Ben Feuer, chair of Complex Appellate Litigation Group, joins Tim and Jeff to discuss how CALG built a successful appellate firm by rejecting the traditional law firm pyramid entirely.

CALG hires no associates and pays attorneys a percentage of billings rather than a fixed salary. The result is a firm composed almost entirely of seasoned appellate specialists, including former career court staff attorneys, retired justices, and senior big-firm laterals. Feuer explains what draws these lawyers to the model, how the firm structures collaboration without hierarchy, and what a former chief deputy clerk of the Ninth Circuit brings to client work that even experienced appellate lawyers cannot replicate.

The conversation also covers CALG's AI policy, how the firm currently permits limited AI use, and where the floor is.

The episode closes with a discussion of legal writing standards, what CALG expects every brief to accomplish, and why the statement of facts is where appellate cases are most often won or lost.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why CALG eliminated the associate tier and built an alternative compensation model
• How the firm recruits and integrates career court staff attorneys and retired justices
• CALG's AI policy, including what platforms were tested and where the firm drew the line
• How AI is already influencing fee motions and law-and-motion rulings at the trial court level
• What a CALG brief is designed to accomplish and why the statement of facts is central to appellate advocacy

This discussion found us asking ourselves: Why hasn't anyone tried this successful model sooner? And does it apply to other practice areas?