TRANSFORMATIONAL BUSINESS RESULTS
ELEVATED CULTURE AND MORALE

Business Case Study
Law Firm Business Growth and Culture Project

Executive Summary

Virgin Hickman LLC was experiencing lower morale due to the challenges of working through the pandemic, the team felt disconnected, and some people in the company were also negatively affecting team morale. A goal was to hire and retain people that aligned with the vision of the organization. The owner was focused on growing the business, increasing profit margin, and increasing his own leadership effectiveness and well-being. Virgin Hickman engaged Arrive At Happy LLP to coach the owner one-on-one, motivate and inspire the entire team, train the lawyers to be better leaders, as well as train the support staff. As a result of this 6-month engagement, the firm increased revenue and profit, and the entire organization was inspired and educated about how positive psychology can improve their well-being and success. The lawyers were trained on how to increase and sustain a positive and happy work culture where morale is high, and people are engaged.

Situation
Virgin Hickman LLC Business Goals – November 2021

·       Goal of growing business by increasing revenues, improving profitability, and improving expense control.

·       Educating the entire team on the firm’s economics so that they appreciate and understand the financials and decision making.

·       Increase client diversity and client base to lower risk and increase revenues for the future. Goal of growing the family law division of the organization.

·       Recruit, hire, and retain talent to grow the business and increase morale and well-being.

·       Replace Human Resource contractor with permanent placement to ensure continuity in the HR funcion

·       Train lawyers to improve communicating expectations and monitoring productivity for the virtual legal assistants. In addition, lawyers need to improve their leadership skills to motivate the team and understand generational differences.

·       Elevate the morale and motivation of the legal assistants and paralegals.

·       Increase morale and motivation by communicating where the firm is headed in the future

Owner’s Goals

·       Reduction of administrative work volume that owner executes.

·       Increase involvement of top performing lawyer and leader in the firm to become partner with a successful succession plan.

·       Lower chronic stress and overwhelm.

·       Complete backlog of recorded billing.

·       Improve physical and mental health habits to be in optimal shape to run the company and be personally thriving. Goal of consistent exercise, meditation, healthy sleep hygiene and healthy nutrition with focus and tenacity.

·       Elevating people leadership skills and stay consistently focused on increasing revenues and improving profit.

·       Utilize valuable network more consistently to support firm growth.

How customer discovered Arrive At Happy, LLP
Mark Virgin was introduced to Tia Graham, Founder, and her company, Arrive At Happy, LLP by Lisa Hamilton, Partner at Hamilton Fabbro LLC. Mark joined one of Tia’s Leadership Masterclass Series and read her book, Be a Happy Leader. He then engaged Arrive At Happy for a 6-month engagement.

Actions

·       Mark Virgin purchased copies of Tia Graham’s leadership book, Be a Happy Leader, for the entire company and gifted it to everyone at the December 2021 annual holiday party & team member appreciation event.

·       Tia coached Mark one-on-one for the duration of the partnership.

·       Tia gave a firmwide keynote, Harness the Power of Happiness, on January 11, 2022, and led four Leadership Masterclasses for all the lawyers in the firm motivating and teaching them how to develop as a leader. She provided resources for them to use in their daily work and when meeting with their direct reports.

·       The paralegals partook in a Professional Development Program that included topics such as personal accountability, thinking outside the box, and efficiency. The administrative group partook in a Professional Development Program that included topics such as motivation, personal accountability, and empowerment.

·       The firm created an internal Chief Happiness Officer position and Tia had one-on-one professional development calls with her and provided resources.

·       Assessed firm management structure, which resulted in hiring a Chief Operating Officer (COO), a new position, and an internal Human Resource Director. As a result of having a COO role and identifying the shining stars in the team, it created more time and focus on diversifying the client portfolio and business development strategies.

·       Created new super team structures with the aim of capitalizing on the skills of experienced staff and affording the opportunity to develop newer team members. Helped to increase team connection, comradery, and alignment. These super teams increase profitability.

·       The entire firm conducted an engagement and well-being survey in September 2022. 

Business Outcomes

·       11% increase in revenue growth (January – June 2022 vs. 2021)

·       51% increase in profit margin growth (January – June 2022 vs 2021)

·       September 2022 Engagement Survey: 81% of people know exactly what is expected of them, 71% of employees are receiving recognition and praise several times each month, and 76% of employees feel that someone at work is encouraging their professional development, and 85% of employees have a friend at work.

If you are interested in learning more about how Arrive At Happy, LLP partners with organizations to help them grow by creating a culture of happiness and engagement, contact:
contact@arriveathappy.com
+1 323 532 1115
www.arriveathappy.com