As part of The Managing Partner’s Table, we recently spoke with Shira Katz Scanlon about how her firm’s values have influenced its growth. Here are the key takeaways.
Law firm values are often defined early in a firm’s development. But as the business grows, the decisions that follow can either reinforce those values or make them harder to maintain.
Hiring additional attorneys, introducing new management roles, and expanding into other markets all change how a firm operates. Each decision creates an opportunity to put its stated priorities into practice.
At Martine, Katz Scanlon & Schimmel, managing partner Shira Katz Scanlon and her partners have taken an intentional approach to that connection. Their experience demonstrates how values can influence growth while also creating expectations that leadership must continue to support.
Make your working environment part of your growth strategy
When Shira and her business partner founded their firm, they wanted to create a workplace where people could do excellent legal work while having flexibility for personal responsibilities.
That influenced how they approached staffing and expectations. Attorneys are responsible for completing their work, but they have flexibility in how they organize their schedules.
Over time, the firm’s reputation has helped attract people who want to join the team. Shira describes experienced attorneys approaching the partners about opportunities, contributing to the firm’s organic growth.
It’s a useful example of how a firm’s internal practices can influence its ability to attract talent. A positive workplace reputation develops from what employees and potential hires can observe, not simply what leadership says about its culture.
Managing partner tip
Consider what prospective hires can learn about the experience of working at your firm. Explain how your expectations and policies operate in practice instead of relying on broad statements about culture.
Adapt your operations as the firm expands
When your priorities change, so should your procedures.
MKSS started with two attorneys and one staff member. As it expanded, the informal arrangements that worked for a small team became less practical.
Shira describes introducing additional operational support, documenting procedures, and establishing more structured expectations around communication and responsibilities. The firm also invested in cross-training and written procedures so essential tasks would not depend on a single employee.
One particularly useful change was adding an operations role that took administrative responsibilities away from attorneys and paralegals. According to Shira, this was a hire she wishes the firm had made sooner.
These adjustments helped the partners support a growing team without expecting everyone to keep working exactly as they had when the business was much smaller.
Managing partner tip
Look for processes that depend on one person or still require unnecessary partner involvement. Those are practical places to begin adding structure before further growth makes them harder to manage.
Treat mentorship as an investment in future growth
Mentorship takes time, but Shira Katz Scanlon sees that investment as part of building a stronger firm. At MKSS, the partners regularly work with law students, giving them opportunities to learn from experienced attorneys and understand how the firm operates.
That approach has had a practical benefit for the firm. MKSS’s first associate initially joined through Drexel University’s co-op program. When she later became an attorney at the firm, she already understood its people, procedures, and expectations.
For Shira, the investment also supports the firm’s long-term reputation. Younger attorneys represent the business and the quality of its work, so helping them develop is part of protecting what the partners have built.
Managing partner tip
Look at how your firm develops junior attorneys before they’re expected to work independently. Investing time in mentorship early can help establish the standards and working habits you want them to carry forward.
Expand without losing what makes the firm work
Shira sees opportunities for MKSS to grow beyond its current locations, including the possibility of opening additional offices. But she isn’t interested in expansion simply for the sake of adding locations.
Her goal is to bring the firm’s approach to new markets while maintaining the culture and working environment the partners have established. That means being selective about opportunities and making sure the conditions are right for sustainable growth.
Managing partner tip
Before opening another office or entering a new market, identify which parts of your firm’s operating model would need to carry over. Consider whether you have the leadership, staffing, and systems to support them.
The FocusWorks perspective: Show prospective clients what your values mean for them
A firm’s values can also strengthen its marketing when they help prospective clients understand how the firm actually works.
Many law firm websites make similar claims about responsiveness, collaboration, and client service. Those statements have limited value unless the firm can explain what they mean for someone considering hiring an attorney.
Instead of saying a firm values communication, for example, its website could explain its actual procedures for keeping clients informed. If lawyers regularly collaborate on matters, attorney biographies or service pages could describe how that process works and when clients may benefit from it.
The examples need to reflect real practices, not promises created for marketing.
This gives potential clients more useful information about the firm’s approach and helps them assess whether it is a good fit for their needs.
Shira’s experience demonstrates the importance of translating values into real decisions. In marketing, the next step is communicating those practices clearly enough that prospective clients can understand what makes the firm different.
Hear more from Shira Katz Scanlon on The Managing Partner’s Table, including how MKSS’s values have influenced its staffing, operations, and approach to future growth.
🎧 Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
🎥 Watch the full episode here → YouTube
