Who Are We Not: How Mid-Sized Law Firms Can Grow Without Losing Themselves

By Elizabeth Brick, Owner, Coterie Strategies

As 2026 planning gets underway, we’re excited to feature this guest post from Elizabeth Brick, founder of Coterie Strategies. Elizabeth is a trusted advisor to law firms navigating growth, culture, and business development. Her approach helps firms scale intentionally by aligning internal strategy with external opportunities.

At SurePoint, we know that sustainable law firm growth starts with clarity about who you are, what you value, and where you’re going. In this post, Elizabeth shares why mid-sized firms should begin the planning process with a simple but powerful question: Who are we not?

Growth Starts with a Strategic Pause

Before diving into growth targets, market expansion, or lateral hiring plans, mid-sized firms should look inward.

Too often, firms pursue growth through opportunistic mergers, lateral hires, or geographic expansion without fully aligning on the cultural, strategic, and operational implications of these decisions. The result? A diluted identity, expensive talent that doesn’t stick, and wasted resources that stall momentum.

Mid-sized firms have a unique opportunity for market differentiation—but only when they define who they are, where they’re going, and how they’ll operate along the way. A strategic pause helps ensure that growth isn’t ad hoc, but carefully designed to reflect your firm’s core values and strengths.

Start with Strategic Self-Awareness

The most successful firms don’t begin with market research. They start with introspection. Before chasing external benchmarks, they ask:

• Who are we?
• What do we believe in?
• What do we do best?
• Where are we going?
• How do we deliver value that reflects our strengths and culture?
• Who are we not?

That last question—who are we not—is particularly powerful. It creates discipline and gives your firm permission to say no. It protects your culture from misaligned opportunities that can drain time, energy, and reputation.

One firm I work with has a clear “no jerks” policy. When presented with a lateral hire who had a strong book but a divisive reputation, they passed. It was a hard decision, but one that preserved their culture.

Another firm committed to moving away from rate-sensitive work still pursued an RFP for lower-rate matters. Winning that business created capacity constraints and delayed progress toward their desired positioning in complex litigation. The opportunity cost of misaligned work is real, and it can derail your long-term vision.

Align Culture with Hiring, Client Service, and Business Development

Firms that scale wisely are willing to walk away from cultural misalignment—even when it means turning down attractive work or high-potential hires. That discipline comes from clarity.

When your culture informs how you hire, serve clients, and pursue business development, growth becomes intentional, not reactive. It also helps define the metrics you’ll use to track success, such as stronger client and talent retention, deeper relationships, and work that reflects your values.

Here are three examples of what cultural alignment might look like in action:

Culture: Entrepreneurial & Nimble

• Talent Strategy: Prioritize self-starters who’ve built a book, a practice, or operational improvements.
• Client Service Value: Fast, responsive teams that adapt to client needs.
• Business Development Focus: Target emerging companies that value agility. Offer creative, aligned fee arrangements.

Culture: Collaborative & Team-Oriented

• Talent Strategy: Score lateral hires on cross-practice collaboration.
• Client Service Value: Seamless, team-based delivery with fresh ideas.
• Business Development Focus: Prioritize clients with complex, cross-functional needs. Conduct in-person visits to deepen relationships.

Culture: Relationship-Driven & Loyal

• Talent Strategy: Hire professionals who view client development as a long game.
• Client Service Value: Deep, long-term investment in client success.
• Business Development Focus: Build key account programs and prioritize feedback loops and succession planning.

Operationalize Strategy with Intention

A clear strategy only works if it’s embedded into daily operations. This requires more than a PowerPoint from your last retreat. Real change comes from process, repetition, and reinforcement.

Ask yourself:

• How do we operate in a way that brings our strategy to life?
• Would our people recognize this plan as ours if our firm name weren’t on it?

Before launching any initiative, conduct a strategic pre-mortem: If this fails, why will it have failed? Prepare to see around corners and anticipate what might go wrong before you begin.

Aligned Growth is a Discipline

If you’re not sure where to start, consider hosting a strategic self-awareness workshop to clarify your firm’s identity. Define how your culture should show up in growth initiatives. Develop go/no-go criteria, and build the operational muscle to execute with confidence.

Mid-sized firms that scale without intention risk becoming unrecognizable to their clients, their people, and even themselves. But those that lead with clarity, align growth with culture, and act with purpose won’t just grow—they’ll endure.

Meet the Author: Elizabeth Brick

Elizabeth Brick launched Coterie Strategies after more than a decade of experience in legal marketing and business development at regional and national firms. She helps lawyers unlock and maximize their revenue potential through strategic growth initiatives and one-to-one coaching that drive measurable impact to the bottom line.

About Coterie Strategies: Coterie Strategies is a business development and marketing consultancy that helps law firms grow with clarity, focus, and follow-through. Founded by Elizabeth Brick, a former law firm business development leader with over a decade of experience, Coterie works with mid-sized and growing firms to set clear growth priorities and drive revenue through strategic planning, tailored workshops, and one-on-one attorney coaching. Learn more at www.coteriestrategies.com.