What is our recipe for success? A reflection over the last 5 years.

MAY 04, 2023 | PRACTUS LLP

What is our recipe for success? A reflection over the last 5 years.

Authored by John H. Lively

It’s been five years since we officially launched Practus LLP with the goal of creating a modern law firm where attorneys can practice law from anywhere in the world with more autonomy and freedom. With each passing year, it seems like just yesterday that our firm of 11 started helping clients yet it also feels like a lifetime ago. 

Since 2018, the world has changed more than we ever expected, and we’re proud to say we were ready for the change and used it to create a better law firm for attorneys everywhere. Our initial team set the foundation for today’s version of Practus which now has 65 legal and non-legal team members.

But how did we go from a small virtual law firm to where we are now in just 5 years? What is our recipe for success?

While there are many things that make Practus what it is today, we do have five main “ingredients” (in honor of our 5th anniversary) that contribute to our recipe for success:

  1. Culture – our model would not work if we didn’t invest in our culture from the very start. When I look back over the last 5 years, it’s the people at Practus that really brought us to where we are today.
  2. Support – we have the infrastructure, firm administration, technology systems, marketing strategies, and invoicing support to effectively and efficiently represent clients of all sizes and complexity levels.
  3. Independence – attorneys are able to decide when and where they work, choose their clients, and set their own rates with flexible fee arrangements.
  4. Collaboration – we strategically grow our law firm to provide complimentary practice areas that lead to cross-selling opportunities, referrals, and a full-service legal team for clients with multi-faceted issues
  5. Balance – our attorneys offer top-tier legal services and work hard, but they’re also people too. We encourage our team to embrace a work-life balance that keeps them fueled at home and at work. 

In honor of our 5th anniversary month, we’ll be sharing weekly blogs that dive into what makes Practus… Practus. It only feels right to start with the first “ingredient” of our recipe for success: Culture.

Culture is at the top of the list because it’s what sets us apart from every other firm. It’s not something that can be replicated; culture is developed by building a cohesive law firm with common values and goals while making conscious decisions every day to support our team. 

The vision of our law firm culture was one of the first concepts we determined when launching, which is why it’s woven into our DNA . From our name to our values, to our recruiting practices… our culture has guided us during tough decisions and encouraged us to celebrate our wins.  

Culture helps set the tone for how clients are treated, how we interact with each other internally, and what our future goals are for the firm. That being said, these ideals only shift from abstract concepts to a sense of community and support because of the people. 

It’s easy to have a virtual law firm where you don’t connect with each other or practice in silos. It’s a lot harder to find a group of people that want autonomy and independence as well as camaraderie and community… at least I thought it would be a lot harder. If the last 5 years have proven anything, it’s that these values are not mutually exclusive.

Part of the Practus team during our annual holiday party.

Practus has grown (not just in terms of numbers) into a community of people that embraces collaboration and celebrates each other’s successes. We laugh together during virtual coffee chats, support causes that are important to our team members, take part in friendly competitions, and work together to give clients top tier services. 

This connection is why Practus makes sense from attorney and client perspectives. Attorneys know they have a broad legal network they can rely on within the firm while clients feel the difference when it comes to the attorney-client relationship and joint representation engagements. I firmly believe that happier attorneys produce a better work product and offer better experiences for clients because they actually enjoy what they’re doing! 

I’m grateful to say that after 5 years, the Practus vision is a full blown reality. I’m grateful I get to work with the people I do every single day. I’m energized by the impact we have on the legal community and our clients. And I can’t wait to see what the future brings.

Thank you to our Practus team, our clients, and everyone else who has contributed to our journey along the way. You are the reason we are here today.

Continue reading part 2 of our anniversary series about Practice Support here.

Celebrate our 5th anniversary with our themed Spotify playlist for the month.

This collection includes our team’s favorite songs to listen to while cooking up their own recipes for success in the kitchen! It also includes any song or artist with the number five in it to commemorate our five year anniversary.

The Authors
John H. Lively
Read Full Bio

Practus, LLP provides this information as a service to clients and others for educational purposes only. It should not be construed or relied on as legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking advice from professional advisers.

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