Duncan Bergman Mandell

Where do you want to build?

Practice inside DBM, a real firm with a full bench and infrastructure behind you, or keep your own practice and put DBM's operating engine behind it. Two paths. Both built for attorneys who want real leverage.

Two distinct paths.

Both deliver the infrastructure and operational support that sophisticated practice actually requires. The only question: inside DBM's firm, or behind your own?

Practice inside DBM
DBM Legal Services

Join a firm designed around how senior attorneys actually want to practice. You operate as a business within the business, owning your client relationships, practice direction, and growth trajectory, while drawing on DBM's attorney bench, pitch teams, shared resources, and business development support. All the infrastructure and culture of a cohesive firm, without the billable hour requirements, rigid schedules, or bureaucracy.

See how DBM Legal Services works
Keep your firm. Upgrade the engine behind it.
DBM Core

Stay fully independent under your own brand with DBM's operating engine running behind your practice. DBM Core delivers a turnkey back-office platform, business development consulting from experienced law firm operators, and a la carte growth services built around your practice, not ours. Every service is available on your terms and added only where it creates real leverage.

See how DBM Core works

Which model fits the way you want to operate.

DBM Legal Services
DBM Core
Brand
Practice and market under the DBM Legal Services brand
Practice under your own brand and shingle
Client ownership
Yours
Yours
Billing rates
Set by you
Set by you
Operating structure
Independent contractor within a cohesive firm organization
DBM serves as infrastructure and service provider to your firm
Attorney bench
Full access to DBM partners, senior counsel, and specialized talent
Referral and co-counsel network access
Internal work
Partners route overflow and coverage work across the firm
Infrastructure
Built into the firm
Deployed behind your practice
Technology
DBM tech stack and DataHub
DBM DataHub configured custom around your practice
Back-office
Included
Included
Business development
DBM pitch teams, BD resources, and strategy support
Advisory, growth consulting, and marketing support for your independent brand
Services and structure
Defined firm SOPs and processes structured for consistency and collaboration
A la carte add-on services layered in as your practice needs them
Firm programming
Monthly all-hands, firm off-sites, and L&D programming
Professional liability
Covered under firm policy
Maintained independently
Brand
DBM Legal Services

Practice and market under the DBM Legal Services brand

DBM Core

Practice under your own brand and shingle

Client ownership
DBM Legal Services

Yours

DBM Core

Yours

Billing rates
DBM Legal Services

Set by you

DBM Core

Set by you

Operating structure
DBM Legal Services

Independent contractor within a cohesive firm organization

DBM Core

DBM serves as infrastructure and service provider to your firm

Attorney bench
DBM Legal Services

Full access to DBM partners, senior counsel, and specialized talent

DBM Core

Referral and co-counsel network access

Internal work
DBM Legal Services

Partners route overflow and coverage work across the firm

DBM Core

Infrastructure
DBM Legal Services

Built into the firm

DBM Core

Deployed behind your practice

Technology
DBM Legal Services

DBM tech stack and DataHub

DBM Core

DBM DataHub configured custom around your practice

Back-office
DBM Legal Services

Included

DBM Core

Included

Business development
DBM Legal Services

DBM pitch teams, BD resources, and strategy support

DBM Core

Advisory, growth consulting, and marketing support for your independent brand

Services and structure
DBM Legal Services

Defined firm SOPs and processes structured for consistency and collaboration

DBM Core

A la carte add-on services layered in as your practice needs them

Firm programming
DBM Legal Services

Monthly all-hands, firm off-sites, and L&D programming

DBM Core

Professional liability
DBM Legal Services

Covered under firm policy

DBM Core

Maintained independently

If you want to build inside a firm that gives you leverage without a traditional hierarchy, choose DBM Legal Services. If you want to keep your firm exactly as it is and outsource the burden of running it, choose DBM Core.

Path Two
DBM Core

The operating system
for independent law.

You practice law. We handle the rest.

