- Who We Are
-
How We Help
Transformational Coaching for Law Firm Owners
- Results
- Resources
- Events
Lance Fryrear built one of Washington’s most respected criminal defense firms on a simple promise: to be a fierce, unwavering advocate for his clients. His background as a former prosecutor gave him unmatched credibility, and with results that spoke for themselves, word spread fast, quickly creating what every firm owner dreams of: a law firm with no shortage of cases.
Increase in Revenue
Firm NameThe Law Offices of Lance R. Fryrear
Practice Area Criminal Defense
LocationLynnwood, WA
How Crisp Helped Crisp Coach Crisp Legal Brand Video Crisp Social Stack
Get StartedFrom the outside, it was a story of incredible success. But on the inside, a different story was unfolding, one where Lance had become both the firm’s greatest asset and its biggest bottleneck. He was caught in the classic owner’s trap: the more successful the firm became on paper, the more unsustainable it became in reality.
Lance has always been a great attorney. But what law school and decades of practicing law hadn’t taught him was how to be a great business owner. He was trapped, admitting that without a new way of thinking, “there was no way to grow.”
400% Increase in Revenue: Since partnering with Crisp, Lance’s firm shattered its growth ceiling, achieving a 400% increase in revenue while simultaneously improving profitability.
The Firm Could Now Run Itself: Systems, leadership, and accountability measures were implemented to create a truly self-sustaining business that delivered consistent results whether Lance was in the office or not.
The Team Increased in Size and Capability: The team was now confidently signing new cases and managing them start-to-finish independently, eliminating the bottleneck of Lance’s direct involvement in every matter.
Lance Took His First Vacation in 30 Years: He was able to take a three-week, uninterrupted trip, fully confident that the team and systems now in place could run the firm profitably in his absence, achieving a level of personal freedom that was previously unthinkable.
If your law firm faces similar challenges, take the first step toward success with Crisp’s Firm Growth Index.
This comprehensive assessment evaluates your firm’s performance and identifies areas holding you back, providing a clear growth path.
Lance’s success was built on a business model that was becoming unsustainable. The firm’s flat-rate structure for criminal defense cases meant that while cash came in up front, the work could take months or even years to resolve. This volatility made even fundamental business planning a constant struggle, turning essentials like managing payroll and budgeting for growth into exercises in uncertainty and creating immense pressure not just to grow, but to simply survive.
As a result of this relentless pressure, the firm became what Lance himself called “super me-dependent.” This bottleneck at the top meant that because he was so busy working in the business, there was no time to work on the business.
Hiring was reactive instead of strategic, and Lance lacked the capacity to properly train his team or implement the clear metrics needed to drive accountability. He was operating in the dark, trapped on a frustrating plateau and heading directly toward burnout.
The first and most critical shift was internal. Before Lance could change his firm, he had to change his perspective. This started with dismantling the limiting belief all firm owners face when trying to grow: that he had to be the one to do it all.
This transformation began with data. At a Crisp Workshop, we introduced Lance to the “Five Dials” framework and showed him how to use it to cut through the noise and identify the handful of key numbers that truly define a firm’s health.
He then put this framework into action, defining the core metrics for his own firm and creating a simple dashboard that gave him an objective, at-a-glance view of his business’s performance.
For the first time, he had a verifiable, understandable way to assess the business without being buried in the details. This clarity replaced anxiety with confidence, allowing him to trust that the business wouldn’t collapse if he wasn’t personally watching every move.
My head has never been in a better spot as far as visualizing what we need to turn this into a business.
– Lance Fryrear
Now with the confidence to start letting go, Lance’s next move was to solve his most valuable resource problem: his time. Over-reliance on Lance was not only the firm’s biggest liability but also the biggest barrier to his own personal freedom. Working with his Crisp Coach, he was able to start delineating between the owner-level activities only he could perform and the mountain of tasks he could delegate.
This led to one of the most impactful decisions he ever made: hiring a remote executive assistant. The effect was immediate. By offloading the administrative burden that had consumed his days, Lance instantly gained back the mental space needed to think strategically about the firm’s future.
I remember the first time I delegated. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think such a thing could happen. We don’t have to self-sacrifice to such a degree if we can try it another way.
