Revenue Roadmap podcast with Tyler Dolph, Anthony Karls, and JP VanderLinden, discussing the 3 phases to boost law firm productivity

Boost Your Law Firm Productivity in 3 Phases

Improving law firm productivity is a key goal for any business owner looking to scale their operations and bottom line.

Often, the solution lies not just in hiring, but in effectively developing each individual contributor to ensure they’re properly engaged with their own growth plan—and it’s our duty as leaders to train them where we want them to be and succeed.

A powerful model for achieving this is the “Align, Develop, Transition” framework, discussed in depth in this episode of Revenue Roadmap, where Tyler Dolph, CEO of Rocket Clicks, Anthony Karls, President, and JP VanderLinden, VP of Client Services, met together to design a 3-step roadmap to guide team members in their professional journey, dramatically boosting output volume, operational efficiency, and employee performance rates.

We will break down the three phases of this team management model and how you can apply it directly in your law firm.

Achieving Peak Law Firm Productivity Through Team Development

The Align, Develop, and Transition framework argues that team members are always in one of these three cyclical phases.

Understanding and managing each phase is crucial for maximizing individual and team output, directly impacting overall law firm productivity, and in the long run, the profitability of your legal services.

PHASE 1: ALIGN - Setting the Foundation to Enhanced Law Firm Productivity

The Align phase is the starting point whenever a team member steps into a new opportunity, whether they are an external hire or moving into a new internal role. This phase is characterized by learning, asking questions, and figuring out expectations.

Your Productivity Checklist for the ALIGN Phase:

Be patient with new team members
Create clear expectations from the outset
Implement a structured onboarding process, such as a 30-60-90 day cadence, with specific expectations for each interval.
Ensure leaders provide clarity to avoid mistrust and misaligned expectations

PHASE 2: DEVELOP - Competence as the Building Block of Law Firm Productivity

The Develop phase is where most team members spend the majority of their time. In this phase, individuals build competence by refining their skills, gaining experience, and becoming more effective in their current roles. Stagnation is decay; continuous development is key.

Your Productivity Checklist for the DEVELOP Phase:

Have a clear development plan for each team member
Implement a regular coaching process with mentors or coaches to review progress and provide support
Focus on continuous improvement and skill enhancement.
Leaders must remain actively involved in this phase; it’s not hands-off
Provide opportunities for team members to learn new skills or software, or pair with others.
Keeping top performers motivated requires providing opportunities for continued growth
Create a clear chain of development or employee maturity model so team members can see opportunities for progression (e.g., from law clerk to paralegal, associate levels, partner tracks).

PHASE 3: TRANSITION - Preparing to Be More Productive & Proactive

The Transition phase is the bridge between Develop and Align. It signifies an approaching change, which can be either positive (moving to a new role or increased responsibility) or negative (when performance is not meeting expectations). This phase is about preparing for what’s next.

Navigating the TRANSITION Phase:

Prepare team members for new roles or responsibilities before they fully take them on
Provide opportunities to practice new skills or leadership before a promotion
For negative transitions, clearly communicate that the current opportunity isn’t the right fit and explore alternative seats or separation
.Have an “escape hatch” if someone promoted isn’t ready for the new role; consider moving them back to a role where they were successful to regain confidence rather than immediately exiting them from the organization.
Leaders must be able to have difficult conversations and provide constructive feedback.
Avoid pushing people into transition too quickly before they are ready

Operationalizing the "Peter Principle" Framework and Avoiding Pitfalls in Law Firm Productivity

Implementing the “Align, Develop, Transition” framework across a law firm requires a systematic approach.

It takes time, often around a year for a firm of 40-something people, to fully roll out, especially once a team member reaches the Transition phase.

To keep the cyclical process going, we leverage the “Peter Principle” to create an escape hatch for individuals promoted to a role they cannot fulfill—allowing you to preserve talent and prevent losing members who were valuable assets before they were promoted.

