Rimon, FisherBroyles Ex-Partners Aim to Revamp All-Remote Model

Two law firms that have launched within the last year are seeking to update the all-remote formula with new ways to pay partners and deploy technology.

One of the firms, Lucendo, allows attorneys to receive equity distributions while also keeping as much as 90% of their collections. The other, Pierson Ferdinand, emphasizes technology with a mix of third-party products and internally developed software.

“We’re constantly poking holes in the system to see how we can make it better,” said Pierson Ferdinand co-founder Joel Ferdinand, formerly a managing partner at FisherBroyles, in an interview. “These are not buzzwords; we live and die by them.”

The two operations are adding their own spin to a law firm model pioneered by FisherBroyles in the early 2000s. The underlying ethos of the firms has not changed, however. They aim to let lawyers keep a majority of the fees they collect from clients while saving on brick-and-mortar costs with a work-from-anywhere approach.

Former leaders of remote firm Rimon launched Lucendo this month, calling it the “2.0 version of a distributed law firm.” Lucendo’s creation came a year after FisherBroyles leaders launched Pierson Ferdinand.

In its first year of operations, Pierson Ferdinand generated $75 million in legal bills, with expectations of surpassing $100 million this year, its leaders said in an interview Wednesday.

Meanwhile, FisherBroyles has scarcely made up for the loss of 133 lawyers, nearly half its total lawyer headcount, to Pierson Ferdinand; it recruited 22 lawyers in 2024, the firm confirmed.

Tech Enhancements

In both cases, leaders of the firm are trying to address what they saw as shortcomings at their former operations while seeking to retain the positive aspects, such as low costs.

FisherBroyles partners who left for Pierson Ferdinand “didn’t leave the model; they left the management,” said Frederick Shelton, a legal recruiter who scouts talent for Pierson Ferdinand and other remote firms. “All the things that can be Achilles heels for virtual law firms, they’ve been committed to doing well.”

A major driver of the departures from FisherBroyles came when leaders told partners they had to cover years of unpaid California state taxes, Bloomberg Law reported last January.

Pierson Ferdinand has hired in-house and external accountants to handle taxes to state and federal authorities, said Michael Pierson, a co-founder of Pierson Ferdinand who led FisherBroyles’ corporate practice.

Leaders at FisherBroyles, in a prepared statement, denied hearing of a partner departure motivated by the firm’s request to pay state tax obligations.

The former FisherBroyles partners said they were also motivated by the desire to improve upon their technology infrastructure. Distributed law firms have often relied on partners to cover their own costs, including tech expenses.

Pierson Ferdinand leaders said they use a mix of third-party vendor products and internally developed proprietary software. For example, Ferdinand said the firm has more than 90 legal forms that can be autopopulated with client information in minutes.

In response to questions about the firm’s tech infrastructure, FisherBroyles said it has “always led innovation in the legal profession,” as the original distributed law firm.

“We continue to provide our partners with state-of-the-art technology,” the FisherBroyles statement said. “The firm will continue to lead with the implementation of cutting-edge AI solutions as we look to consistently improve the offerings for our partners and clients.”

Compensation

Meanwhile, the five former Rimon lawyers who founded Lucendo have made changes to their formulaic compensation system.

Partners at distributed firms, including those at Rimon, typically swap equity distributions for a majority of their collected fees from clients. However, Lucendo’s new pay system allows attorneys to receive equity distributions while also keeping a greater share of their collections, as much as 90%, as they grow their book of business.

“Unlike most distributed law firms, which are owned by either a small number of attorneys, partners at Lucendo are true partners,” said Lucendo founder TJ Henry, who served as Rimon’s chief legal officer before leaving in April.

In an email statement, Rimon managing partner Juan Zuniga said, “We wish the lawyers at Lucendo the best of luck in their endeavor.”