Jonathan Hawkins

Over the years, I’ve advised 100s upon 100s lawyers and law firms. 

I've been a partner at 2 firms and founded (and am growing) my own firm. I have personally seen the many changes within a law firm and the effects they can have on a law practice. 

Here are some of the things I help lawyers with: 

✔️ Forming a partnership
✔️ Moving laterally to another law firm
✔️ Buying or merging a law firm
✔️ Dissolving a law firm
✔️ Succession planning
✔️ Transitioning or selling law practices
✔️ Protecting the firms owners have built 

I help law firms of all types. Contingency and hourly. Plaintiff and defense. Personal injury, criminal, family, immigration, you name it. Startups and established firms. True solos and firms with 100+ attorneys and 100s of employees. Small firms and firms with multiple offices in multiple states.

We have attorneys licensed throughout the country and also co-counsel when necessary. 

Sample of what clients have said: 

“I highly recommend Jonathan Hawkins and his firm, Law Firm GC. I am one of the owners of a small law firm (8 attorneys). I have hired Jonathan's firm to handle several matters for our firm (operating agreement revision, contract and engagement letter reviews, employment contracts, and others). Jonathan did a great job each time, and I would hire him again in the future if the need arose. I also frequently refer clients and colleagues to his firm.” – Jason Wiggam

“Our law firm has a national reputation and we are active in more than 40 states.  Whenever we have a question concerning General Counsel matters, we always turn to Jonathan.” – Michael Allen

Please follow or connect with me here. 

GO HERE to sign up for my weekly newsletter → www.lawfirmgc.com/newsletter

“Yours is the only regular email that I actually read. Every Friday. I read them all.”

“I’ve been loving the emails – they are the perfect length. And the content is ‘A plus’ level too!”

Founding Partner Podcast – Interviews with law firm founders and owners
YouTube: @LawFirmGC
Instagram: @lawfirmgeneralcounsel

* no attorney-client relationship is formed and my LinkedIn profile and posts are educational only and do not constitute and should not be considered legal advice *

Owner

I serve as Outside General Counsel to law firms. In that role, I counsel lawyers and law firms on risk management, law firm structuring, partnership agreements, employment agreements, lateral moves, separation agreements, law firm dissolutions, attorney fee disputes, employment issues, ethics advice, and buying, selling, or closing a practice.

Years ago I set a goal: $500K in new business.

Failed spectacularly.

So I set a different goal: 150 one-on-one meetings with lawyers and referral sources.

Hit $750K.

Here's what changed:

I stopped asking "How do I get more clients?"

Started asking "How many meetings can I schedule this week?"

Here's the problem with revenue goals:

You don't control them.

You can't force referrals. You can't manufacture urgent legal needs. You can't make prospects hire you faster.

So I stopped worrying about something that was not in my control.

And started tracking activities instead.

Things I measure now:

- Referral meetings/week
- LinkedIn posts/week
- Handwritten notes/month
- Podcast episodes released
- Email newsletters sent (sign up on my profile page)
- Monthly print newsletters sent (reach out & I'll add you)

Every single one is 100% in my control.

I can wake up Monday and decide: "I'm scheduling 3 coffee meetings this week."

Then I just... do it.

No hoping. No waiting. No checking if it "worked."

Just execution.

Revenue became a lagging indicator of consistent action.

You can't control if someone hires you.

But you absolutely can control: → Showing up → Publishing content → Building relationships → Staying visible

The business development you want tomorrow is built from the inputs you control today.

Focus on the actions. And the goals will follow.

I am the Founder of Law Firm GC and am a business/ethics lawyer to law firms and lawyers. 

Our firm's vision is to become the go-to national Outside General Counsel firm serving lawyers for lawyers and law firms.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐃𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡

I’ve seen up close the issues that arise from change within a law firm and the effects they can have on a law practice. 

My sweet spot is representing law firms and entrepreneurial law firm owners (and soon to be owners) of law firms ranging in size from 1 to 100 lawyers.

I represent law firms of all types. Contingency and hourly. Plaintiff and defense. Personal injury, criminal, family, immigration, you name it. Startups and established firms. True solos and firms with 100+ attorneys and 100s of employees. Small firms and firms with multiple offices in multiple states.

We have attorneys licensed throughout the country and also co-counsel when necessary. 