Implementation Tips to Avoid Common Promotion Pitfalls:

Start with implementing the framework as the leader, then roll it out to your leadership team, and finally to the rest of the firm with oversight
Create visibility and accountability at every level of the organization
Standardize the process with consistent documents and systems
Tie incentives to development plans and coaching
Avoid trying to implement too quickly
Be aware that team members’ self-assessment of their competencies may not be objective; leaders need to provide accurate evaluation and model what “good” looks like

By intentionally applying the Align, Develop, and Transition framework, law firms can significantly enhance law firm productivity by fostering a culture of continuous growth, setting clear expectations, and proactively managing team member journeys from onboarding all the way to professional development and transitioning to a new role.

Curious to see how this team leadership training works closely in setting up your law firm for scalable success?

Connect with Rocket Clicks today for a FREE personalized, no-obligation roadmap that will show you what’s working in your business—and what’s not.

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Want to read instead? Check out the transcript below!

[00:00] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

Struggling to get the most out of your team? It might not be a hiring problem; it could be a development problem.
Learn how to identify where your team members are in their growth journey and what to do next to boost productivity and retention.
Welcome to the Revenue Roadmap Podcast, where we explore proven strategies to help law firm owners grow revenue, increase profit, and build stronger, more productive teams.
If you’re looking to drive better performance from your team while scaling your firm at the same time, you are in the right place.

My name is Tyler Dolph. I am the CEO of Rocket Clicks, a full-service digital marketing firm that specializes in helping exclusively family law firms attract more clients and convert more leads.
Joining me today are two guests: Anthony Karls and JP VanderLinden.
Anthony is the co-founder of our law firm Stirling Lawyers, a 32-attorney law firm, and he’s also the president of our agency, Rocket Clicks.

He brings a wealth of leadership experience in scaling law firms and building high-performance teams, and we are excited to have him.

Additionally, JP VanderLinden is a thought leader in operational excellence and talent development, and he is our head of operations and client services here at the agency.

Today, we’re going to talk through a powerful team management model, which is called the Align, Develop, and Transition Framework.
We’re going to unpack the three phases of each team member’s cycle and then show you how you can apply this to your staff at your law firm today.

Okay, so guys, today we’re talking about leadership development, one of our favorite topics here at Rocket Clicks and within our own law firm, Stirling.

We’ve spent a lot of time growing and developing team members—associates, paralegals, attorneys—and we have a few action items we are going to review today.

We are talking about the Align, Develop, and Transition Framework in family law firms.

JP, I want to get us started with the Align part of this framework.
Give us some background on this particular portion and how it applies.

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[02:27] SPEAKER: JP VANDERLINDEN

Yeah, so we believe that team members are always in one of three phases.

They’re either in Align, Develop, or Transition, and it works in a cycle.
You’re never outside these phases, and you’re always in the process of moving through them.

Align is basically the best starting point for thinking about a new position or new responsibility.

When you’re stepping into a role—whether hired externally, promoted internally, or facing different responsibilities—you have to figure out what “good” looks like and what the expectations are.

You’re probably going to make mistakes and ask many questions, which is okay.

That’s the purpose of the Align phase.

It’s all about clarity and establishing a foundation for success.
If you’re not aligned, neither you nor your employer knows what success looks like.

During this phase, it’s essential that you know how to deliver on expectations without feeling pressured to be perfect right away.

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[03:23] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

A lot of new-guy energy exists during the Align phase.

Tony, when we’re thinking about our clients—our law firm clients—if we’re doing our job helping them grow, they’re going to need to hire and scale their team.

How have you handled that at Stirling?

What were some early lessons when bringing on new teammates who are in the Align phase?

How do you keep them from feeling overwhelmed or unsupported?

——————————————————————————-
[03:47] SPEAKER: ANTHONY KARLS

One of the biggest lessons is to be patient.
I’ve made many mistakes by bringing someone on, getting excited about them, and thinking they’d solve all my problems.
Then I realized the root problems often point back to leadership or systems that weren’t set up correctly.
You expect them to fix everything, but if there’s no structure in place—like clear alignment—it will be the same issues all over again.
So instead, we focus on setting proper expectations and establishing the right onboarding process.

