The Business Side Of Law: Jeniffer Carson of CMBG3 Law PC On 5 Things You Need To Create Or Lead A Successful Law Firm | by Eric L. Pines | Medium

An Interview With Eric Pines

Prioritize and Respect Clients. You have chosen a career in service. Cater to their needs and demands. Create systems to ensure continuous and meaningful contact with them to keep them apprised. Recognize that most legal issues — even sophisticated clients– comes with emotion, fears, pressures, and worries. As an attorney you must accept the client as an entire human being and address their worries head on. Treat them the way you would want to be treated. Story: We had a corporate client. The decision maker was the owner and founder. He was intelligent, accomplished but had a tough and untrusting temperament making him difficult, accusatory, and demanding. I sat him down, confronted him about what made him “mad, sad, worried, etc.” and engaged him in an honest dialogue about his fears, where they came from and how it related to the work we were doing for him. He revealed that his father had raised him to not trust attorneys because of an experience he had. He was worried about the impact of the litigation on his company, his employees, and his legacy. He went from being one of our most difficult clients to one that trusted us implicitly. Lawyers are called counselors for a reason.

Law school primarily prepares lawyers for the practice of law. But leading or starting a law firm requires so much more than that. It requires the entrepreneurial skills that any CEO would need to run a business; how to manage personnel, how to hire and fire, how to generate leads, how to advertise, how to manage finances, etc. On the business side of law, what does an attorney need to know to create a successful and thriving law practice? To address these questions, we are talking to successful law firm principals who can share stories and insights from their experience about the “5 Things You Need To Create Or Lead A Successful Law Firm”.

As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jeniffer Carson.

Jeniffer Carson is co-founder and CEO of CMBG3 Law PC, a national NAMWOLF majority women-owned and led law firm that provides practical and innovative legal solutions involving complex issues related to science, medicine, and regulatory laws. CMBG3 Law is headquartered in Boston and has offices and teams across the United States. Jeniffer Carson began practicing in 1999 and has developed a reputation as a go-to problem solver in high-risk litigation. Jeniffer Carson is skilled at breaking down barriers and delivering strategic approaches that drive resolution in the most difficult situations.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you ended up where you are? Specifically, we’d love to hear the story of how you began to lead your practice.

Asa first generation American and granddaughter of a genocide survivor, I was raised to respect the opportunity this country affords its people and that lawyers were the bedrock of ensuring a just society. Practicing law was a calling for me; no matter how trite that sounds. I spent summers watching trials in courtrooms instead of going to the beach like a normal high schooler. After graduating law school, I worked briefly for an insurance company and then went to work at a small litigation firm in Boston. After nearly 17 years there, I learned that the values of the leader shape culture which has a direct impact on employees and clients. A difference in values became the catalyst for why I along with my 5 other co-founders launched our own firm at the end of 2016. Since that time, we have grown from a 6-person firm in Boston to a nationwide team quickly approaching 100 people. It was a scary step but one that we were compelled to take to ensure dignity for our team and respect for our clients. If you told me in law school that I would someday start and be co-owner of a 100-person nationwide law firm, I would have laughed and assumed you were thinking of the wrong person. It was never the plan. I wanted to be in the courtroom and maybe become a judge. The universe had other ideas.

I’m a huge fan of mentorship throughout one’s career. None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Who has been your biggest mentor? What was the most valuable lesson you learned from them?

I have been fortunate to have multiple mentors in my life. First and foremost, I credit my fellow co-founders. We have all played a role in mentoring one another so I would be remiss not mentioning Bryna Misiura, Kendra Bergeron, John Gardella, David Goldman, and Brendan Gaughan among my mentors. As a young lawyer, Judy Perritano, Bernard Guekguezian, Frank Lynch, Richard Kirby, Special Master Maria Walsh, Hon. Charles Hely, David McMorris, Ed Wallace and many more. From each, I learned not only about the technical aspects of practicing law but the practical impact and considerations of navigating the justice system. As an entrepreneur, my husband, my parents, my uncle and cousins have all played a role in helping shape my understanding and knowledge. From afar I have been inspired by Simon Sinek, Judy Smith and Bob Iger whose stories shaped my approach to leadership. The most valuable lessons each have given me can be summed up best as: respect the law but make change when change is needed, to lead with integrity and humanity, and whatever happens true friends reveal themselves in the hardest of times.

From completing your degree to opening a practice and becoming a business owner, your path was most likely challenging. Can you share a story about one of your greatest struggles? Can you share what you did to overcome it?

Practicing law is hard. Entrepreneurship is hard. Doing both is a struggle because you never feel you have given enough to any role in your life. There are so many stories, but this one might illustrate best. In 2019, the firm went through a large growth spurt by adding multiple employees and clients, we had multiple high-risk trials going on in several states, our firm was in trial with our former boss, my children were at pivotal transition years for teens and 5 family members had acute medical crises. As a business owner, practicing lawyer, daughter, wife, friend and mother, juggling it all almost broke me. I would love to say I overcame it all by sheer grit, determination, discipline, and strategic thinking and although some of that is true, I asked for and accepted help from the many talented and gracious teammates, colleagues, mentors, friends and family who were willing to offer support. Once you face the things you are afraid of and survive a year like that, you realize you can handle much more than you think, and we are capable of overcoming hard things when we work together, show our vulnerabilities and allow others to shine when you can’t. Sometimes growth is forced upon you and if you allow it to teach you, it will lead you forward to bigger and better places in ways you may not have thought possible.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story about how that was relevant in your own life?

“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” FDR. The story I explained above about 2019 applies to this quote. Although there were much more important problems in the world, that was a difficult year personally. By the end of that year, I was admittedly drained and running on fumes. The quote reminds us that there is no greatness without the struggle. That year galvanized our team. It should have broken us, it should have divided us but instead it made us stronger, more trusting of one another and gave us perspective that made us not only much better lawyers and business owners, but leaders. Knowing you can overcome all the things you fear, is a gift.

This is not easy work. What is your primary motivation and drive behind the work that you do?

Our team and our clients are my inspiration. There is injustice every day in this world. Some injustices are bigger (like my grandparents experiencing genocide) and more impactful than others but everyone is harmed when we allow even smaller injustices go unchecked. I wanted to be a lawyer since a young age, I fell in love with the ideals of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It is a calling for me and no matter how important or unimportant the issue, I am driven to bring justice to any situation I find myself in. I can’t promise justice will always be served, but I can promise I will do anything in my power to make a difference for our team and our clients. That is my why.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I can’t discuss confidential client work but for the firm, I am most excited about three primary initiatives:

1. Growing our next generation of leaders and lawyers. Our firm is heavily invested in leadership training to protect the unique law firm culture we created;
2. Strategic partnerships focused on expanding the talent pool to non-traditional hires such as the neurodivergent population;
3. CMBG3 Cares is our charitable division. Giving back to the community is a core value of our firm. When we opened our doors in 2016 the owners made a commitment to do a monthly pro bono or charitable act. We have kept it up ever since and I am proud of the many, many ways we have contributed charitably and the many pro bono cases we take on.

Fantastic. Let’s now shift to discussing the business of law. Can you tell us a bit about the nature of your practice and what you focus on?

When we launched our firm our primary focus was asbestos and talc litigation. These are claims where an individual develops an illness, normally cancer, and sues multiple companies for causing it through alleged exposure to products they may have made, sold or distributed. That area of law is complex, fast-paced and involves sophisticated knowledge not only of law but of toxicology, oncology, mineralogy, microscopy, particle science, inhalation and dose diseases, industrial hygiene, genetic disorders, military supply chain, and a myriad of other medical and scientific issues that intersect with the law. It is fascinating work. The knowledge and experience from asbestos litigation paved the way to expanding into any legal matter that required sophisticated understanding of science, medicine and regulated industries by the EPA, FDA, OSHA, ADA. Our firm handles product and premises liability, environmental, class actions, employment, abuse, harassment, discrimination and more. Our national strategic litigation counsel practice (where a company is sued by multiple litigants in different cases across the country) brings all of these areas together and affords us a high-level understanding of nationwide trends.

You are a successful attorney. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? What unique qualities do you have that others may not? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1. Work Ethic: I entered the legal industry at a time when litigators were expected to be warriors. We were not trained; we were handed a file, an account, a trial and told to go figure it out. I took responsibility for a client’s legal matter personally. I still do. I lived a very singular focused life for a long time. Today it’s common to hear about work-life balance but being a litigator is a commitment to your clients and sometimes that means sacrifice. There is an unhealthy level that I don’t expect or advocate for but when law students decide to pursue litigation, they must understand that it is not a 9–5 lifestyle. If that doesn’t energize you, and if the challenge doesn’t excite you, then it’s not the right fit.
2. Courage and Diplomacy: Litigation, even civil litigation, is not a tea party. Lawyers are yelled at by everyone from judges to clients. Courts can be intimidating places and litigators can be abusive, mean spirited and justice is not always served. You must be willing to take a stand that is often not popular and usually comes with some level of personal risk (financial or ego based). That said, assertiveness and combativeness is not what it always takes. You need equal parts diplomacy skills and willingness to yield when appropriate. Choosing what version of your personality is needed for the situation at hand and being able to toggle from compromise to standing your ground is an essential trait.
3. Innovative: Innovation as an entrepreneur is expected but innovation in law isn’t always common. I believe in innovative strategies, and I don’t like clients to leave a legal situation losing faith in the justice system. That is a tall order, so we innovate. As an example, a client of ours was facing an uphill battle with archaic liability laws. We couldn’t bring justice to them through litigation. So, we tried legislative options instead and we challenged the law itself. Other examples are less dramatic, where we use legal strategies, relationships, and other resources to drive creative solutions to ordinary litigation. We are justice focused and if the standard playbook doesn’t work, we will move to other options.

