Lucille Karp is a partner at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, a New Jersey-based firm with 140 practicing lawyers across 13 offices in nine states. She serves as the firm’s General Counsel, co-chair of the transactional group, and co-chair of the hiring committee.

Lucy earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University’s College of Engineering and her JD from Widener University School of Law. Her legal practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions, including office, industrial, and retail leasing, as well as acquisitions, dispositions, and real estate financings. Her corporate experience spans M&A, financings, and general corporate counseling.

The role of law firm General Counsel requires a careful balance of legal expertise, risk management, and leadership. Gaining insight from someone with real-world experience can provide valuable perspective on navigating and succeeding in this unique position.

In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, host Elise Holtzman talks with Lucille Karp, Partner and General Counsel at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter. Lucy shares her journey to becoming General Counsel, the key skills that help her effectively manage risk, and how she balances her responsibilities. She also offers practical advice for lawyers interested in pursuing a similar path, emphasizing the importance of sound decision-making and leadership in law firm management.

2:04 – Lucy shares how she became General Counsel in 2018 and how she would define the responsibilities of her role.

7:43 – Key areas that General Counsels need to fully understand to be effective in their position.

10:15 – How Lucy balances the demands of her various roles within and outside the firm.

13:14 – The potential risks law firms face with AI, and how managing partners or committees can collaborate more effectively with General Counsel.

16:30 – Lucy’s approach to navigating difficult conversations and maintaining strong relationships as General Counsel.

19:00 – The essential skills and traits for private practice lawyers aiming to step into the role of General Counsel.

25:37 – Where General Counsels can find educational resources and support.

28:59 – Lucy’s straightforward yet crucial advice for lawyers on managing risk effectively.

McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP

Lucille Karp on Linked

New Jersey State Bar Association

Legal Management Resources

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The Lawyer’s Edge

Today’s episode is brought to you by the Ignite Women’s Business Development Accelerator, a 9-month business development program created BY women lawyers for women lawyers. Ignite is a carefully designed business development program containing content, coaching, and a community of like-minded women who are committed to becoming rainmakers AND supporting the retention and advancement of other women in the profession.

Early Bird Registration will be opening this fall for our 2025 Ignite cohorts. If you are interested in either participating in the program or sponsoring a woman in your firm to enroll, learn more about Ignite and sign up for our registration alerts by visiting www.thelawyersedge.com/ignite.

Joshua Wurtzel is a commercial and real estate litigation partner at Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP, a Manhattan boutique law firm that represents businesses, non-profits, and individuals in complex and corporate matters. He has successfully represented public and private companies and prominent individuals in both federal and state court. With his focus on aggressive litigation and his ability to develop creative and novel solutions to complex disputes, he brings a unique, out-of-the-box perspective to his clients’ most pressing legal needs.

Before joining Schlam Stone & Dolan, Josh was an associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in its Securities Litigation and Corporate Governance group. He also previously worked as an intern for the Honorable Kiyo A. Matsumoto of the Eastern District of New York. He’s a regular contributor to several legal publications (such as the New York Law Journal) and lectures on cutting-edge legal issues in the commercial real estate sector.

Bringing new clients into a law firm not only drives a law firm’s growth, but can also provide you with greater professional autonomy and an increased ability to call the shots in your own career. Despite the clear benefits to becoming a consistent business developer, many lawyers don’t pursue business development success or struggle to achieve it.

In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman sits down with Joshua Wurtzel, a commercial and real estate litigation partner at Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP, to discuss his experience with building a book of business. Josh shares the challenges he faced on his journey to becoming a rainmaker and explains how networking and coaching have been instrumental in refining his approach to business development, team-building, and client relationships.

2:50 - Why Josh decided to start building his book of business and the early challenges and successes he encountered

6:22 - The impact of developing his book of business on Josh’s approach to client relationships

9:18 - How Josh landed his first clients and honed his networking skills

11:42 - The importance of building trust over time and different strategies for developing lasting relationships

15:22 - The business development challenges that Josh continues to focus on overcoming

18:23 - How Josh has adapted his business development strategies over time and why he prioritizes business development

25:02 - How Josh maintains the momentum of his business development efforts when immediate results don’t materialize

28:07 - The importance of building a team to support business development and manage client relationships

33:59 - Advice for associates, counsel, and junior partners looking to start building their own book of business and advance in their careers

38:29 - The role of self-confidence and belief in your success as a lawyer and aspiring rainmaker

Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP | Joshua’s Profile

Joshua Wurtzel on LinkedIn

Joshua Wurtzel on Instagram

Business Networking International (BNI)

USA 500 Clubs

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The Lawyer’s Edge

Today’s episode is brought to you by the Ignite Women’s Business Development Accelerator, a 9-month business development program created BY women lawyers for women lawyers. Ignite is a carefully designed business development program containing content, coaching, and a community of like-minded women who are committed to becoming rainmakers AND supporting the retention and advancement of other women in the profession.

Early Bird Registration will be opening this fall for our 2025 Ignite cohorts. If you are interested in either participating in the program or sponsoring a woman in your firm to enroll, learn more about Ignite and sign up for our registration alerts by visiting www.thelawyersedge.com/ignite.

Terri Adler is a visionary leader and creative attorney who focuses on the commercial real estate industry. As the Managing Partner of Adler & Stachenfeld, a boutique real estate law firm in New York City with nearly 50 attorneys, Terri has guided the firm’s growth to become one of the city’s leading real estate law practices.

With a wealth of experience in national and international real estate, Terri specializes in complex joint ventures and corporate real estate transactions. She is a passionate advocate for gender inclusion and mentoring women in the legal profession, helping them define and achieve their own versions of success. Terri was recently named one of Crain’s New York Business Notable Women in Law for 2023, honoring her distinguished career and dedication to civic and philanthropic causes.

In an increasingly competitive legal landscape, maintaining a successful law practice requires adaptability, a strong culture, and a relentless work ethic. With law firm mergers and closures becoming more frequent, the ability to evolve is more crucial than ever to long-term success.

In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman speaks with Terri Adler about her career journey, from bucking her family’s expectations for her future to founding one of New York’s top boutique firms. Terri shares insights on building a resilient firm culture, promoting diversity, and leading a successful real estate practice in a rapidly changing industry. She also addresses the challenges of leadership succession and talent retention in today’s legal market.

2:14 - Terri’s background and career journey, from Utah to New York
7:21 - Why Terri chose real estate law and one persistent challenge in the industry
11:11 - How Terri’s leadership style and reputation help her close deals quickly
16:20 - The importance of strong culture and clear values in law firms
21:33 - Leadership succession and talent development challenges in the legal profession
27:39 - Terri’s thoughts on shifts in the legal industry and the impact on lawyers seeking new opportunities
30:58 - How values and purpose drive the survival of smaller law firms
35:15 - One essential lesson Terri learned as an ambitious, driven lawyer that you need to hear

Adler & Stachenfeld

Terri Adler on LinkedIn

Michael Brody-Waite

Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com

The Lawyer’s Edge

Today’s episode is brought to you by the Ignite Women’s Business Development Accelerator, a 9-month business development program created BY women lawyers for women lawyers. Ignite is a carefully designed business development program containing content, coaching, and a community of like-minded women who are committed to becoming rainmakers AND supporting the retention and advancement of other women in the profession.

Early Bird Registration will be opening this fall for our 2025 Ignite cohorts. If you are interested in either participating in the program or sponsoring a woman in your firm to enroll, learn more about Ignite and sign up for our registration alerts by visiting www.thelawyersedge.com/ignite.

Business development can often feel daunting. Even lawyers who recognize its importance frequently grapple with where to begin and how to execute effectively. Without a well-defined strategy, it’s easy to become overwhelmed, discouraged, and ultimately disengage from the process.

In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman breaks down the process with her 3 Pillars of Business Development—a proven, straightforward framework that gives attorneys the clarity, tools, and focus necessary to build a thriving book of business. By applying these pillars, you'll be able to channel your time and energy into high-impact activities, making business development less intimidating and far more rewarding.

Tune in to discover how you can make BD a manageable and achievable part of your practice—and start seeing the results you’ve been aiming for.

This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

1:48 - Four reasons why I developed the three pillars of business development success and a quick rundown of what they are

10:30 - How to actively nurture and grow relationships with clients and prospects

13:12 - How to establish credibility and position yourself as an authority in your field

16:58 - The three Ts of leadership advancement and how they contribute to effective business development in legal

23:29 - How to use the pillars to grow and advance into a consistent business developer or rainmaker for your law firm

28:30 - The curse of knowledge about business development I have that I want to share with you

Myers-Brigg | TypeCoach Verifier

“How to Cultivate a Business Development Mindset”

Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com

The Lawyer’s Edge

Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008.

Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress.

To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.

Morris Tabush is a community activist, tech hobbyist, and serial entrepreneur. Growing up passionate about technology and helping others, he turned that passion into a business in 2000 by founding the Tabush Group with a mission to simplify IT for businesses. He oversees all aspects of the firm’s business and focuses on delivering outstanding service to clients.

Darragh Fitzpatrick was born in Limerick, Ireland. As a teenager, he aspired to help business owners solve their issues more efficiently. He earned his BSC in computer science, worked in IT for over 20 years, and focused on understanding the business value of technology, particularly for small businesses.

A chance meeting with Morris led to their partnership at Tabush Group, where Darragh serves as its executive vice president. Together, they built the company on the principle of providing IT solutions that align with clients’ values and business needs.

In today’s rapidly evolving legal landscape, the adoption of technology is no longer a choice, but a necessity for law firms striving to stay competitive. However, the abundance of available tools can make it difficult to choose the right technology without compromising your firm’s culture or client relationships. Navigating this complex landscape requires a thoughtful approach that balances innovation with the core values of your practice.

In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman hosts Morris Tabush, Founder of the Tabush Group, and Darragh Fitzpatrick, Executive Vice President, to discuss the critical technological issues legal organizations face. Together, they explore the foundational technologies that every firm should implement, analyze the trends that are reshaping the industry, and consider the impact of AI on the future of legal practice.

