Retaining Top Legal Talent in 2026: The Playbook by Karen Mesmer

Retaining top legal talent often feels like an uphill climb. Unless you have Karen Mesmer’s playbook. In this episode of Between the Briefs, Karen, Legal Services Manager at Shook, Hardy and Bacon, joins hosts Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens to explore how premier litigation firms are evolving their operations in the face of technological disruption. Drawing on nearly four decades of experience - from paralegal to operational strategist - Karen reveals the human-centered approach to hiring, staff development and technology adoption that sustains excellence in complex litigation environments. The legal industry is nothing without its people. So, it’s time we started paying attention to them.

What You’ll Learn:

How to evaluate AI tools without replacing institutional knowledge
The essential soft skills that no technology can replicate

Why technical fluency in platforms like Excel and document management systems is now table stakes

The retention secret of fostering a culture of deliberate care and shared responsibility
How to structure career pathways that grow talent internally

The discipline of vendor evaluation & prioritizing transparency and fair value exchange

The legal industry is nothing without its people. So, it’s time we started paying attention to them.

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction & Meeting Karen Mesmer

03:00 Behind Karen’s Four Decades of Legal Innovation

04:45 Why Energy and Soft Skills Beat Credentials

06:06 Navigating the Tech Transitions of Legal

10:56 Hiring, Firing, Manners and Accountability

17:20 AI as Enhancement, Not Replacement: The Future of Legal Work

20:46 Digital Literacy as Table Stakes for Modern Operations

21:53 The Secret to Career Advancement in Law Firms

24:33 Lessons from the Paralegal Years: Presence and Boundaries

27:47 Professional Development and Internal Growth Pathways

29:30 Vendor Fatigue and Transparent Technology Evaluation

33:21 Building Cultures Where Nobody Leaves: The Shook Model

36:21 Preparing Your Successor and Planning for Transition

37:18 Karen’s Hot Take: Protecting Young People from Irreversible Decisions

38:52 Closing Thoughts

Quotes:

“Manners is another good one. You know, I think please and thank you go a long way. I sometimes have to, you know, do backspace, backspace and put in the word please because I'm shooting something off really fast. But I think those are important. I do think someone who cares about the firm and cares about the people that are on their team is really important.”
“The customer is always right, which means our clients, even if they're not right, they're right. You've got to know that because that's the way you need to treat them.”
“And when COVID happened, that took a nice chunk of business, you know, stopped it. And I can't remember if it was six months before we ever went back into the courtroom or maybe even longer, maybe it was a year, but no one got laid off. They made it work. I swear it's just a kindness that I see. And another thing is you'll see people who, you know, all of a sudden someone's got an emergency and so we'll send out some emails for help. Tons of people say, "I'll help.”
“You have to like change. I mean, there are some people that have probably never moved the furniture around in their house. And if they haven't, and they're not going to necessarily change in this environment, and this especially since COVID, this environment has really changed a bunch. And I've liked everything that has changed.”