Damien Weinstein is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Weinstein + Klein, a Morristown, New Jersey law firm representing small and mid-sized businesses in corporate transactions and employment matters. He leads the firm's business and transaction group, where his work focuses on M&A, partnerships, and complex commercial agreements. Since founding Weinstein + Klein with Brian Klein in 2019, Damien has helped grow the firm from two people to approximately 25. The firm has appeared twice on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, most recently ranking No. 622, and was named to the 2026 Inc. Best Workplaces list. As both a lawyer and business owner, Damien takes an "advisor first, lawyer second" approach to client work, bringing a practical business perspective to the legal issues his clients face. He has also been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star every year since 2018 and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and the New York Law Journal.
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT RUNNING A LAW FIRM LIKE A BUSINESS
Lawyers spend a lot of time helping clients grow, hire well, and build businesses that can last. Turning that same attention toward their own firms can be much harder. Once a practice starts growing, the work is no longer just about serving clients and practicing law well. Firm leaders also have to make decisions about people, capacity, profitability, culture, and business development, often without having been taught how to do any of it.
Damien Weinstein learned that firsthand as the firm he started with his partner grew from two people to about 25. What began as two lawyers working side by side had to become a true business, which meant hiring sooner, building operational support, creating systems, and becoming much more intentional about culture and client relationships. That experience has also changed the way Damien advises clients by pushing him to look beyond the immediate legal issues and understand what the client is trying to accomplish with the business.
In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Damien Weinstein of Weinstein + Klein about what changes when lawyers start thinking like business owners. They discuss the decisions that supported his firm's growth, the role of hiring and operational support, how to protect culture as a team expands, and why a stronger understanding of business can make lawyers better advisors to their clients.
2:49 - Starting a law firm without knowing how to run one
5:18 - The mindset shift from practicing lawyer to business owner
8:45 - Learning from clients and other business owners
10:24 - Risk tolerance, hiring, and creating more capacity
11:53 - Hiring sooner and building the systems to support growth
13:26 - The role of non-lawyer professionals in running the firm
15:24 - Protecting culture as the team grows
19:42 - Screening for cultural fit during the hiring process
22:34 - Giving junior lawyers autonomy, feedback, and clear expectations
24:47 - Becoming an advisor first and a lawyer second
28:38 - Preparing business owners earlier for a successful sale
30:50 - Understanding the seller before negotiating the deal
34:04 - Surrounding yourself with the right people and advisors
35:18 - The difference between calling yourself a trusted advisor and actually being one
MENTIONED IN WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU RUN YOUR LAW FIRM LIKE YOUR CLIENTS RUN THEIR BUSINESSES
Weinstein + Klein | LinkedIn
Damien Weinstein on LinkedIn
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
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