Jennifer Garland founded Prestige Inc., a well-regarded national firm providing legal support services to corporations and attorneys in 2015. Thanks to Jennifer’s leadership, Prestige has grown from a small team focused on professionalism and client satisfaction into a firm providing support to national clients, including White & Case, Vedder Price, and Morgan & Morgan.
With over 3,500 Title and Escrow companies now part of their network, Prestige has expanded into one of the largest repositories of professional field agents to assist their clients in resolving complex litigation. Within three years of operation, Prestige assisted in resolving over $500 million of mass tort settlements on behalf of victimized persons. Jennifer has established a reputation as a leader and mentor in the industry by demonstrating qualities of excellence in both leadership and operational success.
Before launching Prestige, Jennifer began her professional journey in government and public service as a paralegal at the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in their Complex Litigation Division, which worked to protect consumers’ legal rights in many high-profile cases. Jennifer’s early career experiences taught her many key lessons about working together with other team members, building a strong structure of accountability, and how policy decisions can create lasting effects.
One of her most valuable early career experiences that helped shape her understanding of how systems work was her involvement with a multi-state settlement agreement for $25 billion between the five largest mortgage servicers.
Jennifer’s next professional step was in the mortgage industry, where she noticed a lack of reliable and efficient notary and signing services. Instead of considering it a frustration, she recognized the opportunity to fill that gap. Using her legal and operational experience, she started Prestige with vetted notaries, streamlined communications, and scalable infrastructure. Prestige currently serves clients nationwide and has built a strong reputation as a leader in the legal services industry.
As an entrepreneur and founder of Prestige, she has also worked on several other initiatives, including Notary Dash and Prestige Notaries, both of which demonstrate her ongoing commitment to building a community of trusted professionals. Mentorship is one of her most cherished passions, in addition to being a successful executive and entrepreneur.
Mentorship and Influences
When asked about the mentors who shaped her path, Jennifer resists narrowing it down to one person. “I haven’t had just one mentor. I’ve been fortunate to have several people who shaped my path in different ways.” Her parents, both entrepreneurs, instilled in her the values of discipline and reliability. “If they didn’t show up, they didn’t get paid.” From her mother, Jennifer learned compassion and service; from her father, generosity and the importance of giving back.
Early in her career, two attorneys, Sarah and Todd, became pivotal influences. “Sarah was full of life and deeply grounded, and Todd was professional, kind, and quietly brilliant,” Jennifer recalls. “They both saw potential in me before I saw it in myself.” Over the last decade, a mentor named Lisa has continued to guide her with wisdom and heart. “I adore her and am so grateful for the role she continues to play in my life and career.”
These relationships shaped Jennifer’s philosophy: mentorship is reciprocal and rooted in integrity. “I cultivate relationships with mentors and mentees through honesty, consistency, and mutual respect by showing up, staying teachable, and being just as willing to give as I am to receive.”
The Role of Mentorship in Leadership
Jennifer views mentoring as a key responsibility that comes with leadership. “I’ve been privileged to mentor over a thousand small business owners. From individual mobile notaries and field agents to other nationwide service providers, it’s one of the greatest joys of my career,” she explains. Her approach is guided by empathy and practicality. “Whether it’s a one-hour coaching call or an ongoing relationship, I approach every conversation with the intention to impart the knowledge and support others have given me.”
Her philosophy is simple: mentorship isn’t a duty; it’s a calling. Through these exchanges, she has seen individuals evolve from uncertainty to confidence, and from small beginnings to sustained growth. “Mentoring has deepened my empathy, sharpened my leadership, and reminded me of the purpose behind the work I do,” she says. “It keeps me grounded and challenges me to lead by example.”
Lessons in Perspective
One piece of advice that changed Jennifer’s trajectory was, “Stop thinking like an employee and start thinking like an owner.” This shift fundamentally changed how she managed her time, made decisions, and accepted responsibility. “It taught me to lead with accountability, to solve problems instead of waiting for someone else to fix them, and to build systems that could grow beyond me.” The lesson not only reshaped her business strategy but also helped her understand the importance of self-leadership as a precursor to leading others.
Over time, her mentoring style evolved from offering advice to engaging in meaningful dialogue. “My mentoring style has evolved from simply advising to truly listening, asking better questions, and tailoring my guidance to each person’s goals and stage of growth,” she reflects. “It’s become more intentional, more relational, and more focused on long-term impact than quick fixes.”
Identifying and Supporting Mentees
When asked how she identifies potential mentees, Jennifer’s response is direct: “Whoever calls on me, I answer.” She sees mentorship as an opportunity to serve, not a selective process. This openness has allowed her to connect with people across industries, backgrounds, and experience levels. Her focus is on potential rather than polish, guiding individuals to recognize their own capacity for leadership and ownership.
“The most rewarding aspect of being a mentor,” she adds, “is being able to give hindsight to those who haven’t started yet—helping them avoid the mistakes I’ve made, move faster with confidence, and build something stronger from the beginning.”
Jennifer also keeps in touch with her mentors, maintaining long-term connections built on mutual respect and genuine care. “Phone, text, lunch, trips. My mentors are my friends,” she says. These enduring relationships underscore the community aspect of mentorship, where guidance and gratitude coexist.
Legacy and Ongoing Growth
Jennifer Garland believes that mentoring is not a step in the evolution of leaders, but rather an unending cycle of education, guidance, and connection. Mentoring is an inherent aspect of Prestige’s work culture, and her mentoring approach fosters an environment where transparency and accountability thrive through the development of individuals.
When Jennifer mentors, she not only focuses on the employee’s skill set; she strives to instill integrity, self-reliance, and a sense of service within her production team. The foundation of her philosophy in business was formed through her various experiences; she began her career as a public servant with the Attorney General’s Office, and later became an entrepreneur, learning about leadership through her relationship with leaders, eventually becoming one herself.
Each phase of her career has been reinforced by the same values around which she governs her company and her personal life. Discipline, generosity, and a belief that one’s growth is best accomplished when it is shared.
Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys studying genealogy, traveling, and collecting elephant figurines. She loves elephants because “they’re led by their matriarch.” This represents her leadership style, which emphasizes leadership combining strength with wisdom and empathy.
Using her experience at Prestige and her mentorship role as a vehicle for developing the next generation of professionals who believe in excellence through integrity, Jennifer is a strong role model for the next generation of leaders. Additionally, she demonstrates the importance of understanding that leadership is a position of purpose and that real success comes from helping others achieve success.