🔶Here are some of the things I help lawyers with: 🔶

✔️ Starting a firm
✔️ Forming a partnership
✔️ Moving laterally to another law firm
✔️ Buying or merging a law firm
✔️ Dissolving a law firm
✔️ Succession planning
✔️ Transitioning or selling law practices
✔️ Protecting firms owners have built

🔶 Sample of what clients have said: 🔶

✏️ “I highly recommend Jonathan Hawkins and his firm, Law Firm GC. I am one of the owners of a small law firm (8 attorneys). I have hired Jonathan's firm to handle several matters for our firm (operating agreement revision, contract and engagement letter reviews, employment contracts, and others). Jonathan did a great job each time, and I would hire him again in the future if the need arose. I also frequently refer clients and colleagues to his firm.” – Jason Wiggam

✏️ “Our law firm has a national reputation and we are active in more than 40 states.  Whenever we have a question concerning General Counsel matters, we always turn to Jonathan.” – Michael Allen

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐎𝐮𝐭

Please follow or connect with me here. I’m always looking to meet attorneys and law firm owners and share what I’ve seen and learned. 

Founding Partner Podcast – Interviews with law firm founders and owners

YouTube: @LawFirmGC

Newsletter: yourlawfirmgc.com/newsletter

✏️ “Yours is the only regular email that I actually read. Every Friday. I read them all.”

✏️ “I’ve been loving the emails – they are the perfect length. And the content is ‘A plus’ level too!”

* no attorney-client relationship is formed and my LinkedIn profile and posts are educational only and do not constitute and should not be considered legal advice *

Lawyer for Lawyers and Law Firms | Founding Partner Podcast | Reggae 🎶

I watched a 68-year-old lawyer shut down his practice in 4 months.

He spent years "thinking about succession" but never actually doing anything.

Then his health forced the decision.

Clients scrambled. Staff panicked. And he left with nothing but regrets.

The problem wasn't that he didn't want to have an orderly transition.

It's that he never got mentally ready to let go and stop being "the lawyer".

Here's what actually holds lawyers back from succession:

You're waiting to figure out "what's next" before you let go.

But that's backwards.

You need to let go of your identity as a lawyer FIRST.

Then what's next becomes clear.

Start here:

▪️ Spend real time imagining life after practice
▪️Try on new identities (mediator, advisor, board member, traveler)
▪️Talk to lawyers who successfully transitioned (not the ones who failed)

The lawyers who transition successfully don't have it all figured out.

They just decided they're ready to find out who they are beyond the practice.

Stop waiting for clarity.

Start creating it.

Most firms treat lateral attorneys like furniture.

Show them their desk. Hand them a laptop. Hope they figure it out.

Then they're shocked when the attorney leaves within a year.

Harsh truth: Your lateral integration process reveals everything about your firm culture.

I've watched firms spend $50K+ on recruiting, then invest exactly $0 in making that attorney successful.

That's backwards.

A 90-day integration framework that actually works:

Immediate (Day 1-7):

- Managing partner personally introduces them to key people
- Assign an integration buddy (not just a "mentor")
- Give them the real story - how things actually get done
- Schedule a social event, even if it's just lunch
- Daily check-ins

Early (Weeks 2-4):

- Check-ins with practice group leader and integration buddy
- Loop them into firm communications (don't let them feel "out of the loop")
- Start introducing them to clients and referral sources
- Get them involved in one firm initiative they care about

Critical (Months 2-3):

- Public wins - celebrate them internally and externally
- Business development support - don't assume they don’t need help
- Feedback session - what's working, what's not
- Integration into firm culture beyond just "the work"

What kills lateral integration:

❌ Treating them like they should already know everything
❌ Making integration someone's "side project" instead of a priority
❌ Focusing only on billables, not belonging
❌ Waiting for them to raise their hand with problems

The firms that do this well?

Their laterals stay.
Their laterals produce.
Their laterals refer other great attorneys.

The firms that don't? They're constantly spending money and spinning their wheels recruiting to replace people who leave.

Your lateral integration process is either your competitive advantage or your biggest liability.

Which is it?

It's January. Law firm moves are happening.

And I'm getting calls almost every day from lawyers on both sides of this.

