Dallas Firms — The Race for Operational Talent

Dallas Is Growing Faster Than Its Infrastructure

For years, Dallas has been one of the fastest-growing legal markets in the country—expanding in headcount, practice diversity, and sophistication.

But there’s one problem almost every firm here is now facing:

The demand for operational leadership has outpaced supply.

COOs. Directors of Operations. Client Service Managers. Billing Managers. Marketing Leads.
Dallas firms need them—and can’t find them.

And because operations roles rarely get the attention they deserve, most firms only realize this gap when:

• Partners are overwhelmed

• Turnover spikes

• Client experience slips

• A/R balloons

• Associates burn out

• Systems break under new volume

By the time they feel the pain, they’re already behind.

The Data: Dallas Operational Talent Costs Are Climbing

According to a 2025 legal market compensation analysis (Legal Dive + TR LFFI):

• Dallas/Fort Worth operations salaries are up 18–22% since 2022.

• COOs with law firm experience now command $160K–$260K+, depending on scale and complexity.

• Marketing leadership salaries have jumped 15%+ due to competition from tech, accounting, and consulting sectors.

• The average tenure for operations managers in professional services dropped to 2.9 years—a sign of burnout and lateral mobility.

It’s not just a hiring challenge.
It’s an availability challenge.

Firms aren’t just competing with each other—they’re competing with:

• In-house corporate roles

• Remote-first operations positions

• National firms with strong ops infrastructure

• Tech companies offering higher pay and broader impact

Operational leaders have options—and Dallas boutiques are feeling it.

Why Operational Roles Are Suddenly So Hard to Fill

Scaling Without Structure

Dallas firms grew aggressively from 2019–2023.
Now their operations have to catch up—quickly.

But growth without operational strategy creates a pressure cooker:

• No clear roles

• No documented processes

• No metrics

• No onboarding infrastructure

• No leadership support

Strong candidates see this and walk away.

Partners Doing Operations (Until They Can’t)

Many firms still rely on:

• Partners to manage HR

• Associates to run projects

• Admin staff to coordinate everything

• Bookkeepers to solve financial issues

• Vendors to advise on tech (hint: they’re biased)

This worked when the firm was five people.
Not now.

Ops Leaders Want Real Authority

Top operations professionals aren’t looking for “assistant to the partners” jobs.
They want:

• Decision-making authority

• Ownership of initiatives

• Visibility into firm health

• The ability to make change—not just take notes

If partners refuse to let go, the best ops candidates won’t sign on.

Burnout in the Ops Team Is Real

Dallas firms are notorious for saying, “We need someone to get stuff done,” without defining:

• scope

• authority

• KPIs

• workflow

• reporting expectations

One Operations Manager told me recently:

“They didn’t want a leader. They wanted a magician.”

No surprise—they lasted six months.

Listener Question (from Reddit r/LawFirm):

“Why is it so hard for smaller firms to hire a good ops person? We post roles but no one strong applies.”

Because strong operations leaders don’t want to join a firm with unclear expectations, no authority, and no operational vision.
They don’t want to fight to prove their value—they want to build value.

Most postings scream “no structure, no support, and no trust.”
Candidates can feel that instantly.

How Dallas Firms Can Attract (and Keep) Operational Talent

Provide Real Influence

If you want strong operational leadership, you have to give:

• Authority to implement

• Access to data

• A seat at the leadership table

You can’t hire someone to “fix operations” and then block every decision.

Pay Competitively for the Market

Dallas is no longer a “low-cost” legal market.
The salaries are climbing because the demand is climbing.

If you want top talent, you must budget for it.

Define Success Clearly and Early

Without clarity, ops leaders burn out fast.

Define:

• KPIs

• 90-day goals

• Ownership

• Decision rights

• Communication rhythms

This is where the COO-designed accountability chart becomes crucial.

Build a Middle-Management Layer

Operations leaders need “doers,” not just partners asking for results.

See more on this topic in our previous blog—How to build a better management team that doesn’t just agree with you.

Invest in Onboarding and Training

Good ops hires leave when:

• They’re ignored

• They’re overwhelmed

• They’re expected to read minds

• They inherit chaos without support

They need a runway—not a crash landing.

Why Fractional COO Support Is Exploding in Dallas

Here’s the truth:
Most firms don’t need a full-time COO yet.
They need a strategic operational foundation.

Fractional COO support is exploding in Dallas because firms want:

• Leadership alignment

• Accountability systems

• Process design

• Hiring structure

• KPIs

• Dashboards

• True operational traction

…without a $250K+ salary commitment.

A Fractional COO becomes the stabilizing force that operational hires can build on.
And for many firms, it’s the first time the partners have ever had true operational leadership.

The Bottom Line

Dallas firms have the talent, the clients, and the opportunity.
What many lack is the operational spine to sustain growth.

The race for operational talent isn’t really about hiring.
It’s about readiness.
It’s about leadership.
It’s about structure.

Get those right, and you won’t chase talent—talent will chase you.

At ING Collaborations, I help Dallas firms build the operational infrastructure top talent wants to join—clear roles, real authority, KPIs, and strong leadership alignment. Whether you’re hiring a COO, an Ops Manager, or building your first operational layer, I can help you attract the right people and set them (and the firm) up for success.