In this month’s Fast Company, there is an interesting profile of a law firm from LA called Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges which is making waves in the legal industry for being less formal and actually having a personality. Unlike other firms, they focus only on business litigation, take some cases on contingency, and have an on-staff barista. The photos in the article show a business that looks a lot like a Silicon Valley startup environment where all the lawyers are wearing (gasp!) jeans. A part of their story is a decentralized structure and far fewer management layers … but I suspect an even greater element is the fact that they have a powerful recruiting story to tell.
What lawyer stuck in a stiff and formal environment wouldn’t dream of working at a firm like Quinn Emanuel? When you are the envy of your industry, recruiting the best people is far easier. If you can get the best people and let them do what they do best, you can have the best company. It’s not a difficult formula, and it all starts with personality for this law firm shaking up their industry and making millions along the way. And it just might inspire you to think differently about what you do everyday as well. After all, if a law firm can understand and use the power of personality, what’s holding you back?
* The photo above is used without permission from the Fast Company article online. If they sue me, maybe I’ll try to hire Quinn Emanuel to represent me …