Here's what every departing lawyer needs to know about client files:

DON'T:

▪️ Remove client files without authorization
▪️Take anything without giving the firm notice
▪️Assume client consent means you can just grab the file

DO:

▪️Get written client authorization first
▪️Give your firm notice so they can copy the file
▪️Handle the transition professionally

For firms losing lawyers:

If a client directs their file to follow the lawyer, you should generally comply.

(Yes, retaining liens exist. But proceed with extreme caution there.)

Bottom line:

The client owns the relationship and the file.

But the process matters.

Do it right.

"We don't need a written partnership agreement. We're best friends."

This is what two attorneys told themselves right before forming their firm.

Three years later, one of them was in my office ready to destroy the other.

The issue? One partner was bringing in most of the clients and billing 2,000 hours a year while the other was doing 800 and playing golf twice a week.

Same comp split. Massively different effort.

Without a written agreement, they had no framework to address it.

No criteria for what "equal partnership" actually meant.

No process for handling disputes.

Just anger, resentment, and two lawyers who used to be friends preparing for war.

Here's what I've learned handling law firm breakups:

Handshake deals work great...until they don't.

And when they don't, you've got no roadmap for:

🔹How to split revenue
🔹What happens if you can't agree on something
🔹What happens when someone wants out
🔹How to add new partners

I know firms that have operated 35+ years on trust alone. God bless them!

But I've seen way more partnerships implode because they avoided the uncomfortable conversation up front.

A written partnership agreement isn't a sign you don't trust each other.

It's a sign you're smart enough to plan for success AND the hard times.

Trust me, it's worth the investment.

Are you building the law firm YOU want or the one you think you're supposed to want?

Many lawyers never stop to ask this question.

We get caught up chasing what success looks like for someone else:

• The BigLaw partner lifestyle
• The high-volume practice model
• The celebrity lawyer with the big brand

But here's what 23+ years has taught me:

Success looks completely different for different lawyers.

I've seen incredible success across completely different models:

• Solos clearing $500k+ working 30 hours a week
• Small firms dominating local markets others ignore
• Niche practices built around a single expertise
• General practices thriving in under-served areas

Different models. Different goals. Different definitions of "making it."

The lawyer billing $2M a year with crushing stress isn't more successful than the one making $300k working 30 hours a week - just different.

There's no blueprint. No "right way."

Stop chasing what you think you should be doing.

Pause. Think about what YOU actually want.

• How much do you want to work?
• What does MY successful practice look like?
• What matters to ME - money, time, impact, autonomy?
• What can I build that fits MY life?

Then go build that.

Because the most successful lawyers I know aren't the ones following someone else's playbook.

They're the ones who figured out what works for them and committed to it.

Years ago, a client reached out to hire me.

A business deal gone bad.

They mentioned having a lawyer help them in the past on a different business issue.

I asked why they didn't just use their previous attorney.

Their response: "I don't remember who that was."

Not "they did a bad job." Not "I didn't like them."

They literally forgot the person who represented them.

Here's a similar story, but worse:

A lawyer friend was talking to a person at a social function who mentioned they were in an active lawsuit.

He asked: "Who's your attorney?"

Response: "I don't know his name."

Think about that.

Someone is being sued. Right now. And they can't remember their own lawyer's name.

This isn't a one-off story.

I've heard variations of this from numerous of attorneys.

We handle their biggest problems. We spend months (sometimes years) on their cases. They pay us a lot of money.

But they seem to routinely forget us the moment it's over.

The takeaway?

The client journey doesn't end when you close the file.

That's when most lawyers move on to the next matter and wonder why clients don't come back or refer.

If you want to be the attorney they call next time and the one they tell their friends about, you need to:

Stay visible after the case ends and actually keep in touch with past clients.

Because winning their case isn't enough.

They need to remember you won it.

Really thoughtful article. All law firm owners should give it a read.

M&A & Private Equity Attorney at Cuatrecasas. Teaching commercial law and M&A. Writing at The Shift.

Private equity’s interest in law firms is often framed as a back-office efficiency play. I think that misses the point.
 
Efficiency is the entry point, not the goal. The real question is who controls the systems that increasingly produce legal work. This essay looks at why MSOs matter, how legal margins are shifting away from labor and toward infrastructure, and what law firms may be giving up without fully realizing it.

