When I sat down with attorney Jonathan Hawkins on The Exceptional Companies Podcast, I expected to talk about law firm splits, equity models, and maybe a few war stories from the legal trenches.
What I didn’t expect was one of the best breakdowns I’ve heard on what it takes to scale a white collar service firm with integrity, vision, and long-term value.
Jonathan isn’t just another lawyer. He’s the guy lawyers call when things get complicated—partner splits, transition planning, governance issues, and now, navigating the wild terrain of private equity’s slow creep into the legal profession.
His story? It’s one every solopreneur needs to hear.
From Business Litigator to Niche Legal Architect
Jonathan’s career started like a lot of high-performers in professional services: law school, then years in the trenches handling business disputes and “business divorces.”
But it was the law firm breakups that gave him his niche—and his clarity. Over time, he realized there was an entire category of legal clients not being served: other lawyers.
He launched LawFirmGC.com to fill that gap, acting as general counsel for law firms who need outside help with internal challenges.
And here’s what’s crazy—he didn’t even plan to build a firm.
The Detour That Sparked the Vision
Back in 2018, Jonathan left his law practice to join a startup real estate company in the senior living space as general counsel. He thought he was done practicing law.
But the startup needed time. And money. So he spun up a part-time law firm to supplement his income.
That part-time firm? It’s now a thriving business.
Working inside a growing real estate company gave Jonathan a front-row seat to the operational side of business—project stabilization, deal structuring, and scaling with intention. But over time, he realized something:
“There were too many things outside of my control. On the law firm side, I could make adjustments and see results right away.”
And that insight led to a major pivot.
The Gym-Set Epiphany That Changed Everything
One morning, sitting on a bench between sets, Jonathan was listening to a podcast when it hit him:
“If I’m on my deathbed and I didn’t go for this…I’d regret it. And if someone else built it instead of me? I’d be pissed.”
That was the moment he decided to scale.
What had started as a lifestyle firm—lean, profitable, and low overhead—was about to become something much bigger. Of course, revenue went up… but so did the headaches. The margins shrank. The problems got messier. But so did the enterprise value.
And the legacy.
Why Scaling a Law Firm Is a Unique Challenge
Now here’s where it gets really interesting.
Scaling a law firm isn’t like scaling a CPA firm or marketing agency. The legal industry has some deeply entrenched limitations:
- Lawyers must be licensed in each state they operate.
- Ownership by non-lawyers is restricted or outright prohibited in most places.
- Most significantly? You can’t lock down your attorneys.
“Not only are non-competes unenforceable,” Jonathan told me, “they’re considered unethical. You can’t even include them in contracts.”
That means if one of your attorneys decides to leave, they can take their clients with them—and you’re obligated to let the client know they can follow.
So how do you build something with staying power?
Jonathan’s approach is twofold:
- Make your firm a place lawyers want to stay—with fair comp, autonomy, and a culture they believe in.
- Build a platform clients don’t want to leave—offering services they can’t get from a solo practitioner.
That’s how you grow without griping about retention.
Killing the Billable Hour (One Subscription at a Time)
Jonathan hates the billable hour. Honestly, I do too. It rewards inefficiency and punishes innovation.
That’s why his firm is shifting to flat fees, retainers, and subscription-based services. That model gives him the flexibility to build roles for people based on their strengths—whether that’s sales, operations, or client service—not just how many 0.2 increments they log.
“We’re creating a firm where technicians can just be technicians,” he said. “They don’t have to become rainmakers.”
That mindset is rare in law. But I think it’s going to be essential for firms that want to thrive in the next decade.
The Email That Built the Business
One of my favorite moments from our conversation was a simple story about Jonathan’s email newsletter.
He had a guy on his list who kept replying, saying, “You’re sending too much. Once a month is enough.”
Jonathan removed him from the list.
And kept going.
“That weekly email? It built my business.”
It’s a great reminder that consistency and ownership matter. You’ve got to build your list, own your audience, and stay visible—even when people tell you to tone it down.
How AI Is Changing the Game (and Raising New Problems)
Jonathan and I both share a fascination with AI—and what it’s doing to white collar work.
I shared a story from one of our oil & gas acquisitions where AI helped us catch a major legal oversight across hundreds of lease agreements. No human caught it. But an AI script did. That moment reshaped how we handle due diligence.
Jonathan sees a similar transformation happening in law.
AI can write memos. Draft contracts. Review documents. But it also introduces a new problem:
“If junior attorneys don’t get those early reps—reading, writing, learning—how do they get trained?”
It’s a disruption that’s coming fast, and most firms aren’t ready.
Advice for Young Attorneys
As we wrapped the episode, I asked Jonathan what he’d tell a young lawyer entering the field today.
His answer was gold.
“You need street skills. If your firm disappeared tomorrow, could you still make a living as a lawyer?”
Learn how to get clients. Manage deals. Run a case start to finish. Be useful, independent, and relentlessly curious.
And keep learning. Because this industry is changing faster than anyone expected.
Favorite Resource: The Founders Podcast
Jonathan listens to a ton of podcasts (don’t we all?). But his current favorite is Founders—a show that pulls lessons from biographies of the world’s most iconic entrepreneurs.
“You realize these people are just normal humans. They didn’t have it all figured out. They just kept going.”
Highly recommend it if you’re building something from scratch.
Final Takeaway
This conversation left me thinking about how many professional services firms—law, accounting, consulting—are still running 1990s playbooks in a 2025 world.
Jonathan is writing a new one. And it’s worth paying attention to.
Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about margins or partners or billing structures.
It’s about building something that lasts.
Something you’re proud to put your name on.
Something that’s built to outlive you.
AND MORE TOPICS COVERED IN THE FULL INTERVIEW!!! You can check that out and subscribe to YouTube.
If you want to know more about Jonathan Hawkins, you may reach out to him at:
- Website: https://www.lawfirmgc.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-hawkins-law-firm-general-counsel
Connect with Chris Seegers:
- Website: https://exceptionalcos.com/
- Email: Ch***@************OS.com
Other Resources:
- Books: Selling Main Street by Chris Seegers
