Year 3: Right for the Times
Light the candles. Our three-year mark finds us celebrating steady growth and broad acceptance of the flexible and streamlined law firm model we launched back in 2018. From the very beginning, we’ve envisioned an arrangement that would allow partners to grow their business without the layers of bureaucracy often experienced at more traditional firms. Their vision is a reality for the tight-knit team of talented attorneys who have brought their books of business to Practus. Working collaboratively, this year carried our firm to new heights. We have helped more clients, brought on more partners, enhanced our technology and expanded our professional staff.
Not only is the legal industry evolving, but the pace of change is accelerating. The COVID Era has legitimized the virtual law firm overnight. Across the board, nimble and flexible and tech-savvy are the kinds of modern characteristics that are simply becoming the new normal for the practice of law. Extraordinary circumstances compelled people to try out decentralized working arrangements for a time. Now, lawyers and clients are taking stock of where those kinds of working arrangements might be preferable and permanent.
Working from home is here to stay. Having a home office that can fully function in place of the central office is here to stay. Using secure technology for client service and communications is here, too. We’re thankful, as a firm, that we were positioned right from the start for where our industry is going.
Third-Year Major Milestones
- In the last year, we have added 18 new partners to our roster plus we have 4 more starting in the next month.
- We’ve added hundreds of new clients—a 91% increase since May, 2020.
- We’ve added 5 new professional staff to our growing team to surround our attorneys with support and help grow our brand.
“Our steady growth over the past few years has been encouraging. It reaffirms our belief that the traditional law model can be improved, and the feedback from partners coming onboard has been overwhelmingly positive.”
– Stephanie Recupero
Director of Marketing & Recruiting at Practus, LLP
Practus has been hitting the virtual law drumbeat for THREE years now. And we’re growing at a steady clip. The evolution has favored our firm. Our approach to structuring our firm adheres to these principles:
- Maximizing technology to serve our clients.
- Surrounding partners with the right kinds of support services so they can focus on serving clients and practicing law.
- Fostering a culture of teamwork, support, connectivity
- Bringing joy back to the practice of law.
Boldly Different
Practus is changing the way people practice law for the better. Clients and lawyers alike have grown fatigued by the dated conventions and bureaucracy of the traditional firm model. Practus was created to foster a culture where our everyone feels more fulfilled.
- Our Partners work from wherever they please
- We eschew minimum billable requirements
- We provide flexibility for our partners to choose the way they bill their clients.
- Our clients benefit from our partners’ expanded availability. We take care of the billing, receivables and other critical back-office tasks, so our attorneys can focus on what they do best.
- We encourage our partners to create their own schedules to promote flexibility.
In our three-year run, we’ve found that this supportive relationship with our partners enables them to spend less time navigating the layers of traditional bureaucracy, and more time doing what they love.
Work Where You Thrive
We’re looking to onboard more lawyers to the firm in 2021. Our flexible workflow model has proven to be successful and optimized for the times we’re living in— and it offers plenty of room for growth, success and balance!
Practus is positioned right for the times. As the economy opens up and many lawyers migrate back to the office, we’re doubling down on the virtual law firm model that has helped us stand out, and stand firm, from day one. Our team thrives in this environment. We’re as proud of the feedback we’ve gleaned from new attorneys joining our ranks as we are of the metrics showing company growth.
“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.”
– Andrea Shaw
Practus Partner, Portland, ME“My clients prefer the pricing and service aspects of the [virtual] business model and have directly benefited from having senior lawyers in my field bringing a depth of experience to the table.”
– Alexandra Alberstadt
Practus Partner, New York, NY“As someone who enjoyed walking down the hall to discuss an issue face-to-face with a colleague, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the ease of switching to telephone, email and Microsoft Teams to replace the in-person experience.”
– Ethan Corey
Practus Partner, Boston, MA
In Store for Year Four
There’s no question about where we’re focused. For us, it’s all about the central tenets that have been our calling card, namely: 1) Leveraging technology to serve clients; 2) Surrounding partners with the right kinds of support so they can focus on practicing law; 3) Fostering a healthy culture of teamwork, and 4) Bringing joy back to the practice of law. That’s our mission. That’s why we do what we do.
Strong growth results coupled with client satisfaction shows that our dream of creating a different kind of law firm is a reality that many are excited to participate in. We’re excited to discover new ways to make the virtual law firm model even better. So, we’re moving into year four with a plan to continue listening to the needs of our team, evolving to the ever-changing business landscape and embracing smarter and better ways to work. Here’s to staying out in front and discovering what’s possible.
