{"id":154191,"date":"2026-06-10T02:32:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/06\/10\/law-firm-employee-retention-what-a-fully-remote-agency-can-teach-you-about-keeping-good-people\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T02:32:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:32:00","slug":"law-firm-employee-retention-what-a-fully-remote-agency-can-teach-you-about-keeping-good-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/06\/10\/law-firm-employee-retention-what-a-fully-remote-agency-can-teach-you-about-keeping-good-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Law Firm Employee Retention: What a Fully Remote Agency Can Teach You About Keeping Good People"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>How do you keep good people when everyone works from home?\u201d Casey Meraz tells what worked (and what did not) for his fully remote company, a new INC Best Workplace designee.<br \/>\nThe post Law Firm Employee Retention: What a Fully Remote Agency Can Teach You About Keeping Good People appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Should you run your firm more like this \u201cInc. Best Workplace\u201d marketing agency? Juris Legal CEO Casey Meraz shares ideas you can use to help solve your law firm\u2019s employee retention problem.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"770\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/law-firm-employee-retention.jpg?resize=770%2C495&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"hand with magnate pulling in law firm employee retention with arrows.\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\">\n<h2>Table of contents<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-what-we-learned-about-keeping-good-people\" data-level=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">What We Learned About Keeping Good People<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-what-failed-first\" data-level=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">What Failed First<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-software-as-culture\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Software-as-culture<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-we-tried-forced-fun\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">We Tried Forced Fun<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-soft-commitments\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Soft Commitments<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-unreachable-incentives\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Unreachable Incentives<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-what-actually-moves-employee-retention\" data-level=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">What Actually Moves Employee Retention?<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-1-weekly-recognition-with-names-and-specifics\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">1. Weekly Recognition with Names and Specifics<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-2-pay-people-for-the-outcome-you-say-you-value\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2. Pay People for the Outcome You Say You Value<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-3-one-real-in-person-gathering-a-year\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">3. One Real In-person Gathering a Year<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-4-show-people-the-next-rung\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">4. Show People the Next Rung<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-5-table-stakes-are-still-table-stakes\" data-level=\"3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">5. Table Stakes are Still Table Stakes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-employee-retention-isn-t-a-perk-problem\" data-level=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Employee Retention Isn\u2019t a Perk Problem<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-employee-retention-lessons-from-remote-agency\/#h-bonusly-rewards-platform-faqs\" data-level=\"2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bonusly Rewards Platform FAQs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-we-learned-about-keeping-good-people\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What We Learned About Keeping Good People<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Attorneys often ask me about SEO and marketing, but lately, they\u2019ve been asking me about something very different \u2026 and a little more meta: <strong>\u201cHow do you keep good people when everyone works from home?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a fair question, and I\u2019ve had time to think through it critically. I\u2019m the founder of Juris Digital, a fully remote digital marketing agency.\u00a0We were just <a href=\"https:\/\/jurisdigital.com\/news\/juris-digital-named-2026-inc-best-workplace\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">named a 2026 Inc. Best Workplace<\/a>, and the designation really echoes what I\u2019m seeing here in real time. Our team members are posting unprompted messages in Slack on their three-year anniversaries, thanking the team for a positive work environment. People are genuinely <em>happy<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m not telling you this to brag or flex. In fact, five years ago, we had no idea how to do any of this, and most of what we tried didn\u2019t work initially.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The truth is, law firms and agencies struggle with the same retention problem.<\/strong> Your best associates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/law-firm-associate-retention-strategies\/\" id=\"100008296\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">don\u2019t leave for money alone<\/a>. They leave because nobody noticed their work, they couldn\u2019t see a future, and the law firm culture was whatever happened in the absence of one.\u00a0Remote work doesn\u2019t create those problems. But it does remove the office camouflage that used to hide them.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-failed-first\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Failed First<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what we tried, what failed, and the few things that actually worked for us.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-software-as-culture\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Software-as-culture<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We bought 15Five, a check-in tool intended to keep everyone connected and heard. As with most new, shiny objects I find,\u00a0we were very excited to see the impact just rolling out a piece of software would have on team culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We ran it for a couple of years and quietly killed it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The weekly check-ins became homework for our team.\u00a0People filled them out because they had to, managers skimmed them, and nothing changed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lesson wasn\u2019t that we were leveraging the \u201cwrong tool.\u201d\u00a0It was that people didn\u2019t want to be checked in on. They wanted to know where their career was going.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We eventually replaced it with a platform built around goals and career development. Adoption took care of itself because it helped answer their fundamental questions about where they were headed professionally.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-we-tried-forced-fun\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">We Tried Forced Fun<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we launched virtual happy hours, they were rough. Our team would post the Zoom link and then literally ask people to react with an emoji if they planned to skip.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If we had to beg or force attendance, we questioned whether the event itself was the issue.\u00a0Remote social time competes directly with client work and family time, and a generic \u201chang out on video\u201d doesn\u2019t stand a chance against that.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-soft-commitments\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Soft Commitments<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In retrospect, this one probably cost us the most. <\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In a remote company, it\u2019s easy to build what I started calling a \u201csoft commitment culture.\u201d This is where problems get identified in meetings, everyone nods, and nothing has an owner or a due date.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your best people notice this before you do. Nothing burns out an A-player faster than watching the same problem get discussed for the third month in a row.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-unreachable-incentives\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Unreachable Incentives<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we first built our bonus structure, I set thresholds like a 99% client satisfaction score.\u00a0It matched our goals, but a bar that high reads as \u201cyou will never get this bonus,\u201d which is worse than no bonus at all.\u00a0So, we rebuilt it with tiered targets people could actually hit. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-actually-moves-employee-retention\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Actually Moves Employee Retention?<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"h-1-weekly-recognition-with-names-and-specifics\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Weekly Recognition with Names and Specifics<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We use a tool called <a href=\"https:\/\/bonusly.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Bonusly<\/a> that lets anyone on the team give anyone else points (redeemable for real rewards, like gift cards) attached to a public shoutout.<\/p>\n<p>The shoutout gets amplified.\u00a0Every week, our team posts an MVP board in our watercooler Slack channel to celebrate the person who earned the most recognition from their peers through the Bonusly platform.\u00a0There\u2019s also a weekly memo that names one standout person and specifically describes what they did. Not \u201cGreat job, Sarah.\u201d It\u2019s more like: \u201cK has been the steady force behind the Green POD, from client comms to making sure nothing slips through the cracks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Generic praise is just noise. Specificity tells someone their actual work is visible and valuable. It\u2019s the whole game.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an office, people get that visibility almost accidentally. In a remote environment, you have to build the machine and system that produces it. A law firm version of this recognition system costs nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A weekly partner email that names one associate and one staff member, specifying exactly what they did well, would put you ahead of 90% of firms.<\/p>\n<p>But to be clear, innovation is about more than the tools a company uses\u2014it\u2019s about cultivating an environment where creative thinking and improvement are encouraged.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-2-pay-people-for-the-outcome-you-say-you-value\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Pay People for the Outcome You Say You Value<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every firm says they value client relationships. Almost nobody pays for them.\u00a0We restructured bonuses so our client service teams earn them for keeping clients: retention rate, satisfaction scores and churn.\u00a0Then we added something softer that mattered just as much: we publicly celebrate the people who kept their clients, the same way most shops only celebrate the people who land new ones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Watch where the applause goes in your firm. If origination gets a party and retention gets silence, your people will optimize for exactly that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Read \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/your-law-firm-partner-compensation-plan-is-sabotaging-succession\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Your Law Firm\u2019s Partner Compensation Plan Is Sabotaging Your Succession<\/a>\u201d by Brenda Barns and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/understanding-law-firm-bonuses-a-simpler-bonus-structure-for-associates-paralegals-and-you\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Understanding Law Firm Bonuses: A Simpler Bonus Structure for Associates, Paralegals and You<\/a>\u201d by Brooke Lively on Attorney at Work.)