Many law firms face similar challenges, but often lack opportunities to connect with like-minded firms, swap stories, ask tough questions, and share what’s actually working.
Last week, we flew over to the Gold Coast to host a special File Notes Live dinner with 15 law firm leaders to do exactly that.
Instead of hoping for a few good chats at a conference, we got to sit down with the exact kind of people we love learning from: firm owners, operations managers, and people building the next generation of law firms. This time, we were lucky to have Caralee Fontenele from Scalable Law leading the conversation.
What is File Notes Live?
File Notes Live is the real-world extension of the File Notes podcast. We bring together a small, curated group of law firm leaders for dinner and unfiltered conversation. There’s no stage and no sales pitch. Just guided discussions, real stories, shared insights, and a community of peers unpacking the reality of running a law firm.
At the dinner, we were joined by Caralee Fontenele who runs Collective Family Law Group, and is the founder of Scalable Law. Caralee works with firm owners across Australia and New Zealand to scale up their revenue and operate more efficiently, helping build firms that don’t rely on a single person to function.
We had Caralee on the File Notes podcast, where she explained how she systemised her firm, built Scalable Law, and started helping hundreds of others do the same. You can check out the episode below if you’re interested!
Key takeaways: Operate smarter, grow faster
Over dinner, Caralee shared what it actually looks like to run a high-performing law firm. She gave unfiltered advice and spoke to the realities of what it’s like running a law firm in Australia. Here’s what stood out:
1. Recruiting in a tight market?
You need a new playbook.
SEEK isn’t cutting it anymore. Caralee shared how her firm is getting better results by building relationships before they need to hire.
She’s been using a platform called Insource (run by Kiwi founder Jenn Little), which helps firms build a pipeline of talent they can tap into later.
Once candidates are in the pipeline Caralee reaches out personally via LinkedIn — and it works. A message from a real person beats a recruiter blast every time.
Dinner attendee Luke Campbell, co-founder and CEO of VXT, echoed this strategy. He shared how he’s leaned on LinkedIn to hire high-performing, ambitious candidates at scale (without spending a cent). By consistently posting content that gives people a sense of what it’s like to work at VXT, seven posts over three weeks generated more than 500,000 impressions and 300 job applications.
2. When to hire an ops manager?
Probably sooner than you think.
There’s no perfect time, but waiting too long can hold you back.
Caralee pointed out that firm owners often wait until they’re underwater to bring in operational help. However, bringing someone in early who can build systems, manage people, and free you up to focus pays off quickly.
3. Systemise everything (so you’re not the bottleneck)
Want your team to make good decisions without asking you about every tiny thing? You need clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Caralee explained how documenting even small processes, like how to write a fee estimate, can shift team behaviour. When your SOP outlines what a “good” estimate looks like, staff can make that call themselves instead of asking, “What do you want me to do here?”
If you’re curious, she goes deeper on this in her e-book, Seven Figure Law Firm.
4. Ask for feedback (but ask at the right moment)
It’s always a good idea to survey your clients on what you can do better. In law though, timing your feedback requests matters.
Caralee highlighted this with a family law example: don’t wait until the end of a matter to ask for feedback. By then, emotions and outcomes can heavily influence the response, even if your work was excellent. A better time? Right after the initial consult when the client has experienced your service but before things get personal or complex.
The same goes for public reviews, like those on Google. If you’re going to ask, ask when the experience is fresh and positive. Timing can be the difference between a glowing review and no review at all.
5. Choosing the right tech? Stay on top of your contracts
Caralee’s firm runs on VXT and Clio, and for good reason.
Not all tech contracts are created equal. Some platforms make it easy to switch. Others, not so much.
VXT and Clio both keep things flexible. Others may not. Make sure you know what you’re locked into, and for how long.
We had two firms at the table sign with VXT the next day, which is probably the best compliment we can get. When your customers are in the room and doing the selling for you, that’s when you know you’re doing something right.
6. Shoutout to Clio!
A huge thanks to our partners at Clio for helping make this dinner happen. We could run these on our own, but it’s so much better doing it with folks who care deeply about the legal community.
They’re the most widely used practice management system globally, and most recently completed a $1 billion acquisition of AI-powered legal intelligence and research platform vLex. Their scale is massive, but they’ve still got a small, local team that actually knows their customers and works alongside them to continuously improve Clio for Australian law firms.
Here's a bonus tip from Caralee: if you ever get the chance to attend ClioCon, do it. The US firms there are operating on a different level to APAC when it comes to marketing and business ops.
Learn more about our integration with Clio here.
7. Dinners > conferences?
We’re starting to think so.
In just a few hours, we had real conversations with a room full of the exact firms we want to work with. We learned a ton, made new friends, and saw people connect in ways that just don’t happen in giant expo halls.
As Stacy Miller, Partner at Cronin Miller Litigation, put it:
“The evening was relaxed and welcoming, which created an environment where everyone was open to sharing their experiences. You can’t underestimate the value of the honesty and transparency shared by like-minded professionals navigating the daily challenges of running a law practice.”
Want to come to the next File Notes Live?
We haven’t locked in our next city yet. Got somewhere in mind? Send me an email and let me know where you’d like us to host one in the future.
Or, sign up for the File Notes newsletter below to be the first to hear when new dates and details drop.
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