Why every role at your firm deserves respect.
What do R2-D2, a janitor at The Pit from Dark Knight Rises, and your receptionist have in common?
They all play critical roles in keeping the mission alive—even if one of them is mostly just trying to keep the place clean as Bane throws people into it.
Let me put it another way: If one guy had cleaned those walls better and Batman could never climb out then it’s a VERY different movie.
Too many firms operate on a hierarchy of importance where the top dogs get all the credit and the folks actually holding the whole place together? Ignored. Undervalued. Sometimes treated like background NPCs with zero dialogue.
But here’s the truth: there is no success without support.
No Jedi saves the galaxy alone. And no law firm runs well without the “non-lawyers (we will get to this idea again in a minute)”
Hey, your front desk matters just as much as your front-line attorneys.
Your paralegal is the one catching that filing deadline you forgot.
Your intake person is the reason that prospect didn’t hang up in frustration.
Your cleaner is literally the reason your office doesn’t smell like a cross between stale coffee and the fear a new associate leaves behind…
And if you think any of those roles are “less than”?
You’re setting yourself up to lose good people… and probably your mind along the way.
5 Ways to Show Respect (and Why It Actually Makes You a Better Leader)
1. Say Thank You—Loudly and Often
Gratitude isn’t just a feel-good poster on the break room wall. It’s fuel.
When you acknowledge wins (big and small), people feel seen.
When people feel seen, they show up stronger.
When people show up stronger, your firm wins.
Repeat after me: “Thank you for handling that. I appreciate you.”
Say it. Mean it. Bonus points if there’s tacos involved.
Also, I cannot stress this enough…we all know that lawyer who brags about how awesome they are every year when they win Super Lawyers. And we all know that lawyer who truly explains how much of a role their great team played in the group effort.
Which one do you want to refer a case to?
2. Ask Questions—and Actually Listen
Want to know how your firm really runs? Ask the folks in the trenches.
Your receptionist probably knows more about your client experience than your CRM does.
Your assistant likely knows which attorneys are secretly drowning in deadlines.
It’s like that scene from Ted Lasso with the darts – be curious, not judgmental.
Don’t just ask how things are going—ask what would make their job easier.
Then (plot twist): implement it.
3. Stop Calling Them “Non-Lawyers”
We are going back and watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine again and just got to the Halloween episode where Gina complains about how unfair and demeaning it is to call the winner a detective/genius instead of a person/genius.
And at your firm the support staff are not “non-people,” right?
Language matters. When we define people by what they aren’t, we devalue what they are.
Call them by their role. Their name. Their superpower. Anything but “non-lawyer.”
(I’m not a chef…but not a non-chef, as I still make a mean chicken parm.)
4. Include Them in the Mission
People need more than a paycheck—they want to know they matter.
This is Self-Determination Theory in practice.
So remind them how their role contributes to the firm’s purpose.
Even if they aren’t arguing in court, they’re creating space for others to. And preparing them for it. And getting the client to not torpedo everything. And keeping the lights on.
Everyone on your team is helping your business move forward.
Help your team feel that. It changes everything.
5. Promote from Within (and Brag About It)
That Admiral (Motti) from Star Wars? Maybe after a few too many force chokings became a rebel leader later…or maybe he knew about the exhaust port and did not say anything…
But in your firm? Your receptionist today could be your firm admin tomorrow and your COO after that.
Or they could be an amazing receptionist for 30 years.
When people grow, celebrate it. When they stay and continue doing a great job, celebrate it. Post it. Shout it out in meetings. Let the whole team know:
“This is a place where your work gets noticed—and rewarded.”
The Takeaway: Respect isn’t about rank—it’s about recognition.
The Jedi may get the glory, but the mission doesn’t succeed without everyone on the ship.
So next time you walk by the “non-lawyer” on your team, remember:
They’re not just part of your payroll. They’re part of your power.
Until then, go thank someone who makes your job easier, even if they never step foot in a courtroom.