Richard Segal and Jamie Zuckerman pointed to their shared philosophy focused on teamwork and client service when the two childhood friends left Miami litigation boutique Kluger Kaplan as shareholders to form their law firm in 2018.

Segal Zuckerman focuses on business litigation, family law, and trust and estate litigation. Segal prides himself on aggressive tactics and innovative legal theories, while Zuckerman points to her tenacity. She clerked for Gary Farmer when he was on the Fourth District Court of Appeal and was an Ernst & Young auditor in New York before law school.

In one high-profile case, the founding partners reached a mediated settlement for NFL veteran Julius Jones in a case seeking the return of $500,000 invested with real estate developer John Yanopoulos, who built Fort Lauderdale's W Hotel and other luxury projects.

Both law firm leaders serve on the board of the Mount Sinai Medical Center Foundation.

Ana Barban joined the firm's family law practice last year as an associate after child-focused legal work for the state Department of Children and Families and Miami-Dade Circuit Court's domestic violence division.

Here in question-and-answer format is a profile of the firm and its philosophy:

Firm: Segal Zuckerman

Firm leaders: Richard Segal and Jamie Zuckerman

Attorneys: 3

Locations: Miami, Aventura

Practice areas: Segal Zuckerman focuses on business litigation, family law, and trust and estate litigation in state and federal courts nationwide. In their business litigation practice, Segal and Zuckerman routinely represent clients in corporate and shareholder disputes, real estate matters and other contractual disputes. Their family law practice encompasses dissolutions of marriage involving complex equitable distribution and business valuation discrepancies, as well as asset protection through prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. In their trust and estate litigation practice, they represent trustees, personal representatives, beneficiaries and other interested parties in litigation involving probate matters, estates, trusts, guardianships and fiduciaries.

Do you offer alternative fee arrangements? Yes. We are open to working with clients on a fee structure that meets their business needs and works for us as well. We want clients to feel fully comfortable with the arrangement so we can focus on working together to obtain the best possible outcomes. We offer highly competitive fee structures that provide clients with best-of-class quality at reasonable cost.

What do you view as the two biggest opportunities for your firm, and what are the two biggest threats? One of the biggest opportunities we see is that Miami and all of South Florida is becoming a place where businesses of all sizes are starting and growing their operations. For a long time, South Florida featured a strong tourism economy, but sophisticated business wasn't being done here. Now it is, and for a host of reasons people are moving to South Florida, building their businesses into national and international concerns. Because of our deep roots in this region (the two principal partners of SZ were born and raised in Miami), we are in a perfect position to work with businesses that will need help in better understanding how to travel the litigation waters in South Florida. We are optimistic that South Florida will bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we continue to work with our clients advocating for them through these uncharted waters.

Another opportunity is in how technology has allowed us to be more nimble while quickly and efficiently serving our clients. When we started practicing law, you had to get documents to court by a certain time and print, sign and fax everything. Now (as was reinforced during the pandemic) virtually everything can be done electronically, which means our attorneys can be on the road working with our clients instead of bogged down in the office. We bring our litigation and concierge service to the client so that their business and life is not interrupted by the strains and pains of litigation. We personalize our litigation strategy to fit the client.

The flip side of technology is that while some legal services can now be done online (i.e., Zoom hearings, depositions and mediations) at a potential cost savings to the client, the questions still remain how litigating through technology portals impacts the litigators' ability of advocacy and persuasion on a judge or jury. Ultimately, litigation is an art, and we personalize our craft when we are physically present on stage in the courtroom — that component is minimized through technology.

Finally, both threat and opportunity is that our clients are going online and doing research before they meet with us. They come in a lot more knowledgeable about us and about the issues in their case. That requires us to be a lot more prepared and on our toes about the case to get their business. We are often securing clients at the initial meeting by providing thorough case analysis as opposed to high level discussions as clients today want to know how the game is going to finish as opposed to the initial play calls.

The legal market is so competitive now — what trends do you see, and has anything, including alternative service providers, altered your approach? Yes, it's quite competitive these days but what we see is that clients want a relationship with their attorneys that goes beyond the litigation work being conducted. They want their lawyers to be strategic advisers, available around the clock, and be partners with them on their most complicated issues. By the time we are done representing the client they see us as a colleague and friend as opposed to merely litigation counsel. That kind of connection is invaluable.

Is your chief competition other midmarket firms, or is your firm competing against big firms for the same work? We compete across the board — not just with midsized firms, but we're competitive with national firms for high-end complex cases. Clients aren't interested in paying hourly rates for six different people to work on their case. Our firm culture is to be lean, efficient, flexible and successful. One of the biggest differentiators is that the two of us [Segal and Zuckerman] are a duo, and we know the ins and outs of every single case. Clients can contact either of us at any time and they are comforted that they have the two firm founders on their matter and available whenever they need.

There is much debate around how law firms can foster the next generation of legal talent. What advantages and disadvantages do midsized firms have in attracting and retaining young lawyers, particularly millennials? We tell young attorneys from the beginning that we're not so far down the road that we've forgotten what it's like to be in their shoes. There's no "sink or swim'' at our firm. In big firms, the ability to get face time with the top firm leaders is rare or doesn't exist. At SZ it exists daily. We bring young attorneys to trials and depositions, even if we don't bill the client, because we want them to learn and get the exposure and teaching they need to grow.

Does your firm employ any nonlawyer professionals in high-level positions (e.g., COO, business development officer, chief strategy officer, etc.)? If so, why is it advantageous to have a nonlawyer in that role? If not, have you considered hiring any? We outsource nonlawyer roles, such as finance and marketing, deliberately right now. We do talk about eventually hiring a CFO to handle our finances internally. A lot of problems that pop up in law firms is when lawyers try to play CFO and take on other business roles; we want to focus on our clients and getting them great results — it is what we do well.

What would you say is the most innovative thing your firm has done recently, whether it be technology advancements, internal operations, how you work with clients, etc.? We make it our primary focus to personalize the law. We believe the practice of law should be personalized and transparent. We are accountable and always available to our clients. There are no handoffs. Our principal partners personally manage every case and proudly earn their reputations as tenacious advocates each day. Be it business litigation, family law, trust and estates litigation or settlement negotiation, we view each case as unique and deserving of a personalized, nuanced approach. The result? We deliver maximum results because we keep the best interests of our clients first and foremost. Always. The result is innovative change: Law personalized.

Does your firm have a succession plan in place?  If so, what challenges do you face in trying to execute that plan? If you don't currently have a plan, is it an issue your firm is thinking about? We are celebrating our two-year anniversary — ask us in a few years (or decades)! Because both founding partners are on an upward trajectory in their career paths and involved in every decision of the firm, there isn't need for a succession plan right now. But our goal is to hire talented lawyers who will build this business and grow with us and then one day lead it into the future.