The Obvious Growth Move Isn’t Always the Right One

There are a lot of things law firm owners assume they’re supposed to do as they grow.

Get the bigger office. Move into the bigger market. Add more locations. Stay close to the firm so you can keep an eye on everything.

Some of those decisions might be right for you.

But I’ve watched enough firms grow to know there’s a difference between making a decision because it supports the business you’re building and making it because that’s what a successful law firm is “supposed” to look like.

Bryce McPartland is a good example.

Bryce is a friend, an Array client, and a member of our Managing Partners Mastermind. He runs McPartland Law Offices, a personal injury firm headquartered in Moses Lake, Washington, with another office in Spokane and plans to continue expanding.

Bryce, however, lives seven hours away in Montana.

A few years ago, he and his wife started thinking about where they actually wanted to raise their kids and decided to move, knowing there was a chance the business would take a hit.

It didn’t.

He spends about 10 to 12 days a month in Washington when the work requires it, and says the firm’s productivity and revenue have continued growing year over year.

He wanted to live somewhere else. So instead of letting the firm make that decision for him, he built a team and operating model that could support it.

That same thinking shows up in where he puts the firm itself.

Bryce’s Spokane office used to be downtown in a highly competitive legal market. He said it was difficult to stand out there, so they eventually moved about five miles south, still within the city.

That move alone made a difference in how the office appeared in Google map searches. Now, as they look at another location, they’re thinking about positioning again before deciding where to go.

I have this conversation with law firm owners ALL the time.

Everyone wants the big market. Atlanta. Dallas. Downtown in whatever major city they’re trying to enter.

Maybe that’s the right move, but you could also be walking into a market where firms have spent years building their presence and have a much bigger budget to defend it. Meanwhile, there may be submarkets just outside that area with plenty of opportunity and a very different competitive landscape.

And your clients probably don’t care whether your address looks impressive on a business card.

Bryce pointed out that plenty of people would actually rather not go downtown. Traffic, parking, and accessibility all add friction to visiting your office. Sometimes being slightly outside the obvious location makes the experience easier for the people you’re trying to serve.

So if you’re thinking about opening another office, don’t start with the building.

Start with the market.

One of the worst times to ask your marketing team what they think about your new office is after you’ve already signed the lease.

We have firms come to us with a space they like. I’d rather reverse that conversation.

Let us help you identify the areas worth considering. Then go find the office.

We do this kind of research with Array clients because location can affect the marketing strategy around that office. Before you sign anything, look at the competitive landscape, existing local search presence, accessibility for your clients, and how that location fits into the market you’re trying to reach.

That doesn’t mean downtown is bad.
It doesn’t mean smaller markets are always better.

It means “this seems like where we should be” isn’t much of a strategy.

Bryce and I got into a lot more about the decisions he’s made while building McPartland Law, from where he lives and where the firm expands to the team and culture that make it possible

There’s no single model for what a successful law firm has to look like.

Make the decisions that support the business, clients, and life you’re actually trying to build.

Until next week,
Kevin

P.S. We’re on the road this week! The Array team is at WILBYBETTY and Beyond 8, so if you’re here with us, come find us and say hi! We’re always up for meeting other owners and hearing what you’re working on.

A few other places where we share ideas, conversations, and resources: