Workplace culture shifted significantly during the pandemic, which isn’t just true for the corporate world. Law firms are trying new ways to retain employees, help them attain fulfillment, and experimenting with new structures outside the traditional hierarchy.
Tara Malek is an Idaho licensed attorney practicing in state and federal court in business and commercial litigation and is the chief litigator and co-owner at Smith + Malek. Smith + Malek is an Idaho business law firm with practice areas in real estate, healthcare, business, HR and employment, natural resources, and litigation.
Join Davina as she interviews Tara, exploring the unique structure of Smith + Malek, her firm’s profit-sharing model, how they’re able to create a culture of trust and collaboration, and why they’ve gone against the legal grain and taken the “flat hierarchy” approach.
Show Highlights:
- The unique structure of Tara’s law firm and what she thinks are the biggest issues with the traditional partnership path
- Why there is a disparity between men and women as equity partners in the legal field and how Tara’s firm is working to create a more equitable environment
- Her profit-sharing model, collaborative atmosphere, and rewarding positive behavior
- What prompted the firm’s owners to eliminate origination fees for people bringing in business
- How she lets clients know they’re hiring the firm--not an individual attorney
- Creating a culture of trust, collaboration, and family friendliness
- The “flat hierarchy” model and why it’s different from the traditional law firm hierarchy
- What it takes to have fulfilled employees
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What if you could hang out with successful women lawyers, ask them about growing their firms, managing resources like time, team and systems, mastering money issues, and more; then take an insight or two to help you build a wealth-generating law firm? That’s what we do each week on the Wealthy Woman Lawyer podcast. Hosted by Davina Frederick, founder and CEO of Wealthy Woman Lawyer –– every episode is an in-depth look at how to think like a CEO, attract clients who you love to serve (and will pay you on time), and create a profitable, sustainable firm you love. The goal is to give you the information you need to scale your law firm business from 6 to 7 figures in gross annual revenue so you can fully fund, and still have time to enjoy, the lifestyle of your dreams.