This single act of delegation created a ripple effect. Lance continued to make other strategic investments in his team, including a pivotal decision to pay for a key intake person’s law school tuition.
That one investment not only secured a loyal, long-term team member but also generated an immediate return. With a trusted professional now managing weekend intake, the firm captured over $30,000 in new cases on weekends while Lance was finally able to disconnect.
Lance used his newly bought-back time to replace his personal effort with scalable systems and processes that enabled the firm to run without him. With Crisp’s guidance, he and his team began building the operational infrastructure to make the firm less dependent on him.
They started by tackling the backlog of unresolved cases with a system borne out of a Crisp Workshop. Using their existing case management software, Lance’s firm began tracking case stages to create visibility, identify bottlenecks, and see when attorneys needed support. This system ensured cases were resolved as quickly as possible.
Lance also established clear standards to drive performance. To foster accountability, he implemented a system where the team committed to and reported on weekly actions that moved cases forward, replacing ambiguity with clear expectations and a culture of proactive problem-solving.
These systems, designed to make the firm run itself, were the essential building blocks for this firm owner’s ultimate freedom.
With Lance’s firm transformed internally, it was time to build a brand that reflected its new strength. Through a comprehensive suite of videos, including a powerful brand video, attorney profiles, and client testimonials, Crisp helped Lance tell his firm’s unique story, build an emotional connection with his ideal clients, and establish a dominant position in their market.
These videos are purpose-built strategic tools that have helped the firm not only attract higher-value cases and establish his team’s credibility, but also attract A-player talent who were drawn to the firm’s mission, not just a paycheck.
To further amplify the results of their videos, Lance partnered with Crisp to launch targeted social media campaigns that maximized brand awareness and ensured the firm’s message reached ideal clients at their moment of need. The results were undeniable. The firm’s YouTube channel grew significantly, becoming a major source of high-quality local clients.
After years of intense work, Lance’s original motivation had faded. The constant pressure and burnout meant he needed a new purpose. Throughout several 1-on-1 sessions with his Crisp Coach, we helped him articulate a new “why,” shifting the goal from simply being the biggest firm to becoming the best place to work with the best client experience.
This new mission re-energized Lance’s leadership and gave him a clear filter for making decisions, fundamentally changing how he spent his time. Instead of being consumed by working in the business, he could now fully invest in working on it by training and developing his team to ensure every client received the world-class experience he had always envisioned.
Lance is no longer the firm’s busiest lawyer; he is its visionary leader.
By letting go of the need to do everything himself, he built an organization that now fulfills his original promise to clients at a scale he never could have achieved alone.
But the most profound transformation is personal. Lance has built a business that gives him his life back. He has the freedom to take vacations, to be present with his family, and to focus on the high-level strategic work that he truly enjoys.
He has created a lasting legacy. The firm he built not only gives him his freedom but is also built to last, proving that the greatest success comes not from what you can do, but from what you can build.
If your law firm faces similar challenges, take the first step toward success with Crisp’s Firm Growth Index.
This comprehensive assessment evaluates your firm’s performance and identifies areas holding you back, providing a clear growth path.
"Crisp Coach has exceeded all of my expectations. The people that I’ve met there and the things that I’ve learned have gone far beyond anything I would’ve imagined. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made."
Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys
Alexander Shunnarah
"Crisp holds me accountable. I see other successful law firm owners who are just as busy or busier than me finding time to improve their firms which motivates me to push harder."
Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC
David W. Craig
"We needed a scalable marketing source that fit our brand, and Crisp was scalable. Working with a partner that has the same goals and aspirations as you and understands the importance of growth is critical, and Crisp has that."
Berry Law Firm
John S. Berry
"Since partnering with Crisp, our revenue has tripled, our processes have been cemented, and our training and team development have evolved into a state that was once unimaginable."
Amaro Law Firm
James Amaro
"Now we don’t simply talk about a growth mindset — we have ways to evaluate it. We developed a clearer vision that is now communicated to the firm regularly. And we have developed relationships as owners with other successful law firm owners; these relationships have been invaluable."
Chaffin Luhana
Eric Chaffin
"Every aspect of our organization has been impacted through the partnership. I consider Crisp a true partner with a totally shared value system, vision, and commitment to our success."
TorkLaw
Reza Torkzadeh
