Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 N OV E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 2 4 L AW / P O L I C Y independent. She aims to offer busi- ness clients affordable legal services via a subscription-based model and access a document library that's she's creating. While Williams named her company Providentia for the Roman goddess of foresight and wisdom, she plans to change the name in coming months to honor her grandmothers. "Both have shaped and inspired me my whole life, and as I thought about who I want to be in the world, I'm inspired by the role models they were to me," says Williams, who was honored as a Mainebiz Woman to Watch in 2021. Satisfying 'gig' It's not just younger lawyers who are striking out on their own. So has 67-year-old Scott Maker, who has carved out a new career for himself mediating insurance-related business disputes after retiring from Unum in 2020 after 24 years with the disability insurer and group benefits provider. Nine months after leaving Unum, he teamed up with Greg Woodworth — a former senior vice president and general counsel at National Life Group – to start WoodworthMaker LLC, a media- tion and arbitration business with a nationwide clientele. "Being my own boss is great," says Maker, who started his career with a law firm in Washington, D.C., before joining Pierce Atwood as an associ- ate in Portland in 1985; he became a litigation partner in 1992. Now work- ing from his home in Portland, he mediates disputes around life, health and disability matters at the request of both plaintiffs' and defense attorneys. Most of his business comes from word of mouth, and he's developed a nationwide practice. "While I really enjoyed working in a large firm and at a large company, those jobs were much less entrepreneurial than my current job," he tells Mainebiz from a Himalayan vacation in Bhutan. "It is very satisfying to start a business and watch it grow, knowing that its potential success is completely dependent on you." Maker also likes the freedom to set his own schedule, even if that means taking on a heavier workload for what he initially thought would be a part-time gig. "Because I love what I do, however, it makes this work seem much more like a very fun hobby than a job, so it balances out in the end," he says. Of his younger peers hanging out a shingle earlier in their careers, he says, "ey strike me as less risk-averse from a career perspective than lawyers who came before them and are look- ing for a series of legal experiences, rather than staying in one job or one firm their entire careers." Maker's advice to today's law school graduates with entrepreneurial ambitions: "Develop an area of exper- tise that will stand you apart is some way, hopefully in an area of the law that you're passionate about." Renee Cordes, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at rcordes @ mainebiz.biz Energy Efficient Whole-Building Heating and Cooling Solutions Transition from fossil fuels using enhanced incentives from Efficiency Maine. Incentives available for: Scan the QR code to learn more, or visit: • Mini-split heat pump systems • Variable refrigerant flow systems (VRFs) • Energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) • Rooftop heat pump units (RTUs) • Heat pump water heaters • and more... efficiencymaine.com/at-work/ It is very satisfying to start a business and watch it grow, knowing that its potential success is completely dependent on you. — Scott Maker WoodworthMaker LLC P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F S C O T T M A K E R Scott Maker of WoodworthMaker LLC F O C U S

• Cover