Ideas in the Wild: How Eric Farber is Moving the Legal Industry Forward By Shifting the Focus to Culture

Most lawyers don’t set out to be business owners. They become business owners when they open their own law firm, and from that point forward, their work tends to become disconnected and chaotic. They’re so busy with HR, bookkeeping, and marketing that they’re lucky to have twenty minutes a day to work on cases. Many lawyers are drowning, which contributes to the profession’s unsettling levels of alcoholism, drug addiction, and depression.

Eric Farber knows what it feels like to be, as he puts it, “running in scarcity.” He did it for years before discovering the secret to turning things around: putting culture first.

In The Case for Culture: How to Stop Being a Slave to Your Law Firm, Grow Your Practice, and Actually Be Happy, Eric gives lawyers the wisdom and tools they need to transform themselves and their culture. By creating a community of people and rallying them around a shared mission, readers can build a law practice that will take care of them, not the other way around.

I recently sat down with Eric to learn when he decided to write the book, his favorite idea that he shares with readers, and how that idea has impacted his life and work.

What happened that made you decide to write the book? What was the exact moment when you realized these ideas needed to get out there?

I’ve always focused on doing things a bit differently. Our niche in law is just known for bad customer service and my partner and I knew that it was ripe for a change. I was trying very hard to keep people around. In the early stages of our company, our wages were so low and I knew this wasn’t helping to stop our turnover. I understood to pay more I had to scale the business. I was reading every book I could get my hands on to learn how to build a business, offer great customer service, etc., and every great book I read really came back to culture.

Companies that got through and were getting through the Great Recession were all employing a different strategy. There were patterns to their success and culture. Treating people well, creating mission, instilling principles and values — those were the patterns I saw. Books on growing and scaling law firms really didn’t address this at all. They discussed focusing on a niche and creating systems, but little gave little direction about building a culture.

Michael Mogill invited me to speak at the Crisp Game Changers Summit about our growth through culture. After I got off stage, several people approached me in person and I got a slew of emails. I knew people were hungry to hear more. Michael had just written The Game Changing Attorney and told me, “You have to do something more here.”

I’d explored writing a book, but this time was different. What I realized at the conference was that the industry of law, if it wants to keep up and actually serve clients properly, needs a massive shift in mindset to concentrate on people. This idea needed to reach a wider audience, and to do that, I knew it was time to put these ideas to paper.

What’s your favorite specific, actionable idea in the book?

The Case for Culture has some actionable ideas, but it is really not a “how to guide.” It’s more a collection of philosophies and concepts about focusing on the human needs of people and how we implemented them. However, if there is one specific actionable idea, it’s this: in order for any change to happen, it has to start with the owner of the firm and it must be authentic.

As the owner, remember that you are running two businesses: the one you are and the one you envision in the future. I say two because you are managing the current business in the way to become the future business someday. Don’t lose sight of that second business.

What’s a story of how you’ve applied this lesson in your own life? What has this lesson done for you?

To successfully run two businesses, I wake up early every day and spend time caring for myself through meditation and working out. Having distraction-free time when I can work on my business is invaluable. We only get 24 hours in the day — I use mine to shape my future.

To learn more about building a thriving culture at your law firm, you can find The Case for Culture: How to Stop Being a Slave to Your Law Firm, Grow Your Practice, and Actually Be Happy on Amazon.