Attorneys**
Recently I talked with Delilah Walter, founder of Walter Law in San Antonio. She started the firm in October 2019 and has grown it to a team of ten. The firm focuses on real estate, estate planning, wills and trusts, probate, and guardianship.
I asked Delilah what led her to start her own firm.
"One of the things that was really important to me is that I wanted to be a part of a culture that was collaborative and felt like a soft place to land for attorneys. The culture in the legal industry a lot of the time is when you start out as a new attorney, you either sink or swim. I wanted to create an environment where people felt more supported and collaborative in a way that they can still take advantage of their talents without feeling so lost."
We talked about how she's built her team over the past six years.
Her first hire was her paralegal, who's still with her today. Early on, that paralegal became the jack of all trades — taking intake calls, doing paralegal work, handling billing and collections. As Delilah grew, she realized that dividing one person across too many roles made it hard for them to excel in any single area.
So, she developed what she calls her growth method. She looks at the firm from the top down, identifies every function her core team is handling, and then strategically pulls those responsibilities away one at a time — assigning each one to a new hire whose only job is to master that function.
"I'm not just doing it off the whim and going, I need to hire 10 people. Little by little, we are pulling away these different duties and responsibilities and assigning them to a new hire. And in that new hire, it is their only job responsibility, which makes them better, because they're not being divided up."
She stays hands-on with each new role until it's running on its own.
"We're trying to establish habits. It's rinse and repeat, figuring out what works and what doesn't. My plan is to baby that and become a part of it until one day I'm pulling out of it, and I've got someone else handling that too."
I asked what she thought would be easier by now.
"Time management. You think that as you get rid of things, you'll have more free time. But instead you end up just creating more things to do in those free spaces."
What she'd love more of is the chance to come in and out of cases, talk strategy with her team, and spend intentional time on the health of the firm from a higher level.
We also talked about her vision for the firm.
She sees departments — dedicated teams handling real estate, wills and trusts, probate litigation — so that each attorney can focus on what they do best.
"I can serve the attorney by saying, what is your favorite thing to do, and then be able to allow them to do their favorite thing on a consistent basis."
What surprised her most is how the team came together.
"I don't think I knew that the talent would come in, in such a passionate way. The kind of people that are a part of our team right now just care a ton about how well we do. I was always afraid of it feeling colder as we grew. And it's not. It's really still just as warm."
Are you in San Antonio and looking for trusted legal guidance on a real estate transaction, estate plan, or probate matter? Connect with Delilah Walter and check out Walter Law, PLLC: San Antonio Real Estate Attorneys.