If you want your law firm to grow in 2026, you need to change your approach to hiring. Not “work harder at it,” “spend more time on it,” or “post on more job boards.” You need to completely rewire your approach.
But, before I tell you how, let’s get real for a minute. You know better than anyone that our industry is facing a labor market that’s not bouncing back. Finding skilled candidates is hard. Finding skilled candidates who stick around is even harder.
Because of all this, your best lawyers end up drowning in administrative work instead of practicing law. Which defeats the purpose. That’s not a growth strategy. That’s a recipe for burnout. And, I’ve been there.
Why the Old Hiring Playbook Doesn’t Work Anymore
For decades, law firms hired locally. Why wouldn’t you? This approach made sense when there were enough qualified people in your backyard. But now you’re fighting over the same shrinking pool of candidates as every other firm in town. And even when you win that fight, the cycle just starts over. Train them. Lose them. Train someone new. Repeat. Traditional outsourcing doesn’t solve it either.
You tend to lose control over quality, and security becomes a concern. Offshoring sounds good on paper until you’re managing time zone gaps and cultural disconnects that slow everything down. And your clients can tell the difference. Nearshoring is different, and it’s worth understanding why.
What Makes Nearshoring Actually Work
When you build a team in a nearby country like Mexico, you’re not just saving money. You’re gaining access to bilingual professionals in similar time zones who already understand how U.S. businesses operate. Here’s what that looks like for your firm: Your clients hear the same voices. No more revolving door of staff. No more explaining the same case details to someone new every few months. Stability builds trust that elevates your firm’s output and your clients’ outcomes.
You get access to talent you’d never find locally. Seriously. I’ve hired lawyers working as paralegals. Nearshoring opens you up to people with degrees and experience who see your firm as a long-term opportunity, not a stepping stone. Plus, you can finally offer multilingual support. If you practice in an area with Spanish-speaking clients, native speakers aren’t just helpful. They’re an advantage. These aren’t hypothetical benefits either. They’re the reality for firms that have made the shift. It’s exactly what happened for me at Whittel & Melton.
It’s Not Just Who You Hire. It’s How You Bring Them In
I’ve learned something after years of building teams, and it’s that hiring smarter isn’t just about finding the right person. It’s about setting them up to succeed from day one. That means structured onboarding. The first two weeks determine whether someone becomes a short-term hire or a long-term asset. We use a detailed training calendar, mock assignments, and intentional culture education to make sure people actually stick around. It means overcommunication. You can’t assume remote team members know what you mean.
Clear, repetitive, empathetic communication is what separates contractors from trusted teammates. And it means real integration. Nearshore hires aren’t “outsourced labor.” They’re part of your firm, so you can include them in team-building, invest in their development, and treat them like you’d treat anyone else on your team. When you get this right, you’re not just filling seats; you’re building a workforce that gives your attorneys time to do what only they can do: practice law.
What Your 2026 Could Look Like with Nearshoring
2026 doesn’t have to be another year of scrambling for staff and hoping someone sticks around. It can be the year you stop competing in an impossible local market and start building a team that actually works. I wrote Shore Up! because I wanted to give firms a complete toolkit for this. From interviewing and onboarding to day-to-day management and team-building.
Whether you work with my company, Regents Remote Services, or not, the strategies in this book will help you hire smarter, keep people longer, and serve your clients better. Nearshoring isn’t a shortcut. It’s a strategy that could change your firm for the better. And it’s time to make it part of yours.
About the Author
Jason M. Melton, Esq.
President of Regents Remote Services
With nearly two decades of legal experience, Jason Melton co-founded Regents Remote Services in 2020. Built on his success near-shoring assistants for his law firm, Regents provides virtual employment solutions for American corporations by connecting them to college-educated workers in Mexico. Melton is co-founder of the Florida law firm Whittel & Melton and past president of the National Academy of Motorcycle Injury Lawyers.
