Studying Law Around the World "Win the Talent, Win the Game": The Fractional Revolution with Brett Colvin
In this episode of Studying Law Around the World, I sit down with Brett Colvin, the Co-founder and CEO of Goodlawyer. Brett began his career at Canada’s largest law firm, BLG, but his entrepreneurial spirit eventually hit a wall with the traditional billable hour model. In 2019, he left the firm to build a platform that reimagines how legal services are delivered.
We discuss why the "Three D's" of law school (Duty, Deadlines, and Drudgery) are outdated and how AI and new business models can eliminate the "drudgery". Brett explains the rise of the Fractional General Counsel, a model that fills the massive gap between expensive external firms and hiring a full-time in-house lawyer.
If you are a lawyer feeling stuck in the traditional path, or a business owner looking for flexible legal talent, this episode is a blueprint for the future of the profession.
In this episode, we cover:
The "Mo" Story: How a coffee shop owner inspired the name and mission of Goodlawyer.
The "In-Between" Gap: Why companies need a solution that sits between expensive law firms and full-time employees.
Killing the Drudgery: How technology is removing the mindless document review so lawyers can focus on strategy.
The Fractional Revolution: Why top-tier legal talent is choosing flexibility and autonomy over the partnership track.
The Retention Crisis: Why so many lawyers opt out of the profession after 5-10 years and how to fix it.
About the Guest: Brett Colvin is the Co-founder and CEO of Goodlawyer, a platform connecting businesses with fractional legal talent. He practiced corporate law at BLG for over 4 years before launching Goodlawyer, which has since served over 5,000 clients and was recognized as one of Canada's "Top Growing Businesses" by the Globe and Mail.