Angela DeSaracho is the Director of Quality Assurance in the TM Quality Department at Tyson & Mendes. She sat down with us to share more about her role, the goals of the TM Quality department, and how her team delivers excellence across every file.

Hi Angela! Can you tell us a little bit more about your role at the firm as Director of Quality Assurance and talk about what the TM Quality (“TMQ”) department does?

As Director of Quality Assurance, I lead TMQ, the infrastructure behind Tyson & Mendes’ ability to deliver consistent, compliant, and high-performing legal service at scale. At this firm, quality is not a final step. It is the engine that powers everything we do.

TMQ was built to take the guesswork out of quality. We embed accountability, carrier alignment, and operational clarity into every file. That structure is intentional. It allows attorneys to focus on strategy and ensures clients can count on excellence every time.

Our department spans four core functions: Auditing and Data Analytics, Client Intelligence and Operations, Billing Compliance and Appeal Resolutions, and Carrier Compliance and Firm Policy. We also collaborate with our dedicated Special Counsel, who leads Law and Motion, to support litigation strategy firmwide.

TMQ works closely with every department to ensure quality is not just a goal. It is a firmwide standard, integrated into every process and client touchpoint. We report directly to Founding Partner Pat Mendes, whose leadership has transformed innovation into impact. Under his vision, TMQ was designed to scale trust, close gaps before they become risks, and ensure every client experience reflects the best of who we are.

Excellence isn’t accidental, it’s engineered. TMQ is how we build it.

What metrics does TMQ focus on tracking, and why are those important to us? Do we use those metrics as internal benchmarks for success?

At TMQ, we track what matters. Our focus is on the metrics that directly impact client outcomes, operational consistency, and carrier confidence. These include turnaround times, reporting compliance, legal spend accuracy, litigation phase progression, billing integrity, and carrier specific performance indicators.

These metrics are not just numbers. They are signals. They show us where we are strong, where we need to adapt, and how we can best support attorneys in delivering high caliber legal service. We use this data to spot patterns, forecast risk, and drive real time improvement across the firm.

Internally, these metrics serve as benchmarks for accountability. They inform our audits, shape our training priorities, and guide alignment between departments and leadership. Externally, they allow us to deliver measurable value to our clients and carrier partners, backed by transparency, not assumption.

In short, our metrics are not just reflections of performance. They are tools for precision, alignment, