Grow Your Law Firm Streamlining Legal Operations for Improved Efficiency with Tim McKey, Sarah Waggoner + Rebekah Summerville
Welcome to episode 196 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode, Ken sits down with the Vista Consulting Team; Tim McKey, Sarah Waggoner, and Rebekah Summerville, to discuss the best practices and strategies for streamlining legal operations to improve efficiency in your Law Firm.
Tim co-founded Vista Consulting in 2009, along with his partner Chad Dudley. Vista's aim was to help plaintiff law firms reach their full potential. In December 2017, Tim acquired Chad's interest in Vista. Tim and Chad remain very close friends to this day! Tim has decades of CPA experience with local, regional, and national CPA firms. However, it is through Tim's prior consulting practice that he found his passion. He has worked with many business owners, assisting them with defining and attaining success in their business and personal lives. Developing a management philosophy with business owners along with the associated systems and processes that assist in delivering outstanding management to Vista's client teams is Tim's forté.
Tim's experience and interest allow him to assist Vista clients with developing a realistic vision of their firm into the future, creating a strategic plan to achieve that vision while working with firm owners in designing their desired lifestyle. From a technical standpoint, Tim assists Vista clients in reviewing firm tax entity structure, accounting systems analysis, and financial reporting.
Additionally, Tim is the managing partner of The McKey Business Group (MBG) CPAs. MBG is a small consulting CPA firm located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The firm only works for select businesses, providing consulting services (building the roadmap for the future), as well as traditional CPA products and services. When working with Tim, there usually are "light bulb" moments…he calls them BFOs (a Blinding Flash of the Obvious). Sometimes, he says, business is just not that complicated. Tim's ability to mentor successful businesspersons, gently push them to new levels of thinking, while providing creative perspectives, contributes to Vista clients' success, as well as Vista's success.
Tim's strategic vision for Vista has made a great contribution toward developing a team of consultants who take a comprehensive approach to working with their clients. Identifying and solving operational issues is not the only goal…enhanced profitability and having fun doing it is real success.
Personally, Tim has 2 daughters, Sarah and Caroline, 3 granddaughters, Mary Grayson (MG), Ryleigh, and Kate, 1 grandson, Timothy, and 1 wife, Jodi. A self-proclaimed business nerd, Tim enjoys reading, pondering and discussing future business trends, models, and disruptive change, tennis, exercise, and the pursuit of the "abundant life.
Sarah Waggoner joined the Vista team as the Director of Talent Acquisition in 2021. She began her career in Birmingham, Alabama as a Med/Surg nurse in 2008, then moved to Kingwood, Texas where she worked in Med/Surg and labor and delivery. She's also served as the director of a Teddy Tennis franchise, a pro at Kingwood Country Club, and the Children's Director at Kingwood First Baptist Church. Using her diverse background, Sarah brings incredible organizational skills and a unique perspective to our team. In her role as Director of Talent Acquisition, Sarah is responsible for all talent acquisition efforts, helping clients navigate the process of finding, identifying, and onboarding top talent. She works closely with the Vista Operations Consultants to understand their client's talent needs.
Sarah graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in 2007 with a degree in nursing. She also lettered four years in tennis at Samford. Sarah lives in Kingwood, Texas, with her family.
Rebekah Summerville joined the Vista Consulting Team at its inception as an Accounting Consultant. She's worked with Vista founder Tim McKey at McKey Business Group since 1996 and still serves as their Chief Financial Officer and CPA. She manages to balance the dollars and cents for both the McKey Business Group and the Vista Team. She has a knack for explaining complex accounting concepts in a no-nonsense, easy-to-digest way. Rebekah graduated from Belhaven University in Jackson, MS, with a degree in accounting.
She's a huge fan of both of her athletic kids and enjoys spending lots of time cheering them on at all of their sporting events and practices. When she's not on the bleachers, you can find her spending quality time with friends and family. She also enjoys running and Pilates as a stress relief.
What you'll learn about in this episode:
- Learn how to properly plan for succession
- Understand what a Fractional CFO is
- Why you should embrace the legal industry evolution
- The importance of evaluating your firm's financial health
- How to acquire top talent for your firm
Resources:
https://www.facebook.com/Vistact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmckey/
https://www.instagram.com/vistaconsultingteam/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-consulting-team/
Additional Resources:
https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect