving our clients with flexibility and communication is refreshing, and at times, exhilarating. This atmosphere and philosophy allows us to be even better lawyers than any of us could be individually, and thankfully, gives us the ability to be even better mothers, wives and friends.

PC: How much time do you get to spend with your children and do you include them in your civic activities?

Jane: I try to be home with my family almost every night by 6:30 p.m; and unless a deadline is imminent, the weekends belong to my family. All three of my children are active in sports and school activities, so it takes both parents to keep up with the kids’ busy schedules. Of course, that isn’t always easy to follow, but if I can strive to meet this timeframe of being Mom mostly after 6:30 p.m. and on weekends the majority of the time, then when circumstances arise that I have to stay at the office or commit to some other obligation, the children don’t get upset because they know I must have something important to do. Although my civic activities don’t routinely include my children unless you count all the kids tagging along at the voting booth when I vote at election times, the children are absolutely an integral player in the charitable activities. All three children have worked hand in hand with me and my husband on everything from mission trips, to food and clothing drives to other charitable endeavors. For instance, our family regularly volunteers at Austin Street Shelter by providing a monthly meal. Our children’s role in this activity has included assisting in cooking lasagnas and serving at the shelter alongside us. Also, we are adamant about making sure the clothes and toys the children grow out of go to a good cause, rather than being discarded. The children are now stewards of their clothing and toys, and they look forward to assisting in cleaning out their closets regularly, as well as sorting, folding, tagging and delivering their outgrown clothes and toys to agencies dedicated to providing clothing and toys to children in need of these items or directly to recipients.

PC: We know all know men who have a strong woman behind them. How would you advise a strong woman to work with their man so that they are in tune?

Jane: Keeping the lines of communication open is important to maintaining a fulfilling and happy relationship. When my time gets caught up with everyone pulling me in different directions during the day and I feel like my husband and I are becoming two ships passing in the night, it is those times that I can anticipate some distance in the relationship. I find that if the woman can maintain consistent and informative communication and apply a whole lot of advance planning, the days go so much smoother and unplanned interruptions can be handled with little conflict.

PC: The women who read PINK Compass come to us for advice in finding balance in their lives. If you could ask any question of our readers, what would it be?

Jane: If you’ve given up on pursuing your dream and chosen not to make changes in your life that would make you whole and happy because of the risks that lead to fulfillment and happiness, why?

PC: Finally, is there anything that you would like to tell our readers about yourself, maybe give them a bit of advice that would help them on their own personal journey?

Jane: For years I found myself going down the path of security rather than following my heart. I finally realized that true happiness can only be gained if you follow what you dare to dream, rather than being bogged down in what appears to be security. By taking a chance at what you love, you realize that what seems like security might very well be the very thing that keeps you from pursuing even larger opportunities and happiness. I’ve learned you can reach your dream; it does involve some risk taking, but it’s been worth the risk. I encourage women to never quit dreaming and never give up on your dreams. I personally have had many setbacks along the way and just had to get up and move forward, sometimes going in reverse before forward, but eventually getting there. If my experience can be of benefit and inspiration to another woman struggling to decide how to achieve happiness and balance, my life would be even more enriched; since there is certainly lots of truth to the old adage, giving is much more satisfying than receiving. Never give up on your dreams; I guarantee you’ll be stronger and happier for going through the journey.