Justice HQ

Justice HQ DEFYING CONVENTION AND EMBRACING INNOVATION

by Dan Baldwin

The New Face of Management

Justice HQ really is the “new face” of the legal profession. I can actually conceive of a time in the relatively near future when the traditional, brick-and-mortar, straight-laced, hierarchical management, expensive downtown office way of practicing law is virtually a thing of the past,” says Robert Simon—co-founder with Brad Simon of the Simon Law Group and Teresa Diep of Outlier Creative Agency.

For consumer advocate attorneys ready to embrace the cutting edge of the legal industry, Justice HQ creates a highly specialized and dynamic workspace to see them into the future. Membership is by invitation only, which is followed by an application and approval process by existing members. This new organization has proven especially attractive to up-and-coming practitioners, giving them the freedom to collaborate in one cohesive space. While still maintaining their individual practices, members pay a monthly fee for an all-access pass, and in return, Justice HQ provides a depth of resources and high-tech support

© Molly Pan - Photographer

found only in larger, more established law firms.

“I envisioned a world with more solos and small firms sharing resources and workspaces on the same tech platform so everything is integrated. Everything stays in motion and you can contract out all the tasks you don’t want to do or you’re not good at and concentrate on the areas where you excel to have a higher quality of service and productivity. At last this vision is a reality,” explains Simon.

“A former partner at one of California’s largest defense firms, the goal was always to convert my high exposure defense experience to help seriously injured victims. Justice HQ provides me the opportunity to plug into a network of experts, vendors, and referral sources, allowing me to run the practice I always envisioned. In many ways, I operate as a litigation general with the background and resources to curate the perfect squad to fit the needs of each case. Most importantly, Justice HQ gives me access to collaboration with some of the most brilliant legal minds, who I’m also proud to call friends.” –Ryan Conger, Conger Law

Justice HQ opened its doors at 145 South Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles in March, 2020, following a year of intense research and preparation. Now 71 members large, their footprint is rapidly expanding—with new locations set for Torrance later this summer, San Diego in spring 2021, then heading up the California coast, and ultimately nationwide. San Diego-based lawyers are already getting a head start by tapping into this fast-growing network and are seeing its instant advantages.

“Justice HQ gives me a unique access to big law firm opportunities. Just recently I was researching a tricky discovery issue (international comity). Like a big law firm, I walked down the proverbial “office hallway” to Justice HQ. At 1:07 PM, I pinged the entire organization via a messaging platform. At 1:08 PM, another lawyer responded with exactly the information I needed. Unlike listservs—with unvetted lawyers and sometimes faulty information—this lawyer was the founder of a large, well-respected firm whom I trusted.” –Matthew Clandenin, The Clandenin Firm

Changing the Way the Practice of Law Operates

“I’ve said for a very long time that office space is overrated and professionals waste too many resources because ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it and that’s the way it should always be done.’ The tech platform is an efficient solution for many of the challenges faced by modern lawyers and law firms. It also comes with office spaces with access to like-minded consumer attorneys and other cases,” says Simon.

Going solo can often be an overwhelming and challenging decision for an attorney. Concerned they may lack credibility or a deep enough résumé, they often hesitate to make the move. With Justice HQ, an attorney can have the best of both worlds, with the knowledge that they are never alone. Their fellow attorneys in the network are facing and overcoming similar challenges and can provide mutual support and encouragement.

Established attorneys are also realizing the network offers a wide range of services, valuable contacts and resources which are not targeted toward serving just one specific type of attorney or law firm. Member firms also receive small-business solutions, alleviating the difficulty often experienced in the search for quality staff and administrative support. They soon discover they now have all the resources of an established law firm at their fingertips, while maintaining the freedom to run their firm, their way.

“I specialize in pre-litigation cases and case acquisition. Members refer me cases to work up and resolve. I refer out litigation and trial cases. In the first two months of being a member I was referred a pre-lit case that got a 1 million dollar result. We also referred a case out for trial that got

a 3.95 million dollar result. Justice HQ has allowed me to specialize in focusing on pre-litigation and getting cases in the door which in turn helps me grow and outsource strategically to make more money and a better quality of life. While we are based in San Diego, we now have offices in San Jose/Bay Area which has helped expand our growth and network, thanks to Justice HQ.” –Kevin M. Retoriano, Law Offices of Deon S. Goldschmidt

Simon states, “I tried to think of things that I needed when I started my own law firm. I think we can accelerate careers and decelerate the amount of stress to achieve maximum performance while maintaining balance. I always counsel other lawyers how to be able to attend fully to their legal business and still have family time and still try a lot of cases and have a big firm. There’s a reason firms can grow rapidly and early by outsourcing and cutting out the overhead you don’t need and still be efficient enough to live a balanced life.”

Justice HQ guides attorneys in how to use the various media resources available to them. Members receive assistance with branding, practice management, and how to compete in a market where their counterparts often have limitless resources.

“Justice HQ is brilliant. With the connections I’ve made through other members, I was brought in as trial counsel for two San Diego cases which resolved for $1.5 million and $3.95 million. I’ve also been brought in to litigate high value cases throughout the state. Justice HQ’s office space is stunning and the perfect location for depositions and collaborating with other lawyers.” –Bibi Fell, Fell Law

More than just an office solution, attorneys and firms use Justice HQ to seek and to share high-quality input on cases, the law, and changes in the marketplace. Many join to enhance their marketing reach and engage clients, then use the network to outsource the actual litigation and trial work. Others, who may not be focusing on building their own practice, join to have access to such a dynamic referral resource for their existing client base. Out-of-state members can use Justice HQ to access the local community and cases. During the lengthy vetting process, Simon usually asks applicants where they want to be in five years. What do they want to do? What do they want their day to look like? Or their year? He then outlines how Justice HQ can help them start to achieve their long-term objectives. Simon continues, “If you want to be a trial lawyer, why are you doing discovery motions for someone or some firm? Why are you writing motions for summary judgment when you should actually be trying cases? Now there are ways to get the real experience you want and need rather than waiting through that seven- to ten-year partner track until they actually let you be in the courtroom.”

Justice HQ is all consumer-based and almost every member is on a contingency fee basis. Some are litigation attorneys, some personal injury, and some like to focus on civil rights. Justice HQ is definitely not a one-size-fits-all organization. Simon adds, “People who think innovatively and have been trying to come up with super-efficient ways of sorting through all these tech platforms will find that we answer all their questions. With game-changing thinking, Justice HQ evolves on a weekly basis and we’re seeing exponential growth because of that.”

Challenging an Established Mindset

Early on, the founders encountered two significant challenges: one, actually putting the organization together and making sure that the system worked for all members, and two, resistance from the ‘we’ve always done it that way’ mentality.

The first challenge was the biggest. The founders discovered that there are so many solutions out there for the modern efficient lawyer that putting it all on the same platform and making sure it all syncs up was one of the hardest things to accomplish. “We did it. You can walk into Justice HQ tomorrow and we can show you how to set up your own law firm if you want to go out on your own. Everything there is available at the click of a button. That’s what we’re after. We don’t have to waste your time,” says Simon.

Then, the founders had to address the fact that, as a rule, business owners are more comfortable doing things using the tried-and-true methods. In the legal profession, where dramatic and rapid change has become the norm, adhering to old ways of doing business can lead to stagnation and worse. Simon states, “Resistance to innovation is a surprising challenge, and especially so early on. I think our biggest challenge will continue to come from people who are not willing to embrace change. But attorneys with vision see Justice HQ and get it right away. People who are too averse to change and think they have to go into a physical office space every day and they and their people have to be there from 8:30 until 5:30 or nine-to-five are just never going to get it.”

Success, however, breeds its own set of concerns. The biggest challenge the founders see going forward is maintaining the current level of exclusivity. “My biggest fear is having someone unethical getting through or a watered-down talent getting in. We have a lot of people in who are right out of law school, but they are special. They were vetted. We have some lawyers who are 20- and 30-year practitioners as well. We’re all on the same page in terms of using the resources of Justice HQ and in maintaining the highest level of standards,” says Simon.

A Pandemic Payoff

The founders reflect that law schools do a great job of legal training but, are woefully deficient in preparing students for the real-world business side of running a practice. Brilliant attorneys can be totally ill-equipped to manage that side of the operation. Justice HQ rewires that glitch by providing a list of service resources historically unavailable to a fledgling attorney or firm.

For example, Justice HQ hosts webinars and online chat rooms allowing every member to stay connected. Management is even researching the possibility that artificial intelligence can be used to help draft motions to be more responsive and the process more efficient.

Nowhere has the steadfastness of Justice HQ been better exhibited than with the outbreak of COVID-19. “The recent pandemic provided a dramatic and powerful illustration of the strength and value of Justice HQ,” explains Simon. “Our network was so over-prepared for the effects of quarantine without even realizing it because everybody was already able to work virtually, without missing a beat. Attorneys have been able to run their practices remotely without any loss of productivity or quality of client service. We didn’t have to gear up because we were already in gear.”

The Justice HQ founders recognized a need for innovation in law and are now looking to start a revolution. Simon concludes, “We’re shaking up the industry. Justice HQ is an exclusive community, where smart, capable, consumer advocate attorneys can collaborate and practice law in a fresh, focused, affordable and fully resourced environment.” n

Contact Justice HQ Los Angeles: 145 S. Spring St., Suite 850 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Southbay, Late Summer 2020 Orange County, Late Summer 2020 San Diego, 2021