Law | Transcendent Law Group

Finding Power in Perspective

06/30/2020

The importance of staying focused and “reading the Zoom”

When Michelle D. Craig founded Transcendent Law Group in 2014, she did so with a mission to provide the knowledge and expertise of a large law firm on a smaller, more personal scale.

With innovation, flexibility and diversity, Michelle and her team have successfully helped small and medium-sized companies throughout the Gulf South Region solve complex problems with creative, high-level solutions. Transcendent’s leadership is experienced with am-law firms, trained in project management, and is armed with the tools to efficiently and effectively attack a problem from a legal and business perspective. The unique environment Michelle established from Transcendent’s early days left them prepared and poised for immediate action when COVID-19 interrupted day-to-day operations.

In that way, Transcendent has served to not only counsel their clients through difficult and unprecedented decisions, but it has also become a shining example of how embracing modern business practices can yield outstanding results.

In what ways are you thriving and pushing forward as a business during COVID-19?

Transcendent has always been on the cutting edge of law firms. We pride ourselves on being modernized, and we’ve always had a flexible work environment. That has helped us to continue communicating seamlessly with clients without any break in service. Because we deal primarily with general counsel and labor and employment services, we’ve had a lot of questions about new laws and how they relate to business: questions about PPP, unemployment issues, return to work issues, and liabilities associated with returning to work. So, we’ve been an asset to our clients by helping them navigate these new and tricky topics. There’s no rule book out there telling you what to do when there’s a pandemic, so we help with advising on safety in the office and employee concerns. We’re already capable of working in this manner, and we help our clients thrive by giving them the support and partnership they need to do the same.

Are there any lessons you have learned?

Every business is in varying phases of being able to go remote. A part of the service we provide is not only giving clients advice about employee relationships and litigation matters, but also giving them advice about what needs to happen next in the business to stay in the game. Some employers want this digital shift to be temporary. The first question should be: why? If employees are being productive and getting the job done, and you trust them to do so, why not implement a new model for the company that may be better for you long term? This can even help employers reduce overhead costs associated with office spaces. I’ve definitely learned that my role as a business partner involves helping clients push through these types of questions and find creative solutions.

How have you maintained a sense of company culture?

Regardless of where we are, Transcendent has always put people first. I never go into a conversation, whether it’s with my employees, assistants or lawyers, without saying, “How are you? Are things okay?” I make sure to read the room, so to speak, only now it’s reading the Zoom. The fact is that this is a hard situation not just because of the remote nature, but because we are in a pandemic, and there’s unrest in the nation over issues that must be addressed. All those things are going on at the same time and it is mentally and emotionally taxing for everyone. Our company culture has always been to take care of one another, pick up each other’s slack and give each other the space and time we need to be the best version of ourselves. We stay connected and keep each other on track. People also stagger going into the office, so if somebody needs or wants to go in, we make sure everyone has the space they need to get the job done safely. I want everyone to take care of themselves, live the flexible life they want to live while getting exceptional work done for the clients we serve.