2024 & Beyond
We’ve got a good thing going and look forward to what’s coming next. We’re actively recruiting ambitious, ownership-minded attorneys looking for a better way to practice and who are excited to see how we can help them enjoy a more integrated and pleasant way to work. We’ll remain true to our Why – to cultivate a non-traditional, entrepreneurial law firm by which we create and maintain fulfilling and sustainable lives for our team, our clients, and our community.
We’ll keep emphasizing our practical and business-oriented approach to what other lawyers see as only legal problems, and be on the lookout for forward-thinking clients who appreciate the value we offer. We’ll continue to take proactive and supportive care of the businesses and individuals who’ve come to trust us over the past decade.
2024 & Beyond
We pushed deeper into Traction and shored up our operations and business practices, providing a better foundation from which our team can service our growing client roster. Growth and improvement spurred us to upgrade to a new practice management system, though the experiment with a fractional CTO group which proved to be more of a roadblock than a superhighway. Chalk that one up to a learning experience.
As we tinkered with workflow models and other efforts at efficiency, Joe, Elijah, Faz, and Najmah departed. Maxine progressed through her 3L year, graduated, and will join as an Associate in the Fall. Jade McFarlane-Rowtham assumed the Clerk role and expectations are high.
Spring 2024
Aspirations are high for 2024 and we are headed in the right direction toward our ambitious goals. Samantha (Sam) Mandell came aboard in January, bringing with her Heather Ard to provide the firm with more administrative and paralegal support. We started the year with 17 lawyers, 1 law clerk, and 5 administrative staff. Oh, and Sam brought Marvin, a precocious and lively Aussiedoodle puppy, to serve as Sadie’s mentee.
2023
Together, we hit our 2023 revenue goal of $3M.
2023
Elijah Davis and Heather Broadwater both moved into Partner roles at the beginning of 2023. We convinced Gabi to come on full-time. Faz graduated and moved into an Associate position. We also signed up Carter Augustine as our new 2L Clerk.
After 8 great years, Alex moved back to his former firm, and we filled his litigation shoes with Joe Gleason, another Bulldog from the class of ’02. Sadie, the new Australian Shepherd puppy, livened up the office.
Throughout the year, growth remained a priority, both in terms of headcount and revenue. By adding corporate and transactional Partner John Arbogast (with Rachel Vanderpol’s able recruiting assistance), we hope David will find his business development groove. Vanderpol also helped us land Associate Rob Wheeler to support Joe and Elijah in their litigation practices. Najmah James took a big leap of faith and accepted an Associate position.
Mary Popplewell invigorated the administrative team and made the office as warm as it’s ever been.
2022
Liz celebrated her 10th anniversary with Stanton Law, proved indispensable as a Managing Partner, and continues to take on increasing responsibility.
The sluggishness from early 2022 turned around and we realized nearly 15% growth to exceed our goal of $2.5M in revenue.
Our brightening outlook led us to engage attorney Gabi Moses to help fill the gap left as Christine transitioned to an in-house role. Sam graduated and is moving to a full-time corporate position and sadly, we said goodbye to Hattie, the awesome dog who started it all with us.
Fall 2022
We recognized our Counsel are more appropriately designated as Partners. Operationally, our newly formed Leadership Committee pushed forward to implement Traction and its Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to lend more efficiency to our practice.
We finally expanded into additional office space in our building, increasing our footprint to over 4,000 sq. ft. and filling up both suites at 410 Plasters. Capitalizing on our partnership with Peachtree VA, our assistants, Erica McNicoll, Melissa Park, and now Paige Gianfortune are making everyone’s lives better and more focused.
Summer 2022
Paul Knowlton founded a new service area, The Toolbox: Life & Career Crossroads, which acts as a balance to provide order for business leaders across their personal and professional lives.
Demonstrating our commitment to the entrepreneur and small businesses, Stanton Law became a Community Partner with Atlanta Tech Village, holding regular programs and office hours to help fast-growth companies get going in the right direction. Our network and our message continued to grow.
Spring 2022
Our 2022 proved the only constant is change. Josh and Emily decided to explore what we (and they) hope will be greener pastures. We were excited to welcome new attorneys as Evan graduated GSU COL and passed the Bar. We also hired Heather Broadwater, who brings more than three decades of combined HR and employment law experience.
We successfully onboarded Maxine Lawson into her position as our 2L Clerk. Amy relocated to Kentucky.
2021
The investments we made in our attorney and staff paid off. Final year-end numbers showed 20% growth in 2021 with revenues coming in right at $2.2M. We finished the year with 13 attorneys, 2 clerks, and 3 staff.
Fall 2021
We added workstations in our Plasters Ave space, and looked to expand our footprint across the way. We further improved our technology offerings, especially for those who’ve found it more efficient to work from home. Early numbers were on budget and on target for about 10% growth with a steady rise in profit, too.
Our expansion efforts hit a higher gear with the addition of a new marketing partner, See Spark Go. We also launched a new website just in time to celebrate our 10th Anniversary.
Most importantly, we remained committed to our authentic approach and our desire to provide clients with practical solutions, while prioritizing what’s important as a team and as individuals.
Summer 2021
Paul Knowlton joined as Counsel, setting high expectations with his IP, business-estate, and asset protection offering, and we engaged Maria King to service clients’ day-to-day HR needs. Another great young Associate, Elijah Davis, was saved from his big-firm languishing, and counsel Quinton Johnson joined in mid-April, supplementing a very busy transactional group. Anna Grant, an experienced ERISA specialist, added this critical asset for our clients, as well as brought our headcount to 14 lawyers. We placed our high hopes on two more GSU students, Evan Alberhasky and Fazeleh Yahyaei-Moayyed, as clerks.
