This AI founder who left her regular 9 – to – 5 law job warns those who dream of doing the same: ‘I’m working harder now than ever before’

Office workers who daydream about becoming their own boss might imagine having the power to make decisions, earning extremely high salaries, and setting their own work schedules. However, actually taking on the role of a founder would quickly shatter this illusion. Logan Brown, the founder of the AI – powered law firm Soxton, claims that she is currently working more hours than she did in her salaried legal position.

“I didn’t have a work – life balance in the big – law environment. I’m working more hours now than I did there,” she tells . “I come from a place where people work long and hard, and I’m working even harder now than in my previous job.”

This 30 – year – old has spent a large part of her life in the legal field. The summer before her seventh – grade year, she had already landed an internship at the district attorney’s office in her hometown, and her career has been on an upward trajectory ever since. After graduating as the valedictorian from Vanderbilt University in 2018, she went on to attend Harvard Law School. Soon after, she got an associate position at the Silicon Valley law firm Cooley LLP.

But after just two years at the U.S. – based international law firm, Brown decided it was time to strike out on her own. In June of last year, she founded Soxton, an AI – powered legal services business that caters to startups.

Employees at Soxton don’t have to endure the intense 72 – hour workweeks that some companies demand. Currently, she is focused on ensuring that all the work within the company is task – based and meaningful. As a founder, she is swamped with new responsibilities, but the long hours are definitely worth it.

“I care a lot more now, and the hours I put in have more significance. But I don’t think this can be sustained indefinitely,” Brown continues. “We’re not just working long hours for the sake of it… We really work hard. I don’t have a work – life balance, but I also find work enjoyable.”

Brown took a risk and a pay cut for the founder life: ‘I’m having the time of my life’

Leaving a stable, full – time job to venture into the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship is a daunting prospect. For most professionals, making this leap means putting their health insurance, work – life balance, and stable salaries at risk. Brown is experiencing these growing pains, but she says that building the business is well worth the sacrifice.

“It’s definitely scary to lose the security of a regular paycheck and be on your own,” Brown says. “I’m not earning more money, but I do have ownership of what I’m doing… We can really help and be a small part of our customers’ journey, which is fun. That aspect is far more fulfilling. But yes, there will be a pay cut for a while.”

Setting out to create something completely new is extremely intimidating, especially for those who have spent their entire careers in a desk job. According to the Harvard Business Review, it’s estimated that more than two – thirds of startups fail to provide a positive return to their investors.

Fortunately, Brown had already dipped her toes into the world of founding a business by launching the workwear brand Spencer Jane while studying at Harvard. Despite this prior experience, she says that the transition from big – law to Soxton was still far from easy.

“Everything is unknown until you’ve done it a few times. Figuring things out and getting my bearings… It was definitely a challenge. But it’s also a lot of fun – I’m having the time of my life,” she adds.

The perfect storm that made her take the career jump to entrepreneurship

Leaving a stable 9 – to – 5 job required a leap of faith, but for Brown, a series of factors came together to prompt her to leave her desk job.

According to a 2025 Thomson Reuters study, around 80% of legal professionals believe that AI will have a significant or transformative impact on their firms within the next five years. Working with Cooley’s tech startup clients, she was well – versed in the interaction between emerging Silicon Valley startups and legal systems. Additionally, she has the technical skills to lead an AI – powered company. Brown started taking coding classes at a local community college in middle school, inspired by seeing Mark Zuckerberg on the cover of Time‘s 2010 Person of the Year issue.

“This technology is very real, and given my background, there are many things that make sense right now,” Brown explains. “I don’t want to be a founder just for the sake of being one. That’s a bad idea because it’s a very difficult job.”

Last December, Soxton emerged from stealth mode with $2.5 million in funding led by Moxxie Ventures, with participation from Strobe, Coalition, Caterina Fake, and Flex. The business has served over 300 companies and the number is increasing, with another 1,500 startups on the waitlist – and this is just the beginning. Brown predicts that advanced technology will revolutionize the traditional legal industry within the next decade.

“I compare the legal profession to the yellow pages or Blockbuster. This technology is transformative, and a huge amount of funding is being poured into it,” the Soxton founder says. “In 10 years, the legal profession and the way users consume legal services will be fundamentally different from what it is now.”