Profiles in Law: Lauren Fritz finds her calling at Pullano & Farrow

Listen to this article

Lauren F. Fritz tested a few options in her brief career before arriving at a satisfying destination.

Fritz, 26, an associate attorney specializing in trusts and estates at Pullano & Farrow PLLC, is from Grand Haven, Mich.

She earned her undergraduate degree in 3 ½ years at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., with a criminal justice major and a minor in sociology.

“I thought maybe I would go for my masters,” said Fritz, who initially considered becoming a probation officer, or working on the administration side in the criminal justice field.

“I always wanted to help people,” Fritz said.

Her undergraduate curriculum included several law-related courses, such as business law and Constitutional law.

“I really found that I loved law,” Fritz said, explaining her decision to become a lawyer.

One summer she worked at an estate planning law firm in Muskegon, Mich.

“I really found that I loved estate planning,” she said.

At Michigan State University College of Law she met Jake Whiting, who is now her fiancé. Whiting is now working in his hometown of Le Roy, Genesee County, with his father and brother at the Whiting Law Firm.

Because she planned to move to Le Roy after earning her law degree, Fritz sought summer internships in the Rochester area to improve her chances of landing a job here after she was admitted to the Bar.

She interned for Livingston County Court as a 1L and at Thompson Reuters as a 2L. She graduated from law school in May 2014 and was admitted to the Bar in 2015.

Fritz first worked as an attorney for a firm that specializes in defense work for insurance carriers.

“I got there and I knew right away that insurance defense was not for me,” Fritz said.

“I wanted a client-based field of law to practice in. I love people. I love talking to people. I’m a very outgoing person. I like to help people,” she said.

The insurance defense work often involved communicating by email, usually with insurance adjusters and rarely seeing a client in person.

“I went back to my roots. Why did I want to be a lawyer? I wanted to help people,” she said.

“So I said maybe I need to get back into estate planning,” she said.

Through a network of colleagues Fritz found her way to Pullano & Farrow, which was started in May 2013. The firm now has six partners and a total of 14 lawyers.

“I think estate planning is really rewarding for multiple reasons. It’s more of a family-oriented type of law,” Fritz said.

Fritz is very active in the legal community outside the office.

She is co-chair of the membership committee for the Monroe County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section and a member of Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys, and co-chair of GRAWA’s Newly Admitted Women Attorneys Committee.

She is on the Jazz for Justice Committee, which organizes an annual event to support the Bar Association Foundation. Fritz helps with the Young Lawyers Section’s annual silent auction to benefit Rochester Teen Court. And she is on the Young Professionals Board of Lollypop Farm.

“She’s been a great addition to the firm,” said Jason P. Livingston, a partner at Pullano & Farrow.

“She fits in our culture that we’re trying to cultivate here at Pullano & Farrow and she’s been an excellent member of the team from day one,” said Livingston, who works closely with Fritz in the trusts and estates area.

“You could just tell early in that she was going to excel in whatever profession or practice area she chose to pursue,” he said.