Do you think where you went to school has any bearing on your success? How important is it for a lawyer to go to a top-tier school?

I graduated from Suffolk University School of Law. It prepared me well and I would recommend it but it isn’t considered an ivy. When I look at candidates, I am looking at the entire picture. In my experience, litigators need intellect and grit. The school they came from is just a singular data point that tells me very little about a person. I suspect I am in the minority on my opinion. Up and coming lawyers interested in big law or certain types of career paths, must understand that “pedigree” still matters at some institutions. It just doesn’t to me. I have seen great lawyers come from the best and worst schools. I care more about a candidate’s work ethic, life experiences, perspective, skills, experience, and values than I do where they graduated.

Managing being a law practitioner and a business owner is a constant balancing act. How do you manage both roles?

Hire and retain great people and trust them to do their job. It is a constant tug of war. I love my clients and I love practicing law but I have learned to be realistic about what I can and cannot accomplish. For us, all clients are staffed with a full team and I step in on critical roles when needed and where I can make the most impact. It is hard to give up practicing in the more traditional way, but my role is different now. It is equally rewarding especially watching the next generation rise and ideally exceed what I was able to do.

Can you help articulate the entrepreneurial skills a lawyer needs to run and lead a successful law firm?

There are so many skills it is hard to articulate them all, but here are just some:

1. Intuitive understanding of your team, your clients and the industry
2. Agility and adaptability. Law is a fluctuating market with no status quo so you must adapt and pivot quickly
3. Leadership qualities and keen understanding of human beings and what motivates, drives and engages them
4. Willingness to take the fall and accept responsibility
5. Business acumen and financial knowledge and understanding the drivers and levers that affect your business
6. Exceptional communication skills in all circumstances and strong and clear articulation of values
7. Visible and trustworthy presence and thick skinned, self-awareness of flaws and shortcomings
8. Growth mindset, stamina, and discipline
9. Strong operational organizational knowledge
10. Understanding of AI and cyber security issues
11. Strong understanding of ethical guidelines and the Code of Professional Conduct
12. A great executive coach and/or mentor(s)

There are far too many to list, but I am happy to share the wisdom I have acquired from my journey with anyone interested in going down this road.

As a business owner you spend most of your time working IN your practice, seeing clients. When and how do you shift to working ON your practice? (Marketing, upgrading systems, growing your practice, etc.) How much time do you spend on the business elements?

I try to maintain a 60/40 balance (CEO/Attorney) because that is what the firm needs from me now. I set one day a week with no meetings to focus on running the business. The key is not being the only person who can attend to an issue and to always be working to replace yourself. There has to be a redundant system to handle things you cannot get to either as CEO or as an attorney.

Can you share some specific, non intuitive insights from your personal experience about how a leader of a law firm should manage personnel, hire and fire, generate leads, advertise, and manage finances?

Manage personnel: Start from a place of trust. Most people want to achieve and do the right thing. Until they prove untrustworthy, set the goal and let them get there their way. Keep tabs for accountability but trust people to do their jobs.

Hire and fire: Hire carefully for work ethic and aligned values. Skills can be taught, experience can be obtained. Fire anyone who violates your values regardless of skill set, even high performers. If your values are not aligned, it won’t work out. Holding onto talent that is not aligned with your most reliable and best performers will alienate them and breed resentment. Embrace your critics to improve what is not working but if an employee is negative after efforts to address their concerns then remove them quickly.

Generate leads: Hold yourself out as resource. Help people and the work will eventually come. Do a good job. Remember as a lawyer, you are in a service industry. Act like it.

Advertise: Don’t. Do presentations. Write articles. Be involved in your community.

Manage finances: Lawyers are notoriously bad at the business side of law. Get educated and hire a skilled CFO earlier than you think you need to do it.

