THE OPPORTUNITY

Gaining a Competitive Edge as a Boutique Firm

When aiming for big clients, there's an assumption that bigger firms have an automatic advantage.

At Bundy Law, Aaron Bundy wants to challenge the traditional hierarchy of big firms.

In particular, he highlights occasions when he’s seen senior lawyers bring in big clients, only to pass the work onto a less skilled partner or associate. This would cause a disconnect with client expectations, often leaving them disappointed.

Aaron says, “We must have a uniform level of practice where those client expectations are met from the front door all the way through.”

Everything that we did to be who we are, and to have the ranking that we have, is what positions us to be able to go over there and take those matters on.

Aaron Bundy, Owner and Founding Partner, Bundy Law

Ensuring everyone has a high level of technical skill can give smaller firms the competitive edge they need to get ahead, says Aaron believes.

This means continuous training and education for both partners and associates.

Beyond this, there is a focus on building excellence in service, ensuring that all clients have an exceptional experience.

When both partners and younger associates are well-equipped to provide clients with the same high level of service and skill across the board, a smaller firm can establish a scalable business model that allows them to pursue the kind of work usually taken on by bigger firms.

We cannot have one great person who's been doing this for 40 years and then no one else.

It must be a uniform highest standard. You never reach that, so it's always a drive."

Aaron Bundy,

Owner and Founding Partner, Bundy Law

^{The importance of continuous and diverse legal training and education}

To Aaron, law school is a starting point and a foundation to continuously build upon.

While both his individual and his firm’s Band 1 rankings are in family law, Aaron is a firm believer in acquiring knowledge and skill across practice areas, believing it makes both him and his partners better lawyers who can provide a higher level of service to clients.

Aggressive training, including cross-training, allows specialised lawyers to acquire transferrable skills and learn wider best practices. This gives them an edge over lawyers without such exposure.

Lawyers at Bundy Law train in large firm plaintiff-type programmes as well as criminal defence, exposing them to different strategies in depositions, witness cross-examinations and more.

What do you do with that kind of education? It’s out there for us to build on.

Aaron Bundy

Owner and Founding Partner, Bundy Law

^{Sustainably scaling a multi-practice boutique firm}

Building on a strong track record across the three states of Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas, Bundy Law has developed a scalable way of working across the United States and beyond.

Aaron and his partner Katie have worked on cases in Texas and New York, and established working relationships in both Australia and Canada.

However, being able to spread their work across multiple regions doesn’t mean they're diluting their efforts. In the states their practice is focused on, several industries hold very large sway, including oil and gas, retail and agriculture.

“There’s a big mix of different types of professionals and work going on here. It's just not as condensed and consolidated in one spot. It's a spread,” says Aaron.

We've built this infrastructure that, in my view, is scalable, and the scale is working so we're able to take on projects outside of our practice region. The sky’s the limit."

Aaron Bundy

Owner and Founding Partner, Bundy Law

For smaller firms working from locations with a thinner legal market, the key is flexibility and constant innovation.

The focus is simultaneously on striving to excel in the firm’s chosen practice area, in order to compete with other local firms, while retaining both availability and competitiveness for referrals and other opportunities that might take the firm’s work across state lines.

When it comes to growth, realism and sustainability are at the forefront.

Rather than constantly looking towards the far future, they're focusing on the present and continuously monitoring the current business environment.

It's all about doing everything they can now, to be ready for the next five years.

It's a constant balance — making sure everyone has the resources to do what they need to do, to be where they need to be, while always looking at what's next."

Aaron Bundy, Owner and Founding Partner, Bundy Law