Why Building a Law Practice Makes You a Better Lawyer: Eye-Opening Perspectives from Scott C. Pappas

Quotes:

1. "If you live like a lawyer when you're a student, you're going to live like a student when you're a lawyer. I will tell you, the novelty of the money wears off when you're miserable at your desk."

2. "I'm not positioning lawyers for success at Omnus. I'm positioning them for fulfillment in the practice of law. So what does that mean? It's practicing great law, but being able to enjoy a great life outside of the law."

3. "A lot of people feel that in order to be a great lawyer, it has to involve great personal sacrifice. And you could be committed to the practice, but at what point did it require us to give up everything else around us to thrive as a lawyer?"

4. "Law firms traditionally don't bill well - they may bill a lot, but we've institutionalized practices that allow us to communicate in real time any changes in scope of the engagement, any changes in budget, any changes in personnel handling the matter. The billable hour incentivizes the wrong behavior. Our process is really designed to minimize the friction between attorneys and clients."

5. "A lot of law firms talk about change, but are really reluctant. When we think about innovation, innovation isn't an act - innovation is a mindset. I would encourage those law firms to start their own innovation lab, looking at every operational process that's manual in their law firm and seeing what can be automated."