September 2020
David Adams, another of Alex’s and Todd’s law school classmates, brought on board his transaction, regulatory, and loan servicing practice, immediately ushering in several new clients and offering the Firm’s existing clients a unique and diverse service set. The Firm steadied at 10 lawyers, 2 clerks, and 3 administrators, as well as a healthy and respectable $1.8M in revenue, a win for a tumultuous year.
Summer 2020
Dani Berry joined mid-pandemic and was immediately invaluable as she developed a new Managing Attorney role for the Firm. Josh Joel took the leap from his big-law gig, trusting his litigation skills and inclination for rainmaking to provide a new level of independence. Emily progressed into an Associate position after graduation and we were pleased to welcome Sally Nicholas and Fanny Chac as new law clerks. Sigler returned from maternity leave mid-Summer to join Dani as a co-Managing Attorney, improving our efficiency and getting work into the most capable hands to complete.
Spring 2020
As Covid erupted and the business world devolved into employment-law chaos, Stanton Law leaned in with an unprecedented volume of work as new laws came on the books and companies grasped for answers. Our attorneys churned out volumes of policy guidance for clients and quickly put together several informative webinars, reaching and helping thousands.
2019
Revenues grew 20% annually, rising over $1.8M for the year. GSU Law students Emily Gaston and Maggie Garrett came on board as 2019-20 clerks and rising associate talent. Jamey Rasnick joined as Operation Director, and along with Beth and Lynda, provided structure, policies, and procedures to the attorneys, that allowed Todd to focus on deepening relationships with existing clients, securing new engagements, and finding other Of Counsel candidates to enjoy the ride.
2019
We were tapped among the Bulldog 100 in 2016-19 as one of the 100 fastest growing companies owned by UGA alumni. This added to the awards list that already included mentions in the Law Firm 500 in 2017 and 2018, recognizing Stanton Law as one of the 500 fastest growing law firms in the country.
2018
The addition of Lauren Marlow and Erika Pitzel in April expanded the Firm’s service offerings to include a transactional practice, tax direction, and business-oriented trusts, estates, and succession-planning work. Lynda Fink assumed the Administrator role, and Mat Toomey became the 2018-19 law clerk, becoming an associate the following year. Collections were just shy of $1,500,000 thanks to unique marketing initiatives, such as the Busy In-House Counsel avatar and In-House Commiseration Mixers presented with Bondurant Mixon & Elmore and Latitude Legal, raising the bar for Stanton Laws attorneys to be sought after speakers for various events.
2017
The Firms brought in Jessica Winnans to start developing her IP practice and successfully merged Melissa Malcom’s south-side solo employment practice into the mix in March. Beth McCormack joined as Controller, while Heather Obelgoner signed on to clerk for the 2017-18 academic year and picked up the bulk of the administrative responsibilities. Revenues bounced a healthy 17%, approaching $1,200,000 for the year.
2016
With the hiring of Todd’s law school classmate Alex Barfield in January, the Firm added a robust litigation offering (and a proven book of business). Mallory Michael joined as its first office administrator a few months later, and Manori de Silva brought her commercial contracts, employment, and international practice onboard in May. Firm revenues rose nearly 75% and cracked $1,000,000 for the year.
2015
Revenue and profit potential increased as top-shelf counsel embraced the Firm’s self-directed model. Serving as operations consultant, Stephanie Everett helped Stanton Laws lease, design, and build out its 410 Plasters Avenue office, providing Stanton Laws attorneys (and their dogs) a comfortable and hip place from which to work and to entertain. The casual and approachable space mirrors the attitude of the Firm, and the office remains a solid recruiting and business development asset.
2015
After joining as a clerk in the summer 2015, Amy Thomson became the Firm’s second Associate the following year, and long-time friend Melissa Kotun was recruited through a relationship with Newell-Rubbermaid as Of Counsel. Christine Green brought her budding employment and ADA Title III practice in November, eventually relocating to the Atlanta office after starting in Birmingham. Even with the year’s emphasis on operational improvements, Firm collections ticked up about 5% to $585,000.
2014
Growth accelerated over the next two years with revenues jumping to $415,000 in 2013, then again to nearly $560,000 in 2014. The increase was largely attributable to the addition of two new attorneys, Clancy Mendoza, an ERISA practitioner, and Carrie Young, a former in-house counsel with Firm client, specializing in commercial contracts and governance.
December 2012
A fishbowl in a contemporary work share office in Virginia-Highland gave Todd and Liz the venue for increased collaboration. Revenues in 2012 were just shy of $300,000.
Fall 2012
Intrigued by Todd’s emphasis on business development, client-facing opportunities, and flexible work arrangement, Liz signed on as the first associate and began assuming increasing responsibility for handbook, policy, and employment agreement drafting, as well as sitting in on Todd’s counseling appointments with his growing list of clients. The Firm paid Liz an hourly rate, as opposed to the more customary salary compensation earned at other firms and was therefore able to offer her a level of autonomy and work/life balance not enjoyed by peers.
November 2011
Originally seeking to build a nimble solo legal practice to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses and their hard-working owners and entrepreneurs who put it all on the line, Todd provided responsive and practically-minded policy development, counseling and consultation, litigation avoidance strategies, and dispute resolution services. Todd’s wife, Ashley, provided accounting and finance expertise.