‘Mom test’ model fuels Hougum Law Firm’s expansion

Lori Kaye Lodes

Contributor

June 8, 2026

RHINELANDER – Hougum Law Firm has expanded from its original Wausau office into a three-location practice serving clients across much of the state, including a recently relocated Rhinelander office and a Plover location opened in late 2025.

Attorney Alan Hougum said the firm’s growth has come alongside increased demand for estate planning and asset protection services in the region.

The ‘mom test’

Though expansion wasn’t part of his original plan, Alan said the idea grew gradually as he began to rethink how estate planning services could be delivered differently.

He said his focus shifted toward making the process more approachable, educational and accessible for clients, rather than placing the burden of complex work on individuals navigating planning decisions.

“Traditionally, the way people are trained is to create beautiful legal documents, give clients some instructions to change the title to their house, beneficiaries, retirement, life insurance, etc., [outlined] in a six-page letter,” he said. “But when you ask how many people actually get through that, it’s not many.”

Alan said it became clear to him that the industry wasn’t as client- or service-focused as he would like.

He said he often thinks about what he would want for his own mother, adding that it wouldn’t sit well with him if a firm completed only part of the work and then handed clients a “homework list” to finish on their own.

“I wouldn’t feel like she was taken care of or that was enough,” he said. “I thought if I were making the decisions, we would do all those things for people and make sure every item, every asset of any value, would be part of the plan.”

In conversations, Alan said peers told him the approach would be too labor-intensive to implement, but that didn’t deter him from pursuing his vision for a law firm that would handle estate planning differently.

“I said, ‘Then, we are going to try it ourselves and start our own business,’” he said.

Alan said the decision to build a firm around what he calls the “mom test” began with a small team leaving a larger practice and opening a nearby office in Wausau.

As they began taking on work, Alan said they realized they couldn’t deliver their service-focused approach with the original staff alone, so they added team members as needed.

Before long, he said the firm had grown into its current size – which, as of June 1, is about 40 employees, including seven attorneys – while also expanding with a Plover location in late 2025 and relocating its Rhinelander office earlier this year.

Alan said he credits the “mom test” and a focus on client service for the firm’s growth. 

“My [mindset] is that whatever service we give people, if it was good enough for my mom, we want to do it for everyone’s mom,” he said.

From estate planning to life planning, legacy protection

Though the firm began in traditional estate planning, Alan said its focus has expanded into what he describes as broader life planning and legacy protection, a more holistic approach that follows clients through multiple stages of life.

He said the Hougum Law Firm team works with clients from young, married couples expecting their first child and managing student loan debt, to families with school-aged children who may have modest savings in retirement accounts and term life insurance, to couples whose children are already adults.

In every case, Alan said the goal is to help clients protect what they’ve built financially for the people they care about.

As conversations progress later in life, he said they often turn to planning for potential long-term care needs, including assisted living or nursing home care.

Alan said that focus on long-term care costs and asset preservation has become one of the firm’s defining areas of practice.

“The [state and federal government] lay out ways to protect your life savings and legacy, so if one of you has a bad roll of the dice and needs extended nursing home or other care, you can protect your life savings from being gone,” he said. “That’s been our niche.”

Alan said the firm’s approach always begins with a core intake sheet every client fills out, gathering key information all rooted in one central concept: goals.

“It all comes down to what their goals are,” he said. “When we understand that, [we can offer] things they can do to accomplish [some] or all the goals. We see people of all different walks of life, ages, circumstances [and] backgrounds…, and it’s amazing how much comes back to a core list of goals.”

Rhinelander expansion built on legacy transition

Alan said the firm’s presence in Rhinelander has steadily grown in recent years, culminating in the new office space – complete with a grand opening celebration earlier this year.

He said a major turning point came after the unexpected passing of longtime Rhinelander attorney John Priebe, a peer and friend who had practiced in the community for decades.

Alan said Priebe had quietly specified that he take over his practice if anything were to happen to him – a decision he only learned from Priebe’s children a few days after his death.

He said it was an immense honor to be entrusted with a practice Priebe had spent years building in the community where he grew up. 

That was five years ago, Alan said, and the firm recently marked its fifth anniversary in the market by moving into a larger space.

Alan said Rhinelander has been a smart addition to the firm, noting it serves as a regional hub for the Northwoods and is well positioned to reach clients across the area.

He said the community draws an estimated 8,000 to 9,000 people for shopping and services at retailers such as Walmart, Menards, Home Depot, grocery stores and healthcare providers.

Today, Alan said the Rhinelander office has four team members.

Plover expansion meets growing demand

Opened in November 2025 to reduce travel burdens for clients coming from across Central Wisconsin, Alan said the Plover location has proven to be a strong addition for the firm.

“We looked at our client base [in Wausau] and realized we had people driving from [Wisconsin Rapids], Stevens Point, Waupaca and even to Westfield and Portage coming to Wausau, so we thought, why don’t we meet them closer to where they are?” he said. “That’s why we started the Plover office, using what we learned in Rhinelander.”

Alan said the Plover location exceeded expectations, and credits the team there and in Rhinelander with the ongoing success.

Alan said all Hougum Law Firm offices – Wausau, Rhinelander and Plover – maintain attorney coverage Monday through Friday, emphasizing they are not simply “satellite” locations of the Wausau office.

Service model, education-first approach

Regardless of which office clients visit, Alan said a key differentiator is what happens after documents are signed, including ongoing support through what the firm calls a “maintenance program.”

He said a client service program is available post-paperwork to answer questions and serve as an educational resource. 

Alan said education is central to the firm’s identity.

“We have a teacher mentality,” he said. “This is all related to [clients’] families and goals. We tell everyone we meet: You don’t have to do anything, and it’s not mandatory [to take action with us]. But someday, everyone passes away, and their stuff goes somewhere. We share things they can do, a few ways to do that and how that would work – the time it would take and the cost. It’s low pressure, and people usually make good decisions.”

Reputation built on clarity, referrals

Alan said much of the firm’s growth comes through referrals from professionals and satisfied clients.

“It’s very common for us to hear we took more time than they would normally see from professionals and attorneys in particular, and hear over and over that they understand it more because of the time we take and the language we use,” he said. “People frequently say they have talked to other law firms and [other professionals] about the topics, but this is the first time they really understand it.” 

Even though the subject matter is treated with the utmost seriousness and professionalism, Alan said they try to make things enjoyable for clients and potential clients. 

“If people aren’t smiling when they leave a meeting with us, I don’t feel like I did my job with them,” he said. “This is a part of life, and it touches all of us. How can we do this in a way that’s comfortable and understandable?”

Alan said it is no surprise the firm’s internal focus is on what he calls “happy law,” noting that philosophy and the organization’s broader culture – supported by leadership, internal events and community engagement – have contributed to its success.

“We have a very high-quality leadership team, and it’s very organized and efficiently run,” he said. “But we want to have fun, too, as we help to provide a better outcome for people and solve problems before they come up.”

For more details, head to hougumlaw.com.