What non-attorney CEOs bring to law firm operations

It’s as untraditional as it gets, but having a non-attorney in the driving seat of your law firm can do wonders for streamlining operations, enhancing the client experience and strengthening team culture. But it’s not without its challenges — as our guest discovered when he built a law firm from the ground up (with the help of a team of attorneys) in just two weeks. 

Before Jonathan Delk was CEO of Colorado-based JVAM, he was a ski instructor-turned-digital marketer with a Master of Business Administration. In this episode, he tells Michelle Calcote King how he leveraged those skills and experiences to support and enhance the firm’s legal work by finding new ways to innovate and build a team culture that attracts talent from around the country. Jonathan also shares his take on how technology will disrupt the legal industry in the coming years.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn

• How Jonathan went from ski instructor to digital marketer to law firm CEO.

• About Colorado-based law firm JVAM, which believes in specialization (no one team member should do everything all the time).

• The benefits of allowing a non-attorney (or non-practicing attorney) to call the shots.

• The biggest hurdles of leading a firm without a law degree, including navigating the occasional, “Wait, you’re not a lawyer?!”

• How to obtain buy-in as a non-attorney leader.

• Why marketing skills are the special sauce for client experience and firmwide communication.

• How artificial intelligence and automation will disrupt how law firms operate.

About our featured guest

Jonathan Delk is responsible for all facets of JVAM’s business outside the practice of law, including general management of finance, human resources, location management, information services and business development. Specializing in legal management, Jonathan works to keep JVAM at the forefront of practice management and an employer of choice in the legal field.

Jonathan attended the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he double majored in Economics and Political Science. Later, he earned a Master of Business Administration at Colorado State University, focusing heavily on finance and leadership.

Before starting his career in the legal industry, Jonathan worked in the outdoor industry as a professional ski and snowboard instructor, and a trail guide and coach for downhill and cross-country mountain biking. For years, he tallied 200-plus days a year on snow between Aspen, Colorado and Queenstown, New Zealand. Now, he takes his ski days with his wife, Erin, and daughter, Amelia.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Check out JVAM 

• Follow JVAM on LinkedIn and Facebook

• Connect with Jonathan Delk on LinkedIn and X

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on X and .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}