The 2024 Game Changers Summit has become known as a large-scale celebration of the accomplishments of the nation’s top law firm owners.

For the second consecutive year, Michael and Jessica Mogill took the stage throughout the two-day Summit to recognize the most committed Crisp Coach members for their incredible transformations and contributions this year.

Winners of these carefully vetted, highly prestigious Crisp Game Changer Awards at each level (ELITE, PREMIER, SELECT, and CrispX) were determined based on the factors that impact a successful business, an influential leader, and a true Firm of the Year: Visionary Leadership, Client Experience, Community Impact, and Firm Culture.

We are thrilled to announce that Josh Nelson of Nelson Elder Care Law took home the first-ever SELECT Firm of the Year Award!

Meet Josh Nelson

Nelson Elder Care Law is a Georgia estate planning firm dedicated to protecting seniors and the younger generations they love. The firm’s leader Josh Nelson is committed to impacting as many people as possible — though elder law was not his specialty from the beginning of his legal career.

“While I did not initially set out to practice elder law, my passion was sparked when I worked on a case where I was able to help a veteran who was given terrible advice,” he explains. “I joined my mother Cindy Nelson, who started our firm, because I truly want to provide compassionate legal guidance and help as many families as possible utilize tools that create lasting solutions instead of a quick fix.”

Understanding that to accomplish these goals he’d need to streamline operations and learn to run the firm like the business it truly is, Josh joined the Crisp Coach program and immediately started implementing tangible strategies in key areas.

“As our firm has experienced exponential growth over the last few years, we have been faced with challenges in unifying our teams, having a solid marketing plan, and making sure we are holding our team accountable to the right things to move the business forward,” he says. “As we grow, it has been vital to ensure that our team is staying true to our core values and culture.”

Guided by the belief that there is “a huge difference between doing what is easy and doing what is right,” Josh consistently commits to the latter. He diligently works to uphold the highest standards for his clients, his team, and himself, ensuring that integrity defines every aspect of his leadership.

“I’d like to be remembered as the person that always took the time to make people feel heard, appreciated, and acknowledged,” he says. “I want to be a leader that cultivated other great leaders. I want people to remember me as someone who always showed up with enthusiasm and brought out the best in everyone I interacted with.”

Nelson Elder Care Law: A Year in Review

Josh applied countless lessons learned through his SELECT membership in 2024, driving impactful growth as a result. Let’s look at the highlights that earned him the SELECT Firm of the Year Award.

Visionary Leadership at Nelson Elder Care Law

Before diving into his role as true visionary leader of his firm, Josh struggled with delegation and elevating his leadership team — ultimately holding himself and the entire organization back.

“In the past I have had challenges empowering my team to be problem solvers instead of relying on me to fix every conflict or crisis,” he elaborates.

Fortunately, Josh received the guidance and support of his Crisp Coach and fellow SELECT members to work past these limitations. He implemented actionable tools directly from his membership in addition to investing in Onsite Trainings to equip his team with growth mindsets, accountability, and more — and it shows.

“Being able to walk my team through coming up with a solution and building that confidence in them has not only given me more time to focus on things that grow the business, but it has also helped me let go of the vine and truly create a team filled with A-players,” he says.

This shift has been instrumental for Nelson Elder Care Law — especially with a vision as large as theirs.

In fact, in 2024 Josh crafted and shared a detailed strategic Vision plan designed to enhance the team’s alignment with the firm’s long-term goals.

“This was a huge step for me personally as putting these ideas to paper was an opportunity for me to really trust our team. I know that where we are headed is not going to be for everyone and that was a vulnerable thing for me to give our team. However, defining this vision and allowing the team to have full access to it has meant that we have already executed some big changes that will get us to that vision much faster than I would have executed that on my own,” he explains. “Being encouraged by my coach to stay committed to the vision and to share that vision clearly with the team has made it tangible and an easy barometer to gauge whether or not our A-players are bought into where we are headed.”

Before creating the firm’s Vision, most of Josh’s team had no clear picture of how the firm would achieve its goals. Now, there is a clear roadmap to getting to the next level, and a frame of reference for conversations with team members, setting goals, and making strategic decisions.

Clearly, Josh has stepped up his visionary leadership in big ways with his team.

“If I don’t trust my team to make decisions, solve problems, and resolve conflict then we will never grow to reach my goal of helping 50,000 families,” Josh admits. “That kind of growth cannot be solely dependent on me. I knew that I had to prioritize investing in my team, specifically my leadership team, in order to reach our goals.”

Having a team that truly takes ownership of the firm’s day-to-day operations allows Josh to focus on their big goals and vision for the future. He has also found it easier than ever to be fully present with his team, as he’s no longer distracted thinking about the next fire to put out or the next problem on the horizon.

“I can take the time to really invest in the people sitting in front of me at that time,” he says.

