About Us
Wendy Merrill
Co-Founder
Wendy is a consultant, coach, and thought leader who is dedicated to improving the careers of lawyers and amplifying the success of small to mid-sized law firms. For over 12 years, she has advised firm leaders on how to run more profitable and sustainable organizations with her unique and innovative approach. Wendy is well-known for inspiring and empowering lawyers to develop a growth mindset and employ the right tools to identify and exceed their professional and personal goals.
In addition to being the co-founder of The Savvy Advocate, she is also the Founder and CEO of StrategyHorse, a consultancy committed to providing firms with proven strategies for improving profitability. As an internationally recognized speaker, facilitator, and author, Wendy has been a fierce advocate for bridging the generational gap that continues to exist in most law firms.
Prior to embarking on her journey to revolutionize the legal profession, Wendy spent 18 years in the insurance field in a sales and business development capacity, and eventually as the CEO of an independent agency.
Outside of work, Wendy is a proud wife and mom to three kids, two dogs, and an ex-racehorse. When she's not managing her busy family or working in her businesses, you'll find Wendy at the barn, where she finds peace.
Elizabeth Lippy
Co-Founder
Elizabeth is a nationally recognized trial attorney and one of the nation's premier trial advocacy instructors. She has been teaching trial advocacy and litigation skills for over 20 years and has a long track record as a successful litigator. In addition to her roles as a litigator and trainer, Liz is also a founding partner of Fairlie & Lippy, a Pennsylvania firm with an emphasis on criminal defense and civil litigation. As a firm owner herself, Liz understands the challenges of recruiting, retaining, and training quality associates, and firmly believes that the best way to retain the best lawyers is to invest in them.
Liz's dedication to the profession has earned her numerous awards and honors, including the Edward D. Ohlbaum Professionalism Aware and the 10 Best Female Attorneys Award by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys. She currently serves as the Director of Trial Advocacy at Temple University's James E. Beasley School of Law where she enjoys working with future generations of lawyers.
When not in the courtroom or leading a training session, Liz spends time with her family. She is a proud mother of TWO sets of twins, an avid fan of Pilates, and enjoys doing puzzles when she can squeeze them into her busy schedule. Liz loves to travel to the islands and dreams of retiring on a catamaran where she can bask in the sun and feel the ocean breeze.
Our Story
When Liz and Wendy first connected over zoom, they immediately clicked. The high-energy conversation was fueled by their shared passion for bettering the legal profession and their similar experiences as strong, entrepreneurial women, each with their fair share of battle scars.
As their friendship developed, their conversations would always center around their individual observations in their professional roles. The prevailing theme was the constant struggle of unprepared younger lawyers and its adverse effect on the success of law firms around the country. Liz would share her experiences as a law professor, trainer, and firm owner, and Wendy would convey the trends she was seeing among the lawyers and firms with whom she was working.
They agreed that the legal profession would benefit from an institutional approach to preparing the next generation of attorneys to succeed and The Savvy Advocate was the solution.