125: How Employee Reviews Unlock Growth, Accountability, and Freedom with Ashley Waters

Great Practice. Great Life. by Atticus

Are your employee reviews helping your firm grow or just checking a box?

In this episode of Great Practice, Great Life, Steve sits down again with Ashley Waters, an estate planning attorney from Tennessee. Hear them discuss how a structured, repeatable employee review process helped her firm grow and thrive. As her practice expanded, Ashley realized the importance of effective feedback loops and strategic delegation. These key elements have strengthened her team and increased profitability.

Ashley shares how she initially approached employee reviews with uncertainty but soon recognized their role in fostering accountability, professional development, and a positive workplace culture. By implementing tools and strategies from Atticus, she gained the confidence to delegate responsibilities and empower her team members, allowing her firm to scale efficiently.

Steve and Ashley also explore the importance of developing strong team leaders and the impact of proactive planning. Ashley learned about her employees’ goals and strengths during these reviews which led her to promote the paralegal who helped her start her firm to an office manager role. This created a support system that allowed Ashley to focus on high-value tasks while ensuring her firm operated smoothly.

This episode highlights the power of intentional leadership, no matter the size or location of your practice. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on how refining your approach to employee management can create a thriving, growth-oriented law firm.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Strategic delegation and employee reviews as tools for law practice growth

• Ashley Waters’ journey from small two-person firm to a thriving practice in rural Tennessee

• Importance of structured feedback loops for team development and profitability

• Transitioning from uncertainty to a proactive management approach

• Challenges and solutions in delegating responsibilities and building a strong team

• The role of communication and clear expectations in scaling a law firm

• Embracing the unique contributions of lawyers in different settings

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

If there’s a topic you would like us to cover on an upcoming episode, please email us at [email protected].

Supporting Resources:

• Ashley Waters Bio: www.waters.law/ashley-waters

• Waters Law: www.waters.law

• Episode 120: Hiring Smarter, Communicating Better, and Scaling Faster Using DISC with Ashley Waters: atticusadvantage.com/podcast/scaling-with-disc-assessment

• Team Leader Certification Program: atticusadvantage.com/law-firm-team-leader-certification

• Lori Pulvermacher, Practice Advisor: atticusadvantage.com/team/lori-pulvermacher

• Law Firm Coaching: atticusadvantage.com/coaching

• DISC Assessment: atticusadvantage.com/disc-assessment

• Grow Your Law Practice with AI: atticusadvantage.com/workshops/grow-your-law-practice-with-ai

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.