Onboarding isn’t just a one-time activity.
It’s a 30-, 60-, 90-day approach, where you clarify what you want someone to accomplish in that first 30 days, then 60, then 90.
You set the foundation, create clarity, and help avoid misunderstandings or eroded trust between the leader and new team member.
We treat this seriously, making it more than just a quick orientation so the new hire really understands their role.
That patience and clarity go a long way in preventing the friction I’ve seen in the past.

——————————————————————————-
[05:37] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

Well, what I hear you both saying is that the Align phase is not optional.
Every new team member has to go through it, and you can make it easier through better hiring processes and clear expectations.
At the end of the day, though, they’re still going to be “new” for a while.
Bringing them into alignment with a structured 30-, 60-, 90-day plan will help them move more effectively to the next phase.
That next phase is Develop, right, JP?

——————————————————————————-
[06:13] SPEAKER: ANTHONY KARLS

Yes, but before we get to JP, I want to mention a helpful anecdote regarding top performers, average performers, and bottom performers.
Some people are going to succeed no matter the environment—they’re in that top 20%.
The middle 60% will succeed if you support them well.
The bottom 20% might never meet expectations, no matter how much you do.
By focusing on the Align phase, you can help the top 20% accelerate faster while giving the 60% the right conditions to thrive.

——————————————————————————-
[07:00] SPEAKER: JP VANDERLINDEN

Paragraph 1 (sentences 1–5):
Exactly, and leaders often mistakenly think they’re doing great because they see success from that top 20%.
But those people would succeed regardless, so the real value is in how well you develop everyone else.
If you do this right, you’ll know who’s on track and who’s not.
You’ll give the top folks a head start, keep the middle on pace, and weed out the ones who shouldn’t be there.
It’s about protecting and maximizing your investment as a leader.

——————————————————————————-
[08:25] SPEAKER: ANTHONY KARLS

And back to your point, Tyler, if you’re setting them up properly, you’ll see real gains.
When your team members are ready and genuinely aligned, that’s when you move them into Develop, which is the next natural phase.
They know what good looks like, and now they can focus on improving and delivering.
So, yes, let’s talk about Develop.
Most of a team’s lifespan is spent in that phase.

——————————————————————————-
[09:00] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

That’s right, so let’s pivot to Develop.
JP, can you walk us through the Develop phase and how that applies to a growing law firm or really any business?
Why is it so critical, and how do you keep people motivated after the initial excitement of a new role?
After all, we don’t want our good employees to get bored.
We want them to keep growing and improving.

——————————————————————————-
[10:14] SPEAKER: ANTHONY KARLS

It’s actually pretty similar in our law firm.
When we bring on new associates, the question isn’t just how to get them aligned, but how to develop them for the long haul.
We have multiple levels—junior associates, senior associates, income partners, equity partners—and a clear expectation at each level.
They learn what it takes to practice effectively and reach the next tier.
Keeping them motivated involves letting them see the next step and giving them feedback on reaching it.

——————————————————————————-
[11:16] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

I can relate because early in my own career, I sat next to someone who was the best at our role.
I didn’t have to guess what good looked like; I could see it immediately, and it accelerated my learning.
That’s a huge reason we talk so often about modeling excellence for your team.
Long-term development gets a whole lot easier when team members see an ideal to aim for.
So, once they’ve spent enough time in Develop, the next phase is Transition.

——————————————————————————-
[12:28] SPEAKER: ANTHONY KARLS

Yes, Transition is that bridge between Develop and the next Align.
It can be a promotion, a shift in responsibilities, or sometimes a move out if someone isn’t the right fit.
We find out if they can handle bigger tasks—like team leadership—or if they’re better off staying as a specialist.
It’s also a chance to test those new responsibilities before making it official, so you don’t set them up to fail.
That’s the real crux: being thoughtful about transitions.

