As I set out to build a new cloud-based law firm, I conducted extensive research, but also drew heavily on my experiences working at a large, successful cloud-based law firm, my time in solo and small firm practice, and my time in the Navy. One thing that I was not inhibited by was the traditional big-law mindset of “this is the way that it’s done” and its associated prejudices. I was focusing on providing service to a different client group and could therefore focus on building the best platform to service those clients, instead of the trappings of the traditional “law firm centric” model.
Parlatore Law Group is recruiting across a broad base of practice areas for the purpose of providing a comprehensive legal solution to small businesses and individuals. A friend of mine who had built a multi-million-dollar e-commerce business from scratch told me that when he was starting, he had three options:
- Pay over a thousand dollars an hour for a big firm that could handle all his needs.
- Pay a smaller local firm a more reasonable fee, but only receive deep expertise in a small number of distinct practice areas, or
- Figure it out on his own.
He had unfortunately tried figuring things out on his own and ended up spending over a thousand dollars an hour to fix the problems. Parlatore Law Group aims to be an entirely new choice — the quality and comprehensive services of option 1, at the price point of option 2, without the risks associated with option 3.
If a prospective client invents a widget, they should be able to come to Parlatore Law Group so that we can file for their patent, form their company, register their trademark, create their employment policies, handle the real estate for their new factory, coordinate the raising of capital, negotiate contracts, and if necessary, defend them against any litigation. Most importantly, Parlatore Law Group aims to provide this wide-ranging solution at the most competitive price possible.
Without the necessity of a central office location, there is more freedom in hiring. I began with the support staff by tapping into a very talented, but underutilized market; active duty military spouses. These men and women are very talented and motivated, but often have difficulty maintaining steady employment because their family relocates every few years based on the needs of the military. Because the entire support staff at Parlatore Law Group works remotely, we have hired active duty military spouses to fill all these roles.
The ideal attorney candidate to join Parlatore Law Group is an extremely wide and diverse group. Primarily, we are looking for motivated and talented attorneys who are team players. Some will be solo or small firm lawyers, looking to expand their capabilities. Others will be big-law attorneys looking to significantly increase their quality of life while simultaneously earning a higher compensation percentage. Some will even be lateral transfers from other cloud-based firms, looking for a different business strategy. While Parlatore Law Group’s recruiting efforts are broad based, there are two groups of attorneys that are frequently discriminated against by traditional firms, that Parlatore Law Group is actively looking to hire.
Attorneys who are also members of the National Guard or Reserves face unique challenges. Although federal law prohibits employment discrimination, these attorneys often face more subtle pressure to resign or pretexts for rejected job applications. When I was a solo practitioner, I had to take a step back from the Reserves because a potential mobilization would have been devastating to my clients and to my practice. Many other solo practitioners face similar problems. However, with a firm structure and culture like Parlatore Law Group’s that understands and appreciates the service of these reservists and national guardsmen, this does not have to be viewed as a liability. Parlatore Law Group’s hiring initiative seeks to employ a large number of reservists and national guardsmen and encourages them to continue their service while working for the firm. When one of our attorneys is mobilized, the rest of the team steps in to support that attorney and cover their work load while deployed. Upon their return, they are quickly reintegrated and supported to get back into the fold. Parlatore Law Group views military service as an added asset rather than the liability that our competitors often privately believe it to be but will never admit publicly.
Similarly, there are many attorneys, who are married to active duty military personnel and have encountered significant hurdles during the hiring process at traditional law firms. While most firms find excuses and pretext not to hire this incredibly talented group of attorneys, Parlatore Law Group embraces them.
With this structure and hiring initiative in place, Parlatore Law Group is ideally positioned to service start-ups and small businesses in a number of industries. However, with our significant connection with military and government service, our natural market is in the government and defense contracting industries. Parlatore Law Group’s strategic goals of providing a comprehensive legal solution to small businesses and individuals is perfectly supported by these hiring initiatives.
Written by: Timothy Parlatore