Aug 4, 2026 · 43 min · 14 segments
What happens when you realize the biggest challenge in your law firm isn't your clients or your reputation, but the people and culture needed to support the firm you want to build? In this episode…
Melissa ShanahanHost
Well, okay, I have a question because I think some of the listeners who are in court a lot and litigating a lot, you appear to me- my, my view of you prior to meeting you is that you just, I know that you run fast and you run hard at everything you do.
But you were focused on the work, the legal work until probably about a year before I met you, you lifted your head and you're like, "Wait a minute.
We need to make some changes in the firm." You started realizing that 'cause you were putting so much into your employees to get, help them get board certified, to, you were giving them all the opportunities, and it was, you were just focused in the work.
It feels like at some point there was a shift where you realized that's not gonna be the thing that makes your firm great.
I've got I think four super, four or five super Texas lawyers who are super lawyers now.
And your listeners are all probably wondering, "Wow, that's a lot of turnover." And it's true.
Um, and but I was investing in people and giving them that and believing that that was enough, and it wasn't.
And that year before I, uh, we came and met you, um, I had made a decision because Jenny, frankly, b- brought me the data, and we realized that, um, something needed to change.
And so that was a very hard decision because what ult- what the reality was, we needed to build a culture and a firm around, I hate to say it, this sounds egotistical, but around my identity, my way of doing it.
We need a team who will buy into that, and we need to start hiring people and build a team around that core philosophy.
Well, okay, I have a question because I think some of the listeners who are in court a lot and litigating a lot, you appear to me- my, my view of you prior to meeting you is that you just, I know that you run fast and you run hard at everything you do.
But you were focused on the work, the legal work until probably about a year before I met you, you lifted your head and you're like, "Wait a minute.
We need to make some changes in the firm." You started realizing that 'cause you were putting so much into your employees to get, help them get board certified, to, you were giving them all the opportunities, and it was, you were just focused in the work.
It feels like at some point there was a shift where you realized that's not gonna be the thing that makes your firm great.
I've got I think four super, four or five super Texas lawyers who are super lawyers now.
And your listeners are all probably wondering, "Wow, that's a lot of turnover." And it's true.
Um, and but I was investing in people and giving them that and believing that that was enough, and it wasn't.
And that year before I, uh, we came and met you, um, I had made a decision because Jenny, frankly, b- brought me the data, and we realized that, um, something needed to change.
And so that was a very hard decision because what ult- what the reality was, we needed to build a culture and a firm around, I hate to say it, this sounds egotistical, but around my identity, my way of doing it.
We need a team who will buy into that, and we need to start hiring people and build a team around that core philosophy.
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