Charles Gfeller, left, and Robert Laurie of Gfeller Laurie in West Hartford. Photo by Michael Marciano/ALM.

How do you make a small local law firm perform like an Am Law 100 powerhouse? Well, if you ask a couple of successful West Hartford managing partners, it comes down to proper planning, finding the right people and being able to adjust to change.

The former Seiger Gfeller Laurie recently parted ways with founding partner Mark Brian Seiger, who took a job as vice president and in-house counsel at Brooklyn Builders in Denver, Colorado. Firm leaders said they felt now would be a good time to review, redesign and recommit to long-term goals.

Officially renamed Gfeller Laurie, the 18-member firm's Charles Gfeller and Robert Laurie showed off their logo and redesigned website recently at their 977 Farmington Ave. office, which conveys a modern casual vibe. Attorneys and staffers wear jeans and slacks and the walls are adorned with modern art, including a jazzy, abstract Mona Lisa in the main conference room.

"A lot of us come from the big law firm world, and the clients we service are a big firm type of clientele," Gfeller said. "We wanted the new design and website to be representative of who we are and what we do. We do wear jeans to work, but we are not a local small-town firm."

With fellow partners Beth Ahlstrand and Mark Shifton, Gfeller and Laurie have produced a five-year plan aimed at targeted growth for the insurance industry-focused outfit, launched in 2009 when the three founding principals defected from the former Boston-based Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge. During their first decade they moved from West Hartford's Blue Back Square to a busy corner in nearby West Hartford Center, overlooking contemporary restaurants and boutique shops.

The firm has also opened offices in Boston, New York and New Jersey, with a constant eye on opportunities for regional growth. The current strategic plan includes picking up more work in New York City. "Updating our website is kind of like renovating an arena, and we needed a new arena," Gfeller said, adding that the firm provides Am Law 100-level service via "a more efficient and agile business model."

Laurie expounded by underscoring the partners' hands-on approach to cases. "It's really a function of us understanding what the quality of services is coming from a larger firm, appreciating what clients expect and providing that same level of service and quality from a different platform," he said. "We are more agile, more efficient and really more cost-effective. More often than not, you're getting service from a partner, with support from the associates."

Gfeller said that strategy requires teamwork. "We can do the same things that the big firms that operate in our space do, but we can do it a lot more efficiently, and clients really like that," he said. "The first hurdle is an internal hurdle. People have to see themselves as full service. If the phone is ringing, it doesn't matter what time it is or if it's the weekend. It's not a job, it's a lifestyle, and you have to be willing to buy into that."

With that in mind, Gfeller and Laurie said they take their time when deciding to hire new talent or merge. In 2017, they secured a merger with former Krasow, Garlick & Hadley attorneys Gerald L. "Jerry" Garlick and Linda Clifford Hadley, enhancing their combined work in commercial litigation and financial services.

The firm's newest partner, Tarrytown, New York-based Shawn Cestaro, joined just this month, with a focus on bringing in more litigation business from Manhattan. Gfeller said the firm took two years to decide on the right person for the position.

Noting that being good lawyers and running a good business are different things, Gfeller and Laurie acknowledged "plenty of mistakes" made along the way. "Ten and even five years ago we didn't understand our business as well as we do today," Gfeller said, recalling that 2009 was probably "the worst possible time" to open a new law firm in Connecticut.

But surviving through adversity has made the firm smarter and stronger, the partners agreed. "Before we take advantage of an opportunity, we have to understand all aspects of that opportunity," Laurie said. "Now that we have a new plan for the future, we had to update the website. We're very excited about that and the growth opportunities that we have going forward."

With 18 attorneys and 10 support staffers now covering the tristate area, Gfeller Laurie now looks forward to completing its second decade in business, including future strategic plans that stay true to the firm's culture.