Firm culture is often lost among virtual law firms, but that doesn’t have to be the case. At Practus, you’ll keep the comradery, support, and a true connection with fellow attorneys that’s common in a more traditional office environment. This culture is integral to the firm because from the start, we took the best AmLaw had to offer – top tier legal services and a sense of community – and coupled it with everything else big law was missing – control over the way you practice law, the ability to earn what you truly deserve, and the freedom to spend more time with your friends and family.
But how do we bring our Practus culture to life? Here are 4 ways Practus is different than other virtual law firms (and drastically different than traditional firms):
Collaboration and a dash of competition
Collaboration is a cornerstone of Practus culture because it’s necessary to give clients the legal services they need, regardless of the complexity of their issues. If your client comes to Practus with an IP issue and later needs advice on employment compliance, you’ll have an attorney within the firm that you can collaborate with and trust to serve your client’s best interests.
Not only does our virtual law firm model make sense for in-firm referrals, but our events and competitions also make it easy to establish relationships with other attorneys from the start. You can’t have a law firm without some competition, right?
What makes Practus’s intra-firm competition different is it’s all for fun and relationship building (…with some prizes along the way). By removing the bureaucracy you find in a traditional firm, we also remove the drive to push someone out of the way to get to the top. Instead, we host competitions you want to be part of like our March Madness bracket, party trivia, and Super Bowl pools. Each competition is hosted on our firm intranet with a dedicated Teams thread, making it easy and seamless for everyone to participate.
Technology brings us together
Legal technology is the true backbone of Practus. So much so that the very first hire wasn’t an attorney, it was our Chief Technology Officer. It might seem obvious that tech is a key part of a virtual law firm, but (as you may have experienced during the pandemic) just because you’re virtual doesn’t mean you have the best technology solutions.
Practus’s technology keeps the firm running smoothly while bringing us together through virtual events and celebrations. Whether it’s a thirsty Thursday happy hour via Teams or a trivia holiday party through Weve, each event is a little different and serves as an easy way to get to know each other.
Some firm favorites include:
- Learning about new wines from Italian winegrowers during virtual wine tastings
- Opening growth possibilities during marketing Snack & Learns
- Testing our drawing skills while playing Pictionary
- Hosting a surprise virtual baby shower
- Foregoing razors during No-Shave November
- Laughing when Practus kids and pets make some unforgettable appearances on camera
Practus partner, Andrea Shaw, explains how technology brings us together best with this quote:
“I’ve felt more connected joining Practus (a virtual law firm, in the middle of a global pandemic) than I did when joining my previous law firm.”
We celebrate successes and support through difficult times
Life happens. The good and the bad. A virtual law firm gives you the flexibility to live through it on your own schedule, and we’re here to ride the wave of life with you. We’ve celebrated weddings, babies, personal achievements, client successes, and so much more together.
But, you can’t have the good without the bad. Whether it’s a tragic loss or consuming illness, we also band together to support each other in times of need. Practus employees, administrative team, and other legal staff step up to make sure everyone gets the support they need during life’s challenges. Together, we want to help you get through it and focus on the recovery you need.
Culture is in our DNA
We knew from day one we needed a vibrant culture that was intricately woven into the fabric of our firm. The idea of having people “plug in” to work but otherwise be off on an island by themselves was a non-starter for us. We’re very intentional about building a robust culture – that’s why my position in Practus as VP of Operations & Culture has transformed from wearing several hats to culture being one of my top priorities.
Honestly, it’s the thing I love the most about my role: learning about our team, their passions, and what they care about while creating space and opportunities for others in the firm to learn about those things too. I work with each incoming attorney, legal staff member, and non-legal personnel from the start to make sure we keep an inclusive and growing culture.
Because culture is something we think about daily, we intentionally dedicate time and resources to build a Practus community where we can laugh, relax, collaborate, and develop relationships together. This investment works too – our partners and leadership team are constantly coming up with great ideas for events and ways to support each other on their own.
Many people throughout the firm suggest events based on their passions. To this day, one of my favorites was our Superhero Showdown during a Practus happy hour where Marvel and DC fans faced off in an epic battle of most obscure superheroes and Bouncing Boy came in for the win. I mean… who would even think of Bouncing Boy when put on the spot?! All of us that weren’t familiar with the multiverse were cracking up thinking it was 100% made up until we fact-checked.
This organic community is exactly what should happen when culture is part of a firm’s DNA. We actually listen to our team, ask for feedback on what works and what doesn’t, and act on that feedback to make sure we’re headed in the right direction for the firm as a whole.
As Practus Managing Partner and Founder, John Lively, has stated many times, “We want to take that happiness factor and push it up on the scale a little bit. Give control back to the attorneys and make them happier.” When attorneys are happier and enjoy what they do, they have better work product and clients notice. If you’re interested in joining Practus, please reach out to Stephanie Recupero, our VP of Recruiting.
