Matt Ames on Business Divorces, Caregiving Through Cancer, and Writing the Book Nobody Else Would

What happens when a business litigation attorney who runs an improv theater wakes up one morning and gets the phone call that changes everything — and then spends the next several years fighting for his wife, his family, and eventually himself, in ways law school never prepared him for? In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Matt Ames, partner at Balch & Bingham in Atlanta and author of Through the Impossible, about the July morning in 2019 when his wife Liz was diagnosed with a rare aggressive cancer and how journaling in the early morning hours became a memoir he never intended to publish. Matt shares what it means to be a male caregiver when most of the literature is written for someone else, why rage is one of the emotions caregivers never admit to, and what it felt like to keep expressing gratitude every Friday night even on the darkest weeks. They also discuss what a business divorce actually looks like in the real world, how he got an injunction after a former employee hacked a client's network to steal trade secrets, the improv workshop for lawyers he created nearly 20 years ago, and why he believes what trial attorneys do in a courtroom and what improvisers do on a stage are closer than most people think. Matt Ames is a partner at Balch & Bingham in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in business litigation and business divorces. He is the author of Through the Impossible and a former president of Dad's Garage Theater. Liz Ames is five-plus years cancer free. Connect with Matt Ames: balch.com Book: Through the Impossible on Amazon LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram: Matthew Ames Atlanta, Georgia Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Matt Ames 00:49 July 2, 2019 — the phone call that changed everything 02:10 When Liz said she wouldn't want to be in his shoes 03:55 How journaling turned into a Facebook group and then a memoir 06:43 Why there is almost nothing written for male caregivers 07:05 Five-plus years cancer free and what that imprint leaves behind 08:47 What it means that Balch and Bingham supported him through all of it 09:43 How he decided which personal moments to share and which to keep private 12:11 The patient-caregiver book he and Liz have talked about writing together 12:55 Business divorces explained in plain terms 15:47 How to handle a party who wants the business to fail out of anger 19:17 Getting an injunction after a former employee hacked a client network 23:46 Representing arts organizations versus tech companies 25:00 The overlap between improv theater and trial advocacy 26:20 Rapid fire questions 29:30 What improv teaches an attorney that law school never could 30:51 My Cousin Vinny and being light on your feet in the courtroom 31:06 The Friday night gratitude ritual through the worst weeks 32:31 Why he got involved with Jewish Family and Career Services 34:48 What he wants the legacy of Through the Impossible to be 36:32 How to find the book and connect with Matt Ames #MattAmes #ThroughTheImpossible #BusinessLitigation #CancerCaregiver #CaregiverSupport #BusinessDivorce #ImprovForLawyers #AtlantaLawyer #TrustcastShow #DadsGarageTheater