Hidden Gems: Meet Alyssa J. Devine of Purple Fox Legal

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa J. Devine.

Hi Alyssa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

I wanted a career that was intellectually stimulating. Law fit the bill because it touched every industry, solved complex issues, and created value for communities.

No one in my family was an attorney or worked in the legal field. Although my cousin is currently pursuing her JD at Indiana University. As a first-generation attorney, I take pride in knowing that my success is a result of my perseverance and passion for learning.

I earned my J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Indiana University. Pursuing a dual degree granted me the opportunity to perfect my time-management skills as well as learn from and work collaboratively with talented thought leaders. 

During law school, I participated in law review, competed in national moot court competitions, and was privileged to have the opportunity to intern with four judges at the state and federal levels. I also made time to volunteer for community legal projects and was awarded the Norman Lefstein Award of Excellence for volunteering hundreds of pro bono hours during my law school career. In addition to these experiences, I gained valuable insight while working at a renowned intellectual property management company protecting deceased celebrities’ brands. 

As an MBA Candidate, I participated in the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Discovery, Innovation, and Ventures Enterprise (DIVE) as a Student Consultant. My DIVE project tasked me with creating a commercialization strategy for a first-of-its-kind healthcare technology application developed by a team of university researchers. This project gave me hands-on experience in market research, business planning, different ways to generate revenue, and intellectual property protection strategies. My MBA education has served as a valuable complement to my legal education and I believe I received the best of both worlds in the Indiana University JD/MBA Program because I learned from multiple perspectives. All of these experiences solidified my passion for entrepreneurship.

During my academic career, I fell in love with intellectual property law and it became my professional passion. I recognized that, collectively, my interests best served the entertainment industry. However, I knew from my first year of law school that if I chose to pursue this path, I would need to move to a city that served as a major entertainment industry hub. I knew I needed to be where my potential clients lived. Because of this, I chose to start my legal career in Nashville, Tennessee, where my focus is on serving passionate entrepreneurs in the music business and other industries.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

No, it has not been a smooth road. The pandemic forced me into becoming an entrepreneur, but it seems to have been a blessing in disguise. However, starting a new business during the pandemic came with many challenges. I had to spend many hours researching options and the areas of my business I needed to prioritize. One of the things I was adamant about was offering a self-scheduling feature on my website. As a consumer, a self-scheduling feature is very appealing to me because I am a night owl. I wanted to offer convenience to my potential clients-convenience they probably struggle to find elsewhere.

One of the most difficult aspects of starting Purple Fox Legal was entering a market I wasn’t familiar with. I am from Indiana and had not spent a significant amount of time in Tennessee before starting my business. I was careful and intentional about who I was going to outsource work to. For example, I interviewed between 5-8 different marketing firms before choosing one to develop the Purple Fox Legal website. Another challenge was finding a physical space I could work in. I intentionally chose Collective615 (https://www.collective615.com/) because I wanted to work out of a locally-owned coworking space. I was pleasantly surprised with everything Collective615 had to offer and have enjoyed experiencing the growth of Collective615’s community.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I created Purple Fox Legal as a reflection of my appreciation for entrepreneurship and passion for intellectual property. The name was created from my understanding of trademark law as well as my research on color psychology and marketing. I asked myself what looks good, sounds good, has an available domain name, isn’t already being used, and would serve as a strong trademark (https://purplefoxlegal.com/how-to-build-a-strong-trademark-for-your-business/).

Purple Fox Legal offers creatives and entrepreneurs customized business and legal solutions, including contract drafting, intellectual property protection, business plan development, process optimization, and strategy execution to increase business value. We are diligent about responding to messages promptly and educating clients by simplifying complicated subjects. As a business owner, I also feel it is important to be transparent, and have published my pricing guide at https://purplefoxlegal.com/ so potential clients don’t have to be afraid of the cost, which is the top concern for most legal consumers.

Viewing issues from multiple perspectives, Purple Fox Legal works with clients to add value and create strategic legal solutions that do not compromise their business values. We educate others about the law to inspire appreciation for the value and beauty of intellectual property and how to use legal principles to grow businesses. 

One of my most important principles is that contracts shouldn’t use outdated language. If a client doesn’t understand a contract I wrote for them, then I have more revisions to make. The purpose of a contract is to document a business arrangement that all parties understand and agree to. If the contract is difficult to read in terms of the language used or is drafted with a poor document design format, then that contract needs more work. Just because something is “standard” doesn’t mean it’s good. I also emphasize intellectual property because it seems to be a topic that is often overlooked even when it directly applies to a specific situation.

Also, I practice what I preach and registered PURPLE FOX LEGAL (Registration No. 6897017) with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

My alma mater, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, recently published an Alumni Spotlight recognizing my accomplishments following graduation. See https://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/ip/spotlight/Devine.html. I was also recently interviewed on The Renaissance Podcast and spoke about the importance of intellectual property for all business types. See https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-an-attorney-is-essential-when-starting-or/id1614012018?i=1000559190852.

Also see client testimonial videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5b3eOB8sbfIgG40Yn95zaA.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?

Two things I love are animals and documentaries. I’ve had an appreciation for animals since I was a child and had several pets growing up. I also used to compete in local rodeos and equestrian competitions when I was younger. In fact, when I first started my undergraduate program, I wanted to be a veterinarian.

Today, I have one pet, a cat named Rocky. His fur is completely black and I intentionally adopted him from a humane society because I knew statistically black cats are more likely to be overlooked or abused than cats with other fur colors. I appreciate animals because they are comforting and provide a different type of support than other humans do. 

Watching documentaries is another thing I enjoy. I am a lifelong learner and watching documentaries every month not only quenches my thirst for learning, but they also share the untold stories (the stories of underdogs, the stories of the human condition) and help me empathize with those who have had unique struggles and experiences.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://purplefoxlegal.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purple_fox_legal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purplefoxlegal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/purplefoxlegal/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/purplefoxlegal
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@purplefoxlegal
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssajdevine/ 

Image Credits
Amy Allmand – Amy Allmand Photography