Starting your law firm is a bold and rewarding step, but it’s not one to take lightly. Beyond knowing the law, you’ll need to think like a business owner. From managing operations to building a client base, every decision matters. During Clio’s Innovate Legal online meetup, several experienced attorneys—including Christy Granieri of Freeburg & Granieri, APC—offered practical insights into launching and growing a successful practice.
This session kicked off Clio’s Building a Successful Law Firm series and highlighted lessons learned by attorneys who’ve navigated the challenges of starting their own firms.
The panel was hosted by Clio’s Senior Customer Marketing Manager, Derek Bolen, and featured five accomplished firm founders:
Each speaker brought a unique perspective to the table, offering candid insights into what worked, what didn’t, and what they wished they had known before starting their firms.
Having a clear, flexible business plan helps guide your practice forward. Several panelists emphasized the importance of outlining your target market, practice areas, service model, and financial expectations—even if those evolve.
Christy Granieri shared how her firm adopted a cloud-based model from the start, using Clio and its integrations to stay efficient. Automating routine tasks helped Freeburg & Granieri, APC reduce overhead, stay organized, and focus more time on client work.
Understanding your ethical responsibilities around confidentiality, billing practices, and client communication is essential. The panel encouraged new firm owners to proactively educate themselves on the rules to avoid costly missteps later.
Michelle Fonseca-Kamana demonstrated how lawyers can use Instagram, YouTube, and other social media to build meaningful connections. By sharing useful legal tips and insights, she developed a trusted online presence that drives referrals and client engagement.
Beau and Bryan Atkins of Evolve Family Law emphasized the benefits of flat-fee and unbundled services. Combined with standardized workflows, this approach enabled them to provide greater transparency to clients and greater predictability for their practice.
One key theme throughout the discussion was the importance of building a firm that aligns with your personal values and professional goals. Whether it’s how you communicate with clients or the kind of work culture you want to create, intentional decisions shape your firm’s identity from the beginning.
For many attorneys, this means choosing systems that promote transparency, maintaining a manageable caseload to preserve quality, or even redefining what success looks like outside of traditional metrics. As Christy Granieri noted, launching Freeburg & Granieri, APC was as much about creating a sustainable, ethical practice as it was about independence.
If you're starting your own firm, consider how your values can guide everything from your fee structure to the way you engage with clients. That authenticity often becomes one of your strongest business assets.
Starting a law firm is an exciting but complex process. This session gave attorneys a chance to hear real-world experiences from lawyers who have built successful practices from the ground up. Whether you’re in the early planning phase or actively preparing to launch, these insights can help you make more informed decisions and avoid common setbacks.
When dealing with employment-related legal matters—such as unpaid wages, workplace discrimination, or retaliation—working with experienced legal counsel makes all the difference. Freeburg & Granieri, APC combines in-depth legal knowledge with a practical, client-first approach.
The firm integrates modern legal technology with years of courtroom experience to provide clear, strategic guidance tailored to each client’s needs. Every matter is handled by an attorney committed to ethical advocacy and responsive representation.Schedule your free consultation today or visit Freeburg & Granieri, APC to learn more.
Our clients become friends, confidants, and repeat customers. Former clients are our best referral source.
Do not be a commodity, find an attorney who treats your legal issue with the care it deserves.