Ok, thank you. Here is the main question of our interview about the business side of law. What are your “6 Things An Attorney Needs To Know In Order To Create A Successful And Thriving Law Practice”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Prioritize and Respect Clients. You have chosen a career in service. Cater to their needs and demands. Create systems to ensure continuous and meaningful contact with them to keep them apprised. Recognize that most legal issues — even sophisticated clients– comes with emotion, fears, pressures, and worries. As an attorney you must accept the client as an entire human being and address their worries head on. Treat them the way you would want to be treated. Story: We had a corporate client. The decision maker was the owner and founder. He was intelligent, accomplished but had a tough and untrusting temperament making him difficult, accusatory, and demanding. I sat him down, confronted him about what made him “mad, sad, worried, etc.” and engaged him in an honest dialogue about his fears, where they came from and how it related to the work we were doing for him. He revealed that his father had raised him to not trust attorneys because of an experience he had. He was worried about the impact of the litigation on his company, his employees, and his legacy. He went from being one of our most difficult clients to one that trusted us implicitly. Lawyers are called counselors for a reason.
2. Understand human nature: You cannot lead if you cannot look in the mirror and admit your failings and flaws. Starting a business means becoming a leader. Become a student of leadership and humanity and engage in continuous education. I have been managing other people since 1999. No two people are built the same way but there are patterns that emerge. Learning to understand people and how to build relationships across the organization is key to any successful business especially when onboarding many people at one time. Learning how to integrate teams and maintain culture is critical. Story: When we decided to launch a California office just one year after opening our firm, we learned the hard way that even though lawyers who work in the same practice area who have known one another for a long time will not do things the same way. Blending culture requires a leader’s involvement and understanding of human interactions. It takes time to blend groups and you have to plan a deliberate strategy for doing so. We brought the entire team in to meet our Boston team and spent a few days engaging in team building formally and informally. It helped get things started off right but it requires constant maintenance and attention from leadership.
3. See opportunity, not obstacles: If you launched a business, you are likely comfortable with risk. Most professionals are wise enough to perceive risks, and most will allow those risks to prevent them from taking chances. Starting a business requires taking calculated risks. Most people will see obstacles, but if you have considered their concerns and can plan for those risks, then listen to your own voice. Story: Shortly after we opened our firm, we were approached by other partnership groups to join our team. We had one east coast group, and one west coast group interested in us. We couldn’t do both. Advisors said to go with the more known team that was closer geographically. We chose to go with the riskier chance of on the west coast. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it in the end. Sometimes you have to go against conventional wisdom and take a chance. Just do it thoughtfully and plan properly, adjust when you need and don’t give up at the first hurdle.
4. Know your business: To run a business you need to have at least partial knowledge of all the roles it takes to run the organization. You can hire someone to do most anything but to run a law practice you have to have some understanding of every driver and role in the organization so you can spot when things are not working right. The leader can never take their eyes off an area or sector of the firm. They all impact one another and the leader has to be the glue that keeps the team bonded and the one who removes barriers when others can’t do it alone. You have to stay big picture and out of the day-to-day by trusting your team but on top of things enough to know when it’s not working and then retool. Story: A simple example of this is understanding that when you bring in new business you must plan the impact on hiring and staffing. If the business development team doesn’t communicate its plans and results to the workload and hiring teams then the system breaks down and you can overwhelm the team. All operations of the organization impact one another.
5. Grow selectively: At some point in the organization you will no longer have to take every opportunity handed to you. Choose what you expend resources on wisely. Growth for growth’s sake isn’t worthwhile. Know why you are growing and manage the scale. Story: We launched an office while in the middle of a lot of other activity and growth for the firm. It was unplanned but the opportunity presented itself and the infrastructure was taxed. We learned from that experience and made sure growth aligned with our long-term vision and that the infrastructure impact is planned thoughtfully. We have turned many partnership groups down who have wanted to join us since then and become selective to ensure we grow wisely.
6. Invest in Infrastructure from the beginning: Plan your business wisely and hire experienced CFOs, HR professionals and technology experts. These are not areas you want to learn while doing as they can lead to serious and costly mistakes. Story: We started humbly having the 6-founders handle various aspects of the business operations. We quickly realized that some things are best left to people with experience and expertise. In the years we tried to handle on our own, we managed but when we added those with professional training and experience, we had to revamp systems, change software and start over on procedures. We managed but had we done it from the beginning we would have avoided some costs and wasted efforts.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

The civil litigation process is archaic and does not lend itself to efficient resolution of legal matters nor always result in justice. Courts are overwhelmed and understaffed. Some states still elect judges leading to potential corruption through campaign contributions. Law firms and litigants use PR tactics to generate lawsuits and influence opinions that affect cases. Cameras in the courtroom change dynamics. Civil litigation and unlimited appeals allows litigants to use the courts to harass people. AI is being used to generate victim impact statements and make oral arguments in cases in courts around the country. There are many issues that the system was not designed to address and it is time for the legal community to take a hard look at the way we have always done things and innovate to improve not only efficiency but critically to ensure justice. This is especially true the more AI and the media play a role in the justice system.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

My LinkedIn profile and our website (soon to be overhauled) but I am always open to a meeting or call too.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!