Sept. 17, 2025

Ep222 Tim Lupinacci - Everybody Leads: How A Top Law Firm CEO Transformed Leadership Culture

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Ep222 Tim Lupinacci - Everybody Leads: How A Top Law Firm CEO Transformed Leadership Culture

Pick up a copy of Tim's book, Everybody Leads here:  https://a.co/d/5dZkQzE

Most CEOs carry the weight of leadership alone, but Baker Donelson's Tim Lupinacci discovered a revolutionary approach that transformed his 1,300-person law firm into a powerhouse of shared responsibility. In this candid conversation with Mike O'Neill, Tim reveals how abandoning traditional top-down management created record-breaking growth even through a global pandemic.

Tim shares the pivotal moment when a harsh confrontation with his boss changed his entire perspective on leadership. As chairman and CEO of one of America's 100 largest law firms spanning 24 offices across 15 states, Tim demonstrates how creating a culture where "everybody leads" has dismantled the typical professional hierarchy that limits most organizations.

Mike explores how Tim's approach to curiosity and authentic relationship-building has allowed him to scale his leadership impact without carrying the burden alone. You'll hear practical strategies for empowering team members at all levels to take ownership and drive results collectively.

Key Insights to Look Out For:

  • Why most leaders fail to tap into their organization's full potential by clinging to outdated command-and-control models
  • How Tim's "COURAGE" framework provides a practical roadmap for leading through uncertainty and rapid change
  • The counterintuitive way Tim uses town halls and engagement surveys to build genuine trust across all levels of his firm

Listen now to discover how you can transform your leadership approach from solitary struggle to shared success. This episode isn't just about Tim's journey—it's about helping you create a culture where everyone contributes their best. Subscribe to "Get Unstuck and On Target" for more conversations that will help you lead with confidence and achieve extraordinary results.

Tim Lupinacci Profile Photo

Tim Lupinacci

CEO/Author

As the CEO and Chair of Baker Donelson, one of the 100 largest law firms in the United States, Tim has faced significant leadership challenges, including turning a $500 million organization from declining profits to record growth, navigating a global pandemic, leading transformative change in a 100+-year-old organization, and maintaining engagement and community in an increasingly remote workforce. As a self-professed “leadership junkie,” Tim’s journey to understanding what it meant to step up as a leader began thirty years earlier as a young lawyer after he disappointed a boss with an epic failure on a project. The boss challenged Tim (after significant yelling and tough love) by saying that he saw in Tim a strong leader who needed to step up and own his projects, his career, and ambitions.

Tim has a B.A. in Mass Communication from the University of Montevallo and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law. Upon graduating from law school in 1991, he went to work for a large law firm in Birmingham, Alabama, where he worked for twelve years. After a three-year stint at another local law firm, he joined Baker Donelson in 2005 and became CEO of the firm in 2019. He presently leads 1,300 employees in 24 offices across 15 states in executing their five-year BakerVision 2028 strategic plan.