Spoken like a true leader.

Client Experience at Nelson Elder Care Law

As Nelson Elder Care Law has grown, a primary challenge has been making sure that every client continues to receive the specialized, boutique law firm experience and customer service they received when the firm was a team of 10. Josh identified the solution as being a standardized, duplicable process that every team member could follow for every client’s journey.

“When you have the right processes and procedures being conducted by a team of A-players, the client experience is naturally going to be excellent,” he says.

Developing processes and procedures that make it possible to combine high quality work with the excellence in client experience that our clients should receive every single day has been key to Nelson Elder Care Law’s success.

One tangible piece of the process Josh implemented thanks to conversations with fellow SELECT members is a tool that gives the firm visibility into what their clients experience while still in the process with their cases.

“This means we’re getting feedback while we can still make adjustments, instead of hearing about it after the case has been closed,” he explains. “This has helped our team keep client experience top of mind at every step in the client journey.”

Since implementing changes like these, Nelson Elder Care Law has received glowing reviews from clients that they may not have heard feedback from otherwise — a surefire sign that what they are doing is working.

As Josh reports, “One of the biggest indicators that this has had an impact is that we have received over 1,500 Google reviews between both offices with an average of 5-star ratings, and we have filmed more client testimonials this year than we ever have before!”

Community Impact at Nelson Elder Care Law

Since getting involved with Crisp, Josh has made a conscious effort to engage with his community and leverage his firm to give back in meaningful ways. One way they do this is by regularly holding free workshops with community partners to provide education about the free Power of Attorney and Advance Directive for Heath Care offered by the state.

“We know that everyone needs to plan for the future but not everyone can afford to hire an attorney to help them facilitate that,” says Josh.

Nelson Elder Care Law also sponsors seniors in their community around the holidays, hosts food drives, and plays active roles in many local non-profits. Josh credits Crisp as being a big motivator to get more active in the community.

“A big part of my vision for the firm is that as the largest elder law firm in the state, we would have a significant impact in the ways that we show up in our community,” he says. “Being involved with Crisp has meant that I’ve stayed more focused on my vision for the firm and less pulled into the little things. It has also freed up my time to be able to say yes to speaking at these community events and giving back in ways that can truly help the people in our community long term.”

Firm Culture at Nelson Elder Care Law

According to Josh Nelson, “Culture is everything.”

Before joining Crisp Coach and investing in tools and strategies to support an intentional team culture, each member of the Nelson Elder Care Law team had a different idea of what their highest priority should be.

“It is impossible to have an accountable team when everyone is holding themselves to different standards,” Josh remembers. “Our A-players were not thriving, and our team was not on board with where the firm was heading.”

Josh credits bringing expert Crisp Trainers right to their office to facilitate numerous transformational Onsite Trainings with making a massive difference to Nelson Elder Care Law’s culture.

“Being able to have a common language to help us cut out the workplace drama right at the source has helped us keep our A-players focused and fulfilled,” he says. “Investing in time with our Leadership Team at Focus Retreats and PRINT Training has helped us communicate better with one another and hold each other accountable as we lead the firm towards our big goals.”

In addition to leveraging these external aspects of his SELECT membership, Josh has also implemented weekly check-in surveys for his team, giving him another opportunity to receive regular feedback on how the team is doing and keep the firm’s core values front and center.

“As someone who learned the hard way that focusing on the wrong things can derail growth, I know the importance of ensuring that we truly hire and fire on our core values,” he reflects. “I know that I cannot do that alone, so making sure that my Leadership Team and the rest of the firm is supported as we continue to evolve really makes or breaks our ability to move forward.”

Final Thoughts from Josh Nelson

One of the core values driving Nelson Elder Care Law’s success is “Flock Together.”

“This comes from the image of geese flying together. The reason that they can fly so far for so long is because they are moving together as a team,” Josh explains. “Winning this Crisp Game Changer Award not only validates how far I have personally come as a leader, but it is a huge recognition for my team. We have truly committed to implementing Crisp’s coaching and training together. Crisp is referred to often in our firm and has truly become a partner in everything we do.”

Josh says confidently that partnering with Crisp is what has helped him turn his biggest goals and turn them into reality, including becoming a multimillion-dollar business.

But Josh believes SELECT membership has made an even greater impact on his personal life — and the lives of his loved ones.

“I’ve achieved personal and professional success because of the consistent feedback and encouragement I’ve received to stay laser-focused on what matters most,” he reflects. “Being in a place where not only do I feel comfortable stepping away from the business to spend time with my family, travel, and pursuing my personal health goals, but I was able to confidently allow my mother, the founder of the firm, to permanently step away from the day-to-day operations and retire at the beginning of this year.”

In conclusion, Josh is happy to share, “Our involvement in this community has given my family, and our firm, a tremendous gift.”