Tulsa-based firm Ipanema Law is breaking down barriers to legal representation for the creative class in Oklahoma and beyond. “We primarily work with founders, creatives, freelancers and growing brands across hospitality, wellness, design, media and consumer products. Locally, that includes TJ Woodberry of Silk Salon and Poppi’s Spa; Tulsa-based artist Tyler Thrasher; Milton Perry of Super Secret Donuts; and John Pierce of Coffee at Heirloom and his newest venture that is in development, as well as clients nationwide,” says Morgan Ipanema, founder and managing attorney behind the boutique firm.

Morgan, an alum of the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and her husband, Bernardo, created their business out of a shared vision to reimagine what legal partnership can look like: “The legal world is so not meant for creatives, and it’s so gate-kept,” explains Morgan as she mentions some of the pain points they often see while working with a diverse range of creative entrepreneurs. “The whole structure that’s meant to support these people is already inaccessible.”

That’s where Ipanema comes in. “We like being in the back corner, and being a part of your whole project,” Bernardo says. “We want to be a part of your whole journey as you progress through business, whether it be your first business that we set up with you until you’re selling that one and you’re buying another one, or you’re creating five more down the line.”

Finding sound legal support allows you the time and the brain capacity to focus on creating at the highest level, rather than having the stress of running the structure of an entire business entity simultaneously. “We like to be that strategic partner as well. It’s not just the basic, boring legal work. It is about having someone in your corner that can help set that up.”

Morgan adds that, “it’s about having that foresight for businesses. Being a partner with us builds that relationship so that we’re involved in all of your ventures as you’re growing.”

“Partnership” is the best word to describe their approach to offering legal services, including a membership-based model. The way society views traditional work is evolving, and gone are the days of dusty suits and transactional lines of communication. Operating a mission-driven business themselves, they understand the grit it takes to break out of the mold to pursue your own path. Bernado reflects back to the moment when they realized that they wanted a different future for themselves: “We started our own business to get our time back. We want our time, we want to spend it with each other, with our daughter, doing the things we love to do.”

“That was the biggest draw for us,” emphasizes Morgan. Starting their business just a month after having their daughter, they quickly realized the traditional way of work was no longer serving them as a family. “I was like, ‘I can’t build up my business with him gone, and how does this make sense?’ We would literally be paying somebody to be able to go work. It’s kind of crazy. So how do we restructure this to prioritize our family, our life—and do it on our time?” 

LEFT: Photograph by Taylor Mae Villareal, RIGHT: Morgan Ipanema with her partner and husband Bernardo at SXSW in Austin, Photograph by Andrea Schultz

Starting their own business together seemed to be the only option for them to offer the kind of work they were passionate about without having to sacrifice the things most important to them.

“In those first few months it was hard because we had no clients. We went from having [full-time] jobs to starting at zero. Luckily that storm passed, but, yeah, it was quite a leap,” Bernardo says. “But I think you have to take those leaps or you’re never gonna see the other side. It was a jump off a bridge.”

Their confidence in starting their own firm was grounded in Morgan’s career thus far as an attorney. “I did have some clients when I was working at my previous law firm. So I was building clients there, and then also just connecting with the community.”

After gaining clients across their first year operating Ipanema Law, doors began to open for more opportunities to connect with like-minded creatives looking for legal counsel from an attorney who understood their needs and point of view. One of those opportunities was the ability to speak at SXSW in Austin, Texas, on March 14 of this year. That morning Morgan led a session titled “Legal 101 for Startups & Creative Entrepreneurs” to share foundational legal knowledge “from choosing the right structure to safeguarding your brand and client relationships.” This session aimed to provide “women-led startups, creatives and freelancers the tools to grow confidently—without the legal overwhelm.”

Through strategic networking at conferences like SXSW, their client base outside of Oklahoma now makes up roughly 70% of their business. “Once you get that one client, then you’re opened into their network if you provide good work.

“A lot of our clients just come through relationships. It’s not social media or ads or anything; it’s through relationships, and so building those authentic relationships in places with ideal clients, like those in the wellness community, those in food and beverage, those in the innovative Tulsa creative spaces and now in Austin creative spaces as well.”

Finding their niche in this industry has revealed the lack of resources that most entrepreneurs have until it’s too late. “Everybody seems like they are looking for a lawyer. They just don’t know where to start or who to start with, and it’s an expensive process to figure that out. That’s the hardest thing with legal. People are scared to invest on the front end, but fixing the mistakes and what you can potentially lose on the back end is so much more.” 

One of the key points that Morgan emphasized in her session was that “the two people as a business owner you should be investing in are an attorney and an accountant. Those two will save you so much headache and so much money. I know it feels like an investment, but it will pay for itself tenfold.”

This passion for protecting the time, money and intellectual property of her clients is also another reason for creating her own firm. “A lot of people don’t talk to their attorney because they’re worried it’s going to be too expensive. So the membership model keeps that relationship more like a circle than like a back-and-forth transaction.” 

A modern problem requires a modern solution. Ensuring you have the proper legal infrastructure in place for your business shouldn’t be as intimidating as we’ve been taught to believe.

“Accessibility is the main goal; giving entrepreneurs the confidence to actually grow and sustain. We want them to be the entrepreneurs, and we’ll take care of the legal side.” •

Visit ipanemalaw.com to learn more about their legal services, and follow them on Instagram @ipanemalaw and individually @morganipanema and @bipanema.

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