Six years ago, Knight Law Group sought a Chief Operating Officer who could help transform it from a small but successful consumer law firm into a mid-size powerhouse. Its managing partner, Steve Mikhov, looked beyond the legal industry to more tech and data-savvy executives from the ranks of Silicon Valley and Los Angeles’ creative startups. In 2015, Leon Boyer was hired as the firm’s COO. Leon observed that even tech-forward law firms were still laggards compared to industries such as entertainment and consumer services. Bankers' boxes and desks stacked high with paperwork were still the norms in the law offices that he visited. With a background in Information Systems and Project Management, Leon saw an exciting opportunity to combine these disciplines to benefit the firm and clients. Leon oversaw the deployment of a firm-wide workflow management system that tracks the firm’s cases in real-time, allowing more timely decision making and improved client service. Additionally, Leon transformed the culture to embrace innovation, experimentation, and employee-led improvements.
As COO, Leon has partnered with the law firm’s partners and its employees to map out a multi-year plan to scale its excellence. Investments were made in the domains of data-driven decision-making, employee benefits, and technology. Knight Law Group’s results speak for themselves; steep growth, record client recoveries, and the firm is recognized as a technological trailblazer and innovator in the legal space. The firm has moved the line forward for consumers by exposing auto industry secrets whereby consumers got the short end of the stick on being able to do simple things such as return defective vehicles and speak to customer service in languages other than English. Other consumer law firms have benefited from Knight Law’s leadership role by emulating their lemon law litigation approach, participating with the firm in multi-case coordination, and leveraging Knight Law’s case precedent.
“Knight Law Group is the preeminent California consumer rights law firm, emphasizing in the practice of Automotive Lemon Law. Knight Law Group has successfully handled cases against most major auto manufacturers and has received record settlements for its clients. The firm’s mission is to provide exceptional legal representation and service to our clients. Knight Law Group starts where other firms stop and takes cases from other law firms that fall short of getting their clients full settlements.”
“Many successful COOs will tell you that they’re only as good as their team. Not just their employees, but their colleagues, advisors and business partners as well. Knight Law Group has spent years cultivating its larger constellation of talent,” says Leon. “It starts with employees whom the firm invests in deeply through educational programs and mentorships.” In his capacity as COO, Leon has brought the best-in-class information technology, project management, financial, and LPO (Legal Process Outsourcing) partners. The firm’s leadership team continually reviews Knight Law’s partnerships to ensure that they can keep up with its growth and quality demands. The result has been scaling excellence such that the firm has grown from a small to a mid-sized one without sacrificing its focus on client service and results. Knight Law Group is now recognized as the best and most successful in California lemon law by way of record verdicts, industry-leading settlements, and the size of its practice.
“I encourage future COO’s to embrace disciplines that are emerging in competitive importance for the future legal landscape. These include change management, design thinking, and data-driven decision making,” adds Leon. “I have found that each of these disciplines has contributed to my success in the legal industry. For those entering the legal space, understand that change takes time, patience and persistence. You need to persuade and coach legal professionals to improve through sustained and progressive improvements that they not only participate in, but also help to identify and lead.”
Knight Law Group defines its success by the results that it delivers to its clients. The firm is looking to further this success by advancing automotive lemon law and what can be recovered. “We have developed a wealth of discovery that indicates many auto manufacturers have cut corners in both build quality and service at the expense of their very customers,” says Leon. “Additionally, we have worked with underserved communities to inform them of their legal rights in consumer law.” The firm also gives back a portion of its profits to progressive and charitable organizations at the local, state, and national levels each year. These range from scholarship funds for underrepresented minorities to active participation in national organizations dedicated to protecting consumer rights.
Posted in CLF | Successful COOs Magazine 2021, Leon Boyer, COO of Knight Law Group Profile