Jennifer Gillies completed her law degree at the University of Maine before dedicating nearly 10 years to serving Maine’s immigrant community as an immigration attorney at a local firm. During her time at the University, Jennifer was introduced to immigration law through the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic, igniting her passion for assisting asylum seekers and individuals navigating the complex U.S. immigration system.
Two years ago, Jennifer took the leap and opened her very own law firm, Gillies Law. Leveraging the knowledge she had gained over the past 10 years, her firm now works diligently to meet the needs of asylum seekers in the Portland area.
As her business began to grow, she recognized the need to create a business plan that would provide guidance during the firm’s current phase of growth. Jennifer’s goal was to use her business plan to secure funding for a larger office space. After approaching the local Bangor Savings Bank, Jennifer was referred to the Maine SBDC and enlisted the support of Business Advisor Tina Oddleifson to help with the development of her plan.
Over the course of just a few months collaborating with Tina, Jennifer successfully created her business plan, secured funding to obtain the new office space and brought on three new full time team members. Jennifer comments, “The SBDC was incredibly helpful in assisting me with creating a business plan to be used not only for my lender, but also for myself so that I have a clearer picture of my three year plan for the business. I learned a lot and feel more organized.”
Recognizing that lack of access to legal assistance is a barrier for asylum seekers, Jennifer hopes to continue to grow, allowing the firm to expand their reach within the Portland immigrant community.