The 70% Mistake: How a Rigorous Hiring Process Protects Firm Culture

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—a leading podcast for lawyers exploring unconventional career paths. This episode features Candice Shepard, who shares the harrowing story that forced her to abandon litigation. Candice recounts the moment a client—serving seven consecutive life terms in federal prison—threatened her daughter, prompting her to get excused from the case and completely rethink her career. She explains how that terrifying pivot led her to found Shepard Law, a fast-growing transactional firm focused on what matters most: home and family. Now the CEO and Managing Partner of her firm, Candice details the business strategies fueling her expansion to a fifth location, including a hub-and-spoke operational model and a rigorous, multi-stage hiring process designed to avoid the 'painful lesson' of forcing a 'round peg into a square hole.' From her roots in a tiny Midwestern town to building a paperless, tech-forward practice in the booming Charlotte market, Candice offers candid advice on finding your purpose, asking for what you want, and building a firm that aligns with your deepest personal values. Linkedin: Firm Website: Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/