“We have people with all these areas of expertise, and they can share that expertise to help clients.” —Warren Dranit
The combination of an experienced staff, first-rate customer service and a commitment to the community has landed Spaulding, McCullough & Tansil, LLP (SMT) in our Best Law Firm top spot for 2015. The Santa Rosa firm, founded in 1996 by Kevin McCullough, Gregory Spaulding and Jan Tansil, has been impressing loyal clients with its broad range of legal services for almost 20 years.“We consider ourselves a full-service law firm,” says founding partner McCullough. “It’s actually easier to describe what we don’t do than what we do.
It’s true: The list of what the firm doesn’t handle—criminal law, bankruptcy and family law—is brief compared to its specialties, which include trusts and estates, real property, intellectual property and technology issues, labor and employment law, insurance, alternative dispute resolution, and business and civil litigation. SMT is currently in a growing phase, recently adding a 15th lawyer to the staff and planning to add another soon to meet business needs. Each brings his or her own knowledge base to the team, ensuring clients will have nearly all their legal needs met under one roof.
“One of the reasons the firm works as well as it does is that we have people with all these areas of expertise, and they can share that expertise to help clients,” says partner Warren Dranit.
McCullough believes that a company culture built on customer service also helps set SMT apart. An appreciation for each and every client shows in staff taking client calls as they come in whenever possible, being prompt and sticking to deadlines.
“My personal goal is that I want each client to feel like the only client I have,” he says.
Clients can also appreciate the firm’s stability, knowing they can pick up the phone and talk with employees they’ve known and done business with for years. For example, Vicki McConkey, a paralegal at SMT, has been with McCullough for 28 years.
One trick to building such a strong team has been adding an element of fun to the office whenever possible. Holidays like Valentine’s Day and Halloween are always a reason to celebrate, and pizzas are often brought in just for the heck of it.
“We want everyone to enjoy working here together and to have a good time while serving clients,” says Dranit.
Service to the community is also an important part of the job at SMT, with partners and staff involved in a broad range of nonprofit boards and community activities. Employees are even given time off to support the nonprofit causes they feel most passionate about. As members of the community where they work and serve, everyone at SMT is grateful for this nod from NorthBay biz readers.
“Obviously, we’re very flattered by this—that enough people took time out of their day to recognize us as their favorite firm,” says McCullough. “It’s really gratifying and tells us that we’re doing this the right way.”
