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Movers & Shakers

Scottsdale-based Vitality Law emphasizes healthy approach to litigation

Posted 11/16/21

Attorney and wellness professional Tricia Schafer is combining years of legal expertise with fitness through her unique practice: Vitality Law.

“Practicing law can be challenging and …

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Movers & Shakers

Scottsdale-based Vitality Law emphasizes healthy approach to litigation

Posted

Attorney and wellness professional Tricia Schafer is combining years of legal expertise with fitness through her unique practice: Vitality Law.

“Practicing law can be challenging and stressful. I’ve been able to manage this by incorporating wellness into my work with clients and other attorneys. It’s about creating a healthy work/life balance which I believe also leads to better case outcomes,” Schafer said.

“I love what I do because I love how I do it.”

After a small-town upbringing on the Oregon Coast, then three years as an in-house counsel traveling throughout frigid New York, she eagerly moved to sunny Arizona in 1998 and worked as a commercial litigator for large and mid-sized firms.

Founded in 2018, Vitality Law specializes in business litigation. Schafer says she takes pride in delivering compelling advocacy with diplomacy, integrity, precision, and enthusiasm.

She has represented entities of all sizes and a diverse array of professionals in numerous complex controversies over the past 27 years. Schafer says she has had many successes helping business owners and individual professionals.

In addition to Vitality Law, Schafer is known for her community work and for helping dozens of lawyers, judges, and businesspeople to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles through her Fit to Practice program, according to a press release.

Schafer has been a personal fitness trainer since 2003. She says that most of her fitness clients come from the legal community.

“I am a firm believer in exercise and wellness as a fundamental component of practicing law and I walk the talk. My best ideas often come to me when I am physically moving,” she says.

Schafer earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California at Berkeley and her J.D. from Georgetown Law. In addition to her practice, she currently serves on the Maricopa County Bar Association Litigation Section Board and the Scottsdale Bar Association Board.

In 2020, she was appointed to the city of Scottsdale Judicial Appointments Advisory Board. The JAAB uses merit-based criteria to make advisory recommendations to the City Council regarding the appointment and retention of city judges, the press release stated.

Many of Vitality Law’s cases include defending companies in lawsuits involving a business problem — breach of contract, violation of a non-competition agreement, defamation, fraud or employment issues.

“One of the benefits of being a business litigator is I get to learn about a variety of industries. Some years I have cases involving intellectual property or technology, other years it’s real estate, sometimes it’s a medical professional with a business problem,” Schafer said.

“As a litigator, my role is to listen to the needs of my clients and navigate the procedural process to achieve a desired result. Sometimes that means working toward a settlement. Other times, that means pushing hard through litigation or arbitration. Part of the craft of lawyering is helping your client choose the right course.”

Encouragement from colleagues recently prompted Schafer to launch a mediation practice, the press release stated.

“My background enables me to be very accessible and open, and stakeholders are comfortable sharing information with me. A key skill in mediation is asking targeted questions and providing some perspective — encouraging parties to find their own solutions.”