If the client needs something, we will be there. If the client needs it by tomorrow morning, we will get it done. This value also drives delegation – assignments are based on who is best suited to handle a particular task; assignments are not based on title, or seniority, or who will get “credit.” Everything flows from what is best for the client.

At the most basic level, we are problem solvers. We understand that our clients come to us for help, often with difficult situations. They need guidance and thoughtful action. Our job is to listen to the clients’ objectives, collaborate with them, and work toward the best solution.

The foundation of effective legal representation is trust. And trust grows from relationship. Moreover, we truly care about the people we work with and for. Both internally and externally, the team is important. Our clients’ problems are our problems, and we treat them as such.

Lawsuits, employment issues, and negotiating contracts are difficult. Part of our focus is making difficult experiences less difficult. This starts with simple things like returning phone calls and emails in a timely manner, but it extends to walking alongside our clients when things are tough. And if we need to pivot, we do. We are flexible, and we find solutions.

This item is listed fifth, but it is the cornerstone of what we do. Klein Solomon Mills is a group of high-caliber attorneys with big-firm credentials and experience, who have elected to come together with a set of aligned values for how we want to serve our clients and work together. We recognize, however, that we are measured by performance, not potential. So every day, we strive to produce first-rate work.

In a small firm, there are times when we literally must make our own copies. But this value means more than that – it means unselfishly doing whatever it takes to put our best foot forward. A great example is provided in Netflix’s Culture Manual, which explains: “There are companies where people walk by trash on the floor in the office, waiting for someone else to pick it up, and there are companies where people lean down to pick up the trash they see, as they would at home. We try hard to be the latter, a company where everyone feels a sense of responsibility to do the right thing to help the company at every juncture. Picking up the trash is the metaphor for taking care of problems, small and large, as you see them, and never thinking “that’s not my job.”

As a firm and as individuals, we strive to improve. This value is a reminder that every day is an opportunity to learn something, and we should never be content with the status quo.