We’re a very small law firm. We started in 2002 with just myself and Dustin Davis for about two years. As we grew we were very cautious with our expenses and wanted to grow slowly and appropriately. Today we’re at 21 employees with offices in Edmond, Tulsa and Dallas.
We’ve always encouraged our employees to be involved in the community. Not just in tips clubs and referrals organizations. Those have great benefits and serve an excellent purpose however, there’s also very little community benefit from those. What I found is people really notice when you give back to the community in a heartfelt way and you’re not there just trying to get business.
Whether you’re making a donation to local schools or volunteering with an organization like Meals on Wheels, do it and mean it. People see through you in a minute if you’re not sincere in your efforts. We’re big believers in letting employees do those things, even if it’s in the middle of the day or they need to take time off from work.
In fact, we put a big emphasis on employees as well. They are the heart and soul of who we are. As attorneys, we aren’t selling widgets; we have nothing to sell but our time. It’s important to us to make sure our employees are heard and feel like we’re really meeting their emotional needs. There’s an economic cost to that as a employer and as a business owner but, I think when you’re doing the right thing people see that and they place more trust in you.
I grew up in a very small town and my family was really big on community service and volunteer work. I continued that practice all through law school and when we started our law firm I thought I’d have to cut all those things and focus exclusively on running our business. It was several years before I got back into those organizations, but looking back I probably should’ve stayed in them. I get so much satisfaction out of those organizations. I find business came from that too, but that’s not what the intent was. It was never the intent. I think you really have to believe that because if you don’t, people completely see through you.
You have to find something you really enjoy whether it’s the chamber, church, school organizations, whatever it is. It’s a worthwhile investment in your personal development and the growth of your business.
If you have any estate planning needs, contact the law offices of Evans and Davis at 405-286-2335.