Episode 2 · January 2026 · 7 min
Building the most desirable way to practice law
Strategy day at 91 HQ, then the holiday party — a year in the black, a beast medallion, and a poem about staying human.
Overview
The camera is at HQ on planning day. Leadership is about to sit a strategy session. Chad flew in. The annual Christmas party — investors, family, friends, a bunch of 91s — is that night. Brett says he is proud of 2025 and more excited about 2026. The tradition stack is already in motion: signing Christmas cards, the poem he will recite at the party, a breathing reset before the room starts.
Then the argument. 2025 was not easy. Everyone in the room carried a heavy load and showed up anyway. The legal industry is changing faster than it can keep up. Companies are under pressure. Lawyers want more control. The old way does not serve either side — “that’s the villain. Not a competitor, but a system that hasn’t evolved.” Pauline puts the why underneath the recruiting talk: she has been the person who fell out of the industry, and it does not make sense that this many talented people either hate their lives or leave.
A lawyer on the network makes the desirable-way claim concrete: interesting work with sophisticated clients, and still dropping the kids off without being online at 9:30. Chad gets the beast medallion. At the party he is asked what in-house counsel at Santa’s workshop would work on — employment handbooks, privacy, no bottlenecks. Brett’s poem closes the year: first full year in the black, a new 91 baby on the way, a little stronger than ever. 2026. Rock and roll.
What to take from it
- The villain is not a competitor. It is a system that has not evolved for companies under pressure or lawyers who want control.
- Pauline’s test: if this many talented people are miserable or leaving, the model is the problem.
- The desirable way is specific — high-quality work and pickup. Not one or the other.
- HQ culture is part of the product: the medallion, the cards, the poem, the party.
- They mark 2025 as the first full year in the black and treat 2026 as the step-up, not the victory lap.
Who this is for
People considering the company — as a lawyer, a hire, or a client — who want to see the room before the pitch. Recruits. Anyone writing “what is 91?” and landing on events first.
Keep exploring
Transcript
Lightly edited from the video for readability. Speaker labels added.
Brett Colvin
Big day. How you doing, my friend? We got our strategy session here kicking off in five, ten minutes. Obviously excited for our annual Christmas party tonight with all of our investors, family, friends, a bunch of our 91s. Chad flew in just for it. Lots of things to reflect on in 2025. Very proud of what we did in 2025, but bigger, better plans for next year, and feeling good, feeling excited about working through that today with the leadership team. And tonight’s my favorite night of the year.
91 team
Signing Christmas cards. It’s tradition here. We’ve done it every year. Inside, you’ll find Brett’s poem — also a tradition. You’ll hear him recite it at the holiday party tonight.
Brett Colvin
2025 wasn’t easy. Every person in this room carried a heavy load at some point, and we all showed up anyway. Not perfectly, not effortlessly, but consistently. The legal industry is changing faster than it can keep up with. Companies are under pressure. Lawyers want more control over their careers. And the old way of doing things just doesn’t serve either side anymore. That’s the villain. Not a competitor, but a system that hasn’t evolved.
Josh Weinberger
First-year base kind of depends on the role. It could be anywhere from — and if you’re talking about U.S. deals, it gets real spicy. But on a Canadian deal, an entrant that someone would recruit for is, let’s call it 150, and then top side closer to like 250 — more like the Jane deal that we did.
Pauline Chan
For me, I think the starting point is that it’s the right thing to do. Because I’ve been that person who fell out of the industry. And it doesn’t make sense. You should not have this many talented, hardworking, lovely, dynamic folks who are like, either I hate my life, or I’m leaving the industry. So step one, it’s the right thing to do. And I know it from experiencing it that if you tap into that, then you are harnessing the power of hundreds and thousands of lawyers in the country that are otherwise feeling stagnant.
91 on the network
The medieval way of doing law is no longer — I mean, people are still doing it. But maybe they’ve just not found out about 91. So by the time they found out about 91 and the things we’re doing here, it’s going to be amazing.
Brett Colvin
So Chad, you weren’t here last week when we gave this away. This is the beast medallion. It gets awarded to the member of the team who’s absolutely smashing it.
Josh Weinberger
When lawyers are happy and they feel supported and they feel like they can be themselves, everybody wins. Our profession struggles with lots of different health and wellness issues, and a lot of that stems back to, unfortunately, the structures that don’t allow lawyers to practice how they want, where they want, and when they want.
91 on the network
Just before, I was in-house for a handful of years, mostly in high-growth, scaling technology companies. So the ability to have interesting, high-quality work, working with sophisticated clients, but then also to be able to ensure I can drop my kids off and not necessarily be online at 9:30 every day. The concern is that everyone’s going to want to do this. What you guys are up to and what you’re creating space for and encouraging is really revolutionary, in my opinion.
Josh Weinberger
I think at the end of the day, for me, it’s about allowing or facilitating a world where lawyers can be respected, incredibly successful, and also can be human.
Chad Aboud
If Santa’s workshop had in-house counsel, what kind of projects would they be working on? There’s definitely going to be some lawyers that are all on the labor-and-employment side. Too much danger, too much injury, too much harassment. And the elves have the right employment handbook. Hopefully they’re signing acknowledgments every year of new policies. I think their in-house lawyers would want to make sure that they have a good privacy policy in place. They receive lots of letters, a lot of sensitive information from children. They just make sure that information is protected and stored in accordance with applicable privacy law. I’m not sure they’d be running on their feet right now, so there’d be no room for bottlenecks. There’d be no room for rest, no slowing down this time of year. Do you think they need some professional help? I do.
Brett Colvin
There’s a lot of people in this room that believe — that care and believe in the humanity of the thing. Thank goodness we have the tech driving behind us, because it allows us to be connected and be together. And in our industry, that credibility, that humanity, that connection — it allows us to be a force.
Brett Colvin
We grew older this year, stepped up as a team, added a new depth to a once far-away dream. We all ran our goals, saw the revenue stack, and closed our first full year in the black. And one final joy to mark the year’s way: a new 91 baby, soon joining in the frame. A reminder of the hope that brought us together, and here we stand, a little stronger than ever. Thank you for that. 2026, rock and roll. All right, cheers.
