Compassionate care from an all-female team

Sixteen years ago, Lynda Hinkle opened The Law Offices of Lynda Hinkle in a small shared office, launching a solo practice with little more than determination and a need to make it work.

“I started my own practice right out of law school – which you’re not supposed to do,” she says. “But I couldn’t find a job, so I kind of had to. I needed to make a living, and I didn’t want to wait around. It was just me in a room with another lawyer who had their own practice. We were sharing this tiny space, and we grew from there.”

Today, that tiny shared office has evolved into a tight-knit, all-female team: Alex Pugh, associate attorney; Terry Robinson, senior paralegal; Jenn Miller, paralegal; Jennifer Cassel, legal secretary; Tina Eckenroth, marketing director and Deen Gorniak, office manager. The composition is no accident.

“I’ve always had a heavily female team,” says Hinkle. “I think that has to do with the kinds of personalities I’m attracted to working with. I enjoy working with people who have a real commitment to taking care of others, to diversity and to making sure they’re crossing their T’s and dotting their I’s.”

Inside the office, that commitment translates into culture. “Lynda has unintentionally created a culture where empathy and getting the best results for our clients are top priorities,” says Cassel. “She’s created a culture where there’s no ego. Our main objective is to provide the best possible outcome for our clients. It almost doesn’t even need to be said, because we’re all on the same page in that regard.”

“We try to create an environment where people feel they can be who they are without fear of judgment – even if they’ve done something they’re not proud of.”

Alex Pugh feels the same way, she says. “I can genuinely say that everyone I’ve worked with here has been so supportive. Everyone is truly dedicated to what they’re doing,” says Pugh. “It really is a close-knit, supportive group of people who are always willing to help. It’s definitely an ego-free kind of workplace.”

For Deen Gorniak, that environment is also deeply personal. “It’s one of those environments where we can be who we are without apology, which has been great for me, coming from a deeply rooted LGBTQIA background,” Gorniak says. As the firm’s intake lead, Gorniak often meets clients at their most vulnerable. “One of my gifts is being able to hear people, listen to them and validate them – especially because I’ve had a lot of experience with people at the most vulnerable points in their lives. Divorce is one of the hardest things you can go through.”

That trauma-informed lens shapes the firm’s entire approach. “A lot of what informs my work is understanding trauma – recognizing that people experience it in different ways and react to it differently – and knowing that the legal system isn’t built to handle your trauma at all,” says Hinkle. “If anything, it often adds to it.”

“I’m very outcome-driven,” she adds. “I can take the emotion out of it and focus on the result. But that’s not most people. Most people are dealing with complicated emotions while also trying to find solutions. And that’s important to recognize.”

In this field, she says, empathy goes a long way. “I can’t tell you how many consultations I’ve had with people who first spoke with Deen and said, ‘I feel so validated. I feel so comfortable,’” says Hinkle. “And that’s the experience they have with all of my staff.”

“We can’t control the outside world,” Hinkle continues. “But we can control how we do things and how we approach clients. We try to create an environment where people feel they can be who they are without fear of judgment – even if they’ve done something they’re not proud of. Judgment isn’t what we’re here for. We’re here to create the best possible solution for the reality of their situation.”  

900 Route 168, Suite A5, Turnersville
(856) 227-7888
lyndahinkle.com