Since we launched in 2018, building a strong law firm culture has been at the heart of Practus. Even back in 2009, when the seeds of Practus were just beginning to sprout, we knew we wanted something different.
Our founders had experience firsthand how the BigLaw environment—long hours, rare weekends with family, and office politics—led to unhappy and less productive attorneys. That’s why we’ve put so much effort into creating a culture where our attorneys look forward to starting their workday. Fast forward to today, and we’re excited to share some of our favorite parts of the Practus culture that have evolved over the years!
Why is Law Firm Culture Important?
Developing a strong law firm culture is crucial, especially for modern law firms like Practus that operate on a remote-first basis, as it ensures our attorneys feel connected and supported despite not physically being close together. Our team prioritizes maintaining a sense of camaraderie and community, which is lost in the majority of remote environments.
We bring our culture to life through virtual (and a few in person) events that promote collaboration and relationship-building. These get togethers, friendly competitions, and celebrations encourage interaction and teamwork, while advanced technology facilitates seamless communication and virtual gatherings.
This foundation of law firm culture supports attorneys during both good and challenging times, ensuring they feel valued and connected. By embedding culture into the fabric of the firm, Practus creates an environment where attorneys are motivated, engaged, and committed to their work and each other, demonstrating that a vibrant culture is essential for the success and longevity of a modern law firm.
Dive deeper into the details of what makes our culture different from other law firms here.
Attorneys Facing a Crossroads Choose Practus
There comes a time in every attorney’s career when you need to choose a path: personal or professional life… at least that’s what everyone assumed until recently. Although most lawyers feel the pressure to choose between being an involved family member and supporting their family, law firms with a culture like Practus give attorneys the opportunity to have a personal AND professional life.
When faced with the crossroads of happiness and your legal career, you can choose both.
Three of our Practus partners across different practice areas and locations shared their personal stories about facing a crossroad in their legal careers and why our firm culture and model allowed them to forge their own paths in this article.
Sweet Treats and Solving Murders
The Practus culture isn’t just about boosting productivity and autonomy, it’s also about having fun! And our team definitely knows how to have fun.
Whether it’s baking pies, scarfing down a dozen donuts, solving a mur-mystery, or representing clients… our Practus team is dedicated to whatever they do. Our firm-wide events help us connect throughout the year and remind us of just how supportive our team (both legal and non-legal) is across the board.
Some event highlights from this year include:
May 2024 marked Practus’s six-year anniversary, which according to years of precedent is the anniversary of sweets. To celebrate, Chef Angela from Culinary Kisses led our team through a virtual baking lesson for our Practus Pie-looza bake off! All the creations were sweet and tasty reminders that Practus is cooking in all the best ways.
Our Founder and Managing Partner, John Lively aka Long John Lively, is an avid donut aficionado. In a traditional law firm, people might bring in a dozen or two donuts to celebrate one of the most important national holidays: Donut Day.
At Practus, we took this cherished holiday to the next level by sending out a dozen donuts to each of our 72 team members from local Mom & Pop donut shops across the US. What’s better than snagging your favorite cruller at the office? Getting a full dozen to eat in the privacy of your own remote workspace while debating online as to why your local shop beats out the competition.
Leave it to the dark humor of attorneys to celebrate the holiday season with a murder mystery. At our Practus end of year celebration, our team came together to solve the mysterious death on Candy Cane Lane, combining our investigative and attention to detail skills that inherently come along with working in the legal industry.
It doesn’t really matter what we do to celebrate; what matters is that we all come together as a firm. Here’s what Practus partner, Molly Aspan, says about the culture here and the connectivity we embrace through these virtual events:
“I learned that I didn’t miss the socialization aspect of the traditional law firm model as I feared may happen, as Practus is designed to allow employees to work and socialize together in the virtual environment.”
What started as very intentional building blocks for the Practus law firm culture has developed into an organic community ingrained into our firm’s DNA. We continue to 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 we continue to grow.
At the end of the day, when attorneys are happier and enjoy what they do, they produce better work product and clients notice. You can find more information about our culture here or learn if we’re a good fit for you on our Join Us page.