——————————————————————————-
[13:19] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

I love the point about testing a person’s leadership mettle before giving them a formal title.
So many organizations take their top salesperson, for example, and make them the sales manager, only to find out they can’t or won’t do the managerial tasks.
Leading people is very different from being an all-star individual contributor.
Law firms run into this, too, when promoting someone to manage associates or paralegals.
Transition is where we see if they have the mindset and skill set to succeed at that new level.

——————————————————————————-
[14:41] SPEAKER: ANTHONY KARLS

Absolutely.
We’ve made mistakes moving people up too fast without first testing them.
They may have been great lawyers, but not prepared for leading a team and giving feedback.
Law firm owners do themselves a favor by creating a clear path: let each attorney or paralegal try small leadership tasks without the formal title, so you see what they can do.
If they struggle, you work on that during Develop before you officially transition them.

——————————————————————————-
[15:16] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

So, we’ve seen how Align, Develop, and Transition work on the individual level.
But how does a firm operationalize this framework so that it’s consistent, scalable, and repeatable?
What are the tools, processes, or rituals needed to make it part of the culture, rather than a one-time training?
We need law firms to do this systematically, or it falls apart.
Tony, any advice?

——————————————————————————-
[16:46] SPEAKER: JP VANDERLINDEN

An important piece is having standardized documents, coaching sessions, and visibility from leadership.
At Rocket Clicks, we’ve rolled out a unified approach over the course of a year, training our leadership team first, then having them train their direct reports, and so on.
It’s slow, but it ensures consistency.
For alignment, we have clear 30-, 60-, 90-day plans.
For development, we have ongoing coaching with documented goals that people check in with every two weeks.

For transition, we have preparation steps so that when someone takes on a new seat, it looks obvious and natural to everyone else.
Leaders also need to monitor how this is happening throughout the organization.
If Terry is using a different approach than I am, we confuse team members.
We want a firm-wide or company-wide standard to reduce friction and keep things fair.
It might feel like heavy lifting at first, but once it’s set, it pays off massively over time.

——————————————————————————-
[18:14] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

I agree.
Step one is to look at your team and figure out which phase each person is in.
Are they aligning, developing, or about to transition somewhere else?
Once you know that, you can tailor your management to their stage and track it consistently.
We also have to watch out for pitfalls, right?

——————————————————————————-
[19:20] SPEAKER: ANTHONY KARLS

Yes, and one major pitfall is assuming that employees can accurately self-diagnose their competence.
Some will overestimate, some will underestimate.
That’s why you compare them against true benchmarks or models of excellence, not just their own belief.
Without that clarity, people end up stagnant or in the wrong seat.
We learned the hard way, so now we do competency evaluations tied to real examples of top performance.

——————————————————————————-
[19:29] SPEAKER: JP VANDERLINDEN

Precisely.
And remember that rolling this out takes time, especially if you’re a bigger firm.
Start by doing it yourself, then involve your leadership team, have them teach their people, and gradually spread it to the entire organization.
You’ll see a real cultural shift when everyone uses the same language and follows the same process.
People feel more secure, know what’s expected, and can become high performers much faster.

——————————————————————————-
[20:42] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

Love it.
That’s where you get tremendous traction: high performers get even better, and the average performers rise to the occasion.
You lose fewer good people because they see there’s a real path to growth.
The bottom 20% also stand out more obviously, so you can address it.
Okay, I think that’s a great overview of Align, Develop, and Transition.

——————————————————————————-
[22:28] SPEAKER: ANTHONY KARLS

Yes, we’ve covered how to spot who’s where and what to do about it.
We touched on the big mistakes, like promoting people too quickly or not giving them a chance to practice leadership.
We also gave a reminder that you, as a leader, have to stay involved in each phase.
This is definitely not a “set it and forget it” model.
If you do it right, though, you’ll see dramatic improvements in productivity and retention.

——————————————————————————-
[24:24] SPEAKER: TYLER DOLPH

Exactly.
Listeners, if you like this concept, we have a whole series on team development.
Make sure you check those out.
We’ll see you next time on The Revenue Roadmap.
If you found this episode on the Align, Develop, and Transition Framework valuable, you will love our next episode on the Employee Maturity Model.

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