Most law firm owners think growth is a strategy problem.

It usually isn’t.

No, it’s a ceiling problem.

Your firm can only grow as much as you do.
Not your revenue goals.
Not your marketing plan.
You.

In my conversation with Hillary Walsh, this came up fast.

She went from pro bono work and a borrowed hotspot to nearly 200 employees across three offices.

Not because she found a secret tactic.
Because she confronted her own limits.

Beliefs about money.
Beliefs about worthiness.
Beliefs about what success is allowed to look like.

Your law firm is an extension of your beliefs.

If you don’t grow internally, it will show externally.

That’s why destination thinking is dangerous.

“When I hit this number, it gets easier.”
“When I open this office, I’ll relax.”

The goalposts move.
The problems change shape.
The work continues.

Growth doesn’t remove pressure. It just gives you better tools.

The real work is personal.
And unavoidable.

Check out our full conversation on this week’s episode of Founding Partner Podcast.

Most law firm owners think they need to spend more on digital marketing.

They're wrong.

Check out my conversation with Brian Glass on this week’s episode of Founding Partner Podcast.

Here's what nobody talks about:

1. Everything works. The question is what works for YOU right now.

Billboards work or they wouldn't be everywhere. LSAs work when they're part of a real plan. Even those cringey lead-gen ads must work for someone.

You just need to be brutally honest about your stage, your budget, and the next constraint you need to remove.

2. If you're starting today? Spend money on TIME with people, not digital ads.

Coffees. Lunches. Meet the professionals who already serve your clients.

Then if you want digital, document it. Take a photo. Tag them. Celebrate them.
It's not either-or. It's analog first, digitized.

3. More than half of cases come from actual human beings.

Brian's firm? 60-70% of revenue from referrals.

"Most clients have had my name mentioned to them by somebody else before they Googled me."

Algorithms change. Referrals don't.

4. Fix intake before you buy more leads.

The highest-leverage improvement for small firms isn't more marketing. It's closing the gap between wanted callers and signed clients.

Brian's team started by defining their wanted-case box. Then they measured how many actually signed.

Scripts help. The breakthrough? One in-house intake pro who takes it personally when a right-fit caller doesn't retain.

5. Social is distribution and proof, not a miracle.

Brian writes a short daily post on LinkedIn. He doesn't grind in DMs.

For Virginia-bound personal injury, LinkedIn isn't a major case engine. But it's produced speaking invitations, podcast appearances, and easier hiring.

The quiet amplification is real. People who never comment will stop you at the courthouse and say they read everything.

TAKEAWAY:

It's 2026.

The lawyers who win aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest ad budgets.

They're the ones building real relationships, showing up consistently, and creating firms where people actually like working.

As Brian put it: “Create the firm where your people and you actually like showing up. That is happiness, and it is how you win long term.”

What's working for your firm right now: relationships or ads?

7 figures is a goal for many, but it isn’t the finish line. It’s the first real test.

On this week’s episode of Founding Partner Podcast, I welcome back Thomas Tona.

We talk about how past 7-figures, the problems don’t disappear. They evolve.

Systems that worked stop working.
People who fit no longer fit.
And yesterday’s wins create today’s constraints.

Growth past seven figures demands constant rebuilding.

New operators.
New structures.
New tolerance for chaos.

There is no arrival point. Only the next plateau.

You stabilize. You break it again. You rebuild.

The mistake many founders make is thinking scale creates calm. It doesn’t.

Check out Tom's insights in the full discussion where you listen to pods.

Sign up for ethics CLE credit!  Join us for a panel discussion on Jan 21

Join us on January 21 at 1 PM ET for the fourth installment of Beyond the Rules: Real-World Ethics in Small Firm Practice. This session will focus on some of the most pressing challenges small-firm lawyers face related to confidentiality and supervision. Our four expert panelists will unpack unexpected threats to client confidentiality and offer practical strategies for compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct. This program is FREE with your ABA membership!

🧠 Learn more and register now: https://lnkd.in/g3Yk_W9v

Panelists: Kaitlin McGee (D.C. Bar), Ryan Little (Little Legal), Jonathan Hawkins (Law Firm GC), and Bill Zapf (Cole Schotz P.C.)
Presented by the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility

#cle #freecle #ethics #ethicscle

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