2:11 - How Tabush Group provides IT solutions for businesses and the technology trends they see in the legal industry right now

7:50 - The appetite in the legal community for implementing what’s technologically available for better decision-making purposes

11:32 - Essential systems law firms need in order to have a solid technological foundation and cybersecurity considerations for your organization

16:40 - What the next level looks like for a law firm leader who has all the foundational tools in place

23:13 - Why you shouldn’t be worried about the cloud and the AI bubble we’re living in right now

27:56 - What firms are currently using AI for and the next step to using AI in legal organizations

32:03 - Upcoming technology that’s going to help law firms do more with less

37:32 - Final pieces of advice from Darragh and Morris that people in law firms need to hear

Tabush Group

Morris Tabush on LinkedIn

Darragh Fitzpatrick on LinkedIn

Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com

The Lawyer’s Edge

Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008.

Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress.

To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.

Laura Leopard is the co-founder and General Manager of Leopard Solutions, the largest law firm data platform serving the legal industry with actionable intelligence and insights on more than 5,500 law firms worldwide and 6,800 U.S. corporate legal departments. She has spearheaded Leopard Solutions’ growth and development over the company's 18-year history, and she continues to push the envelope, designing new systems, business intelligence programs, and data points for its expanding client base.

Beyond her entrepreneurial success, Laura is a passionate advocate for diversity and women in law. She is frequently quoted in the media, and her commentary has appeared in sources such as Law 360, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and Bloomberg Law.

Are you using hard data to make decisions for your law firm or are you doing what feels right? There is a tremendous amount of information available to law firm leaders these days, so it makes sense for you to learn about what’s available and how to use data to make decisions that will help your firm grow and thrive in a very competitive marketplace.

In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman interviews Laura Leopard, the Co-Founder and General Manager of Leopard Solutions, about her long career in the world of data intelligence for the legal industry. Laura discusses the types of data that are available to law firms and other legal organizations as well as the importance of using data to make informed choices about everything from financial decisions to how to embrace and address issues of diversity and inclusion.

1:36 - How Laura got into the world of data intelligence and started applying them exclusively to legal

7:47 - The kind of clients that Leopard Solutions works with and some of the ways in which they use data

12:12 - What prompted the move to put diversity information in the database and the approach to obtaining and safeguarding the data

16:21 - Why Laura decided to align with SurePoint after nearly 20 years of working independently

20:06 - The platforms available to help law firms make data-driven decisions and solve business problems

29:51 - How you can use data to help achieve success in retaining and promoting women and ethnically diverse people in the legal industry

36:16 - The importance of believing in the numbers when making decisions and openness to new ways of driving growth and success

Leopard Solutions | LinkedIn

SurePoint Technologies

Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com

The Lawyer’s Edge

Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008.

Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress.

To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.

Michael Ellenhorn founded Decipher Investigative Intelligence to help clients create safer, more productive, and more profitable workplaces through reliable investigative intelligence. He counsels clients on mitigating risks associated with the hiring process and is a frequent speaker on the topic of lateral hiring, integration, and talent acquisition strategy. Under his leadership, Decipher has been recognized by St. Louis Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” and honored for his innovation in corporate philanthropy.

As Chief Growth Officer at Decipher, Julie Henson empowers law firms to make strategic growth decisions. Whether it’s lateral hiring, exploring new markets, or seizing M&A opportunities, she helps firms elevate client service, mitigate risk, boost revenue, and foster vibrant cultures. With more than 20 years of legal industry experience, including in business development strategy and as a Chief Client Officer at an AmLaw 100 firm, she offers unparalleled insights into fostering growth and maximizing potential for law firms and other legal organizations.

Did you know that 50% of lateral partner hires fail within a few years? Most law firms are focused on growth, whether it’s through increased head count or better approaches to profitability, but law firms often make decisions based on what feels right. Growth requires a strategic approach, not one based on gut feeling or limited information. Collecting and analyzing data through investigative intelligence helps you make accurate decisions in talent acquisition that also align with your company’s culture.

In this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman sits down with the CEO and Chief Growth Officer of Decipher Investigative Intelligence, Michael Ellenhorn and Julie Henson, to talk about the importance of using investigative intelligence in decision-making for growing and sustaining law firms. You’ll learn about various growth strategies, the challenges of integrating lateral partners, avoiding cultural mismatches, and much more!

1:59 - What investigative intelligence is and two ways you can use it to gather the information you need

8:07 - How to define growth and success for your law firm

12:09 - How to start determining the best path for growing through mergers and acquisitions

14:35 - Examples of how cultural divides within a merged organization can create problems

16:52 - Other common mistakes made with lateral hires, mergers, and acquisitions

23:06 - The challenge of finding game-changing lateral partners to fill certain needs in your law firm

25:20 - One way to drastically get ahead of your competition when hiring and how Decipher utilizes information to help

29:11 - Dos and don'ts for successful lateral hiring and integration in your law firm

39:53 - The importance of kindness in your interactions and paying attention to red flags in the hiring process

Decipher Investigative Intelligence

Michael Ellenhorn on LinkedIn

Julie Henson on LinkedIn

Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com

The Lawyer’s Edge

Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008.

Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress.

To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.