Allison Harvey knows a thing or two about the challenge of being a female entrepreneur. She’s a lawyer and the founder of her own law firm, A.L. Harvey Law, and is used to defying expectations within a male-dominated field. “If there’s a male attorney alongside me in the courtroom, people often assume he’s the person in charge,” she notes. Yet Harvey isn’t daunted by these difficulties. She grew up in a house with a tractor-driving mother, a woman who ran her own grading and excavating business. “She was a trailblazer,” Harvey says, looking back on it now. “It showed me that a woman can do absolutely anything she puts her mind to.”

In addition to her law practice and busy home life as a mother of two boys, Harvey is a founding member of The Ripple Effect, a networking and philanthropic nonprofit for young and up-and-coming professionals. Harvey is also an avid community volunteer. To that end, she’s the vice president of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce and is actively involved in organizations such as the Auburn Ski Club and Placer Hills Education Foundation (PHEF), a nonprofit that supports local schools. Despite all her obligations, however, Harvey insists that—while it’s far from easy—it’s possible for women to balance being a great mom with being a successful professional and active member of the community. “I’m so lucky to have a career that lets me do what I love in a community I love,” she shares.  

Q&A

What advice would you give to your younger self?
Relax. Life, even when stressful, is beautiful and amazing.

What comes to you naturally?
Speaking honestly and speaking up, which sometimes can get me in trouble. This makes my career path come naturally, because as an attorney you have to do both to advocate for your clients and their best interests.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?
When people don’t “reply all” on email and group texts. 

Favorite humanitarian cause?
Ones that help others. Some of my favorites are Auburn Ski Club, The Ripple Effect, Stand Up Placer, Love Creek Farms, and Blossom Place.

Best words of wisdom you’ve received?
At a trying moment in my career, I was reminded by a wise attorney that it’s called the “practice of law” for a reason, which is that no one can know it all or have done it all before. We all have to practice our skill set. I think this is true in our personal lives, too; it’s a practice.

Favorites

Author/writer
John Grisham

Escape
Yoga, when I can’t travel internationally

Guilty pleasure
A glass of champagne or a latte from The Pour Choice

Musician/band
Barns Courtney

Place to buy a gift, locally
Wildflower

Annual event
Faith and Fantasy Ball (fund-raiser for Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital)

Saying
“Dreams don’t work unless you do.”

By Amber Foster