The Founder: Jamala McFadden
Space Between’s Founder, Jamala McFadden, grew up on the south side of Chicago in a single parent household where she was the second oldest of six children. Jamala gave birth to her son, Jamal, when she was 15 years old, at the start of her sophomore year in high school. Believing that education was her ticket to independence, she was determined to make a way, despite the odds. She joined her high school mock trial team and discovered her talent and passion for law. Jamala went on to graduate salutatorian of her high school class. In 1994, the young mother-son duo moved two hours away from home to attend college at the University of Illinois, then law school in 1998 at the University of Michigan, a top-ten law school. Along the way, the young family received public assistance and lived in family student housing, which provided a village of like-minded student parents who helped sustain and grow them.
Before starting her own business, Jamala practiced law for more than 10 years at large, prestigious law firms. In 2013, she co-founded The Employment Law Solution: McFadden Davis, LLC (ELS).
Since ELS's inception, the firm has employed dozens of lawyers, law students and other professionals and has partnered with more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies as clients. The firm has surpassed the million-dollar revenue mark each year since 2019, which is a milestone that less than 4.5% of women owned businesses achieve and even less so for businesses owned by Black women.
Jamala is a servant leader who has always been actively involved in the community. She coached high school mock trial for 11 years where she taught and exposed primarily Black high school students to the law, understanding that “if you can see it, you can be it.” Jamala has been appointed by the Georgia Supreme Court to serve as a member of the Judicial Qualifications Commission and by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners to serve on the Development Authority of Cobb County. She has served at the helm of professional organizations, including the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Board of Directors. During her tenure as GABWA President, Jamala created and designed GABWA’s Judicial & Public Office Academy to prepare lawyers to pursue judgeships and other elected office.
A lifelong learner, Jamala believes in constantly sharpening her mind, skills and circle. She is an alumna of Leadership Atlanta and the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program. She has participated in several business-focused programs as well, including Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses Program(10KSB), Babson College’s Black Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (BWEL), the National Minority Suppliers Development Council’s Centers of Excellence Certificate Program (COECP), and How to Manage a Small Law Firm.
Jamala has earned numerous awards and recognition for her professional accomplishments and service in the community. For example, she has been recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer and as a Top 50 woman lawyer in Georgia for many years; and the Atlanta Business League recognized Jamala as a Woman of Influence and presented her with its Success Against the Odds award.
Jamal's son, Jamal, was an entrepreneur long before Jamala took her first leap and has pushed his mom along in her journey. Jamal attended Morehouse College and owns auto broker and dealership businesses.