<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-3-one-real-in-person-gathering-a-year\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. One Real In-person Gathering a Year<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We hold an annual summit, all expenses paid, with the destination announced at an all-hands meeting like it\u2019s a reveal.\u00a0People talk about it for months before and after. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I used to think we needed constant virtual events to replace the office. I think I was wrong.\u00a0One genuinely great in-person week beats 50 mediocre Zoom socials. We still do monthly virtual happy hours, but we\u2019ve changed the format. We play actual games (Jackbox, prizes, trash talk) instead of forcing unstructured hangouts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When you give people something to do together, attendance stops being a chore.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-4-show-people-the-next-rung\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Show People the Next Rung<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We promote from within, and we announce it loudly, with the reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We rebuilt every job description with clear performance metrics so people know exactly what their role requires and what the next one looks like.\u00a0Ambiguity about advancement is a resignation letter being slowly drafted. That\u2019s true for a fifth-year associate wondering about partnership, and it\u2019s true for an SEO specialist wondering what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-5-table-stakes-are-still-table-stakes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Table Stakes are Still Table Stakes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The benefits matter. Unlimited time off that people actually use, fully paid health insurance and co-working access for people who want it are standard.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of this is innovative. It just removes reasons to interview elsewhere, so the other stuff can work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our fabulous COO and President, Leann Pickard, is the real brains of this operation. She launches and runs most of these initiatives, and she\u2019d tell you the unglamorous part is the consistency:<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cA strong workplace culture does not happen by accident. It takes consistency, listening, and a real commitment to making people feel seen and supported. The recognition programs and the summit get the attention, but what actually keeps people is that we do these things every single week, whether it\u2019s a good month or a hard one.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-employee-retention-isn-t-a-perk-problem\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Employee Retention Isn\u2019t a Perk Problem<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We failed with a check-in tool, awkward happy hours, vague accountability, and impossible bonus targets before we figured out what worked. The needle moved with specific public recognition, incentives that aligned with keeping clients, one great in-person event, visible career paths, and benefits that remove excuses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of it requires being remote, being an agency, or buying software. But better law firm employee retention does depend on the decision to keep your people with a system you run on purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"h-bonusly-rewards-platform-faqs\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bonusly Rewards Platform FAQs<\/h2>\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\">\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1781037247055\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is Bonusly?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Bonusly is an employee recognition platform that allows coworkers to publicly recognize one another by giving points along with a message describing what the recipient did well. Employees can redeem accumulated points for rewards such as gift cards and charitable donations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1781037264962\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How does Bonusly work?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Each employee receives a monthly budget of points to give to teammates. When someone receives points, the recognition is shared publicly, helping great work become more visible across the organization.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1781037283336\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Why do companies use Bonusly?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Companies use Bonusly to improve employee engagement, increase recognition, reinforce company values, and create a culture where employees feel appreciated for their contributions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1781037303819\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Is Bonusly effective for remote teams?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes. Bonusly helps remote and hybrid teams create visibility and recognition that might otherwise happen informally in an office. Public shoutouts can help employees feel connected, valued, and acknowledged, regardless of location.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1781037334342\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How much does Bonusly cost?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Bonusly is free to try for up to 8 users. For more features and unlimited users, the monthly fee is $5 per user. Custom options are also available.<br \/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"699\" height=\"464\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bonusly-employee-retention-platform-pricing-levels-768x510.jpg?resize=699%2C464&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Pricing for Bonusly platform&#039;s free, team and organization tiers\" title=\"\">\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do you keep good people when everyone works from home?\u201d Casey Meraz tells what worked (and what did not) for his fully remote company, a new INC Best Workplace designee. The post Law Firm Employee Retention: What a Fully Remote Agency Can Teach You About Keeping Good People appeared first on Articles, Tips and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-154191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal_matters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154191\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}