DBM Core is an operating platform built and refined inside DBM Legal Services, deployed behind independent practices that want institutional-quality infrastructure without giving up what they have built. Your firm keeps its name, its clients, its rates, and its identity. Everything behind it becomes ours to manage.

Rock-solid back-office, fully managed.

Billing and invoicing workflows, client intake automation, engagement letter processing, document management, retainer and trust tracking, and administrative offloading — the operational layer that consumes attorney time, handled completely.

Financial visibility that drives decisions, not just records them.

Real-time P&L management, cash flow tracking, trust reconciliation, expense classification, payment gateway integration, and practice metrics structured so you can run your practice like a business.

Technology built for how legal work actually runs.

DBM Core includes the DBM DataHub practice management system, document automation tools, and a modern workflow environment built around analytics and AI-enabled tools, refined through years of active firm use.

Advisory from operators who have actually built and run a firm.

Business development strategy, growth consulting, brand positioning, client acquisition planning, and pricing guidance from the same team that built and has operated our firm from the ground up.

Full-service marketing for your independent brand.

When your brand and client relationships are the asset, marketing under your own name matters. DBM Core's marketing add-on covers digital advertising, LinkedIn management, content marketing, website design, and branded collateral built to grow your practice.

A la carte services, added only where they perform.

Core starts with essential infrastructure and expands on your terms. Layer in paralegal support, receptionist services, IT support, CRM setup, workflow automation, or additional technology as your practice grows and your needs evolve.

Learn More About DBM Core
DBM Core

Add only what your practice actually needs.

Core begins with essential infrastructure and expands on your terms. Not more overhead — more leverage, where it performs.

Marketing & Growth
Google Ads management
LinkedIn profile management
Social media management
SEO and content marketing
Website design and hosting
Email campaigns
Branded collateral
Full-Service Marketing
DBM Core Marketing Services
Explore

Launch lean. Scale on demand. Add support where it performs.

What joining each path looks like in practice.

Path One
DBM Legal Services
01
Explore the fit.

Begin with a series of conversations with DBM leadership to get to know the firm, the model, and the people — and give us the chance to get to know you.

02
Onboard and migrate your practice.

Complete onboarding, get established within DBM's infrastructure, and work through client migration with full support from the team.

03
Meet your new colleagues.

Get oriented within the firm and connect with partners, senior counsel, and the broader DBM team before your first matter gets underway.

04
Build under the DBM umbrella.

Begin taking on client work, contributing to firm matters, and growing your practice with DBM's full resources behind you.

Path Two
DBM Core
01
Start with an exploratory conversation.

Connect with DBM Core leadership to discuss your practice, your needs, and whether the platform is the right fit for where you want to go.

02
Configure your infrastructure.

Work with our team to build out your tech stack, billing structure, and operational workflows. Finalize your agreement and service selections.

03
Activate your add-on services.

Elect and configure any additional services — marketing, paralegal support, advisory, or technology — before you go live.

04
Launch under your own brand.

Go live with DBM Core running behind your practice. Your name on the door. Our engine behind it.

Which path is built for you?

DBM Legal Services

For senior attorneys who want to join a real firm with full resources and the freedom to build on their own terms.

You want to join a real firm with a collaborative bench and internal work opportunities, without billable minimums or traditional firm obligations
You want to expand what you can offer existing clients by pulling in firm attorneys across practice areas, without sending any work away
You value the programming and culture of a cohesive firm. All-hands meetings, off-sites, thought leadership. Available when you want it, never required
You want professional liability covered and a fully operational infrastructure ready from day one
DBM Core

For attorneys and practices that want to stay fully independent with a serious operating platform behind them.

Your personal brand and client relationships are the asset, and marketing under a firm shingle adds no value to what you have built
You want a proven operating platform behind your practice without merging with anyone, giving up your identity, or changing how you go to market
You want advisory from operators who have actually built and run a firm, with the flexibility to layer in services as your practice grows
You are scaling a solo practice, relaunching from in-house, or building a boutique and want institutional-quality infrastructure from day one

Next steps.

Whether you're exploring DBM for the first time or you've already connected with our team and want to think through the fit, the next step is simple.