High-Profile Lawyer Makes Unexpected Career Change After Leaving Her Job (Exclusive)

Ann Parnes had a successful career in law until one day she decided to do a 180.

Parnes was a lawyer for 15 years, the last eight of which she spent as an assistant district attorney and prosecutor in New Orleans. She initially entered the field as a way to help others, but after over a decade, she decided there was another way to make a positive impact. She then started her own matchmaking company, AfterHello.

Parnes talks exclusively with PEOPLE about her transition from law to love, what makes a good partner, and the state of dating in 2025. 

“I got a coaching certification and started coaching with an emphasis on relationships. I found I had a lot of single people who were struggling with dating,” Parnes explains.

“I couldn’t help but think, ‘Who do I know that would be a great match for them?'” she says. “The curiosity led me to reach out to other matchmakers around the country, figure out how it works, and then start my own business in New Orleans in 2017.” 

Parnes found her current business partner in 2023, brought her on board for operations and recruitment, and transformed her business into a national matchmaking service. 

There’s an extensive vetting process to work with Parnes and her team, and they’ve had to turn people away due to “unrealistic expectations of what they’re looking for in a partner.”

While Parnes hasn’t seen the new matchmaker movie, The Materialists, she says the media often makes it seem like matchmakers can find people who check every box without fail, which isn’t always the case.

Although she can get close to matching someone with most of the qualities they’re looking for, she notes that people should keep an “open mind.”  

“We don’t have a magic wand, and I always say it’s not Build-A-Bear,” she tells PEOPLE. “I wish I could take your long list and create exactly the human that you’re looking for.”

Parnes says people who have the most success with dating in 2025 keep an “open mind” and are “relationship-oriented,” as she is always hoping to connect clients for the long term.

She also says it’s crucial to be optimistic and have a “growth mindset” for when problems arise. 

“Having the capacity to think, ‘we’re going to figure it out together,’ rather than, well, ‘this is how I am.’ Those are the kind of good qualities that we look for in an ideal client,” she shares.

One of the biggest challenges with dating in the 21st century is that people want “instant gratification,” but finding a real connection takes time. 

“We encourage them to trust the process, stay open-minded and emotionally available, and not put too much weight on immediate fireworks,” Parnes shares. “That intense initial spark can sometimes be a red flag. Real, lasting chemistry often builds over time when given the space to grow.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

“We also coach our clients to say ‘yes’ to dates who may fall outside of their usual type and to take the pressure off the encounter. The goal isn’t to assess long-term potential right away—it’s simply to enjoy the experience.” 

Parnes shares that working with a matchmaker begins with an in-depth consultation. It helps them clarify their non-negotiables, such as needs, turn-offs and morals. Once they determine the type of person their client wants to spend the rest of their life with, they scan their databases. 

“We do independent recruiting outside of that. We don’t believe that’s an exhaustive list, so we will also recruit on LinkedIn, social media, and through personal contacts,” she says. “We interview everybody, and when we find someone where we’re excited but we think there’s alignment on big things, then we’ll tell them about our clients.”

Then, they send the picture and make a case as to why their client should meet with their match. If their client agrees, they set up their first date.

“Afterwards, we ask for feedback from both our client and the match because our client will have a realization of what worked well or didn’t work well, which will refine our search parameters, and then also from the match perspective, we want to hear, does our client have blind spots? Are there areas where we could work with our clients gently to help them achieve greater success? That goes on for six months,” she adds.

Parnes has even had a few failed matches become clients as they “got a taste of what it’s like to be on the other side.”

After years of matchmaking, she has seen an increasing number of people wanting to leave dating apps behind and seek a more tailored love-finding experience. 

Her advice to those looking for love is to sign up for a matchmaker’s free database in their area. They might forget about it, but one day, a matchmaker could call them about a potential match.