For almost seven years, I grew my boutique firm from being a solo in a shared (and cramped) office to a thriving team with clients around the world and at the top of their industries. Although running the firm required long hours on nights, weekends, and holidays, I was incredibly proud of what we accomplished — becoming the first B Corp law firm in Texas, winning national recognition, expanding our robust public service efforts, and creating a culture that thought holistically about the law and lawyers. But something was missing.
I knew we could "do well while doing good" by providing quality counsel and balancing it with our service efforts, but I reached a point where I couldn't grow the firm any further on my own. My dream clients were out of reach with a team of our size, and I didn't know if my family could handle the additional years of effort it would take to grow organically. I was referring out more work each month because we lacked the deep bench needed for more complex matters, and our lawyers were spread thin trying to keep up. I was tied into endless administrative tasks that distracted me and had me working in the business and not on the business. Worst of all, I felt trapped. I wanted to build a top-tier law firm that transformed legal practice, but I felt I would never get there.
Enter Scale LLP . Although I had known about the firm for a few years, and had discussed opportunities with Adam Forest , I kept holding off and thinking I could level up my practice on my own. The moment of change came by happenstance when Adam and I met at the Clio Conference, and he asked me again about joining. "I'll consider joining on a few conditions: my team needs to find a home at Scale, I need the opportunity to lead and grow, and the firm needs to commit to social initiatives." Fast-forward a year, and I was the Deputy Managing Partner for Impact Initiatives at Scale, and fulfilling exactly the vision I was working towards at my firm. As it turned out, Scale shared the same vision all along — we just needed to partner up and make it happen.
Running your own boutique can be incredibly fulfilling. From the day you start, you learn that "every month is a new month" and that you must always be pushing to be successful. With that effort comes the pride of creating something new in the world and the satisfaction of building a team that works together effectively. You may, however, reach your own decision point as I did, and realize you want to scale up your practice — go from seven lawyers to seventy, go from a single service project to nationwide efforts, and go from "I run it myself" to "let's build it together." If you reach that point, let me know — Scale LLP may be the place for you.
At our firm, we are transforming legal practice for lawyers, clients, and communities by finding new ways of practice that are healthier for everyone. Our lawyers have the autonomy to work where they want, and have a vibrant team they can turn to for questions or shared projects. Our clients benefit from top-tier talent — from top firms, companies, schools, but also top life experiences that help us see farther and ask the larger questions. And our communities are always in mind, from our carbon offset and tree planting efforts to our impact initiatives at both the national and local level.
If you run a boutique, you are probably like me: a builder more than a biller. You've shown what you can do on your own, but perhaps now it is time for something more. Come scale your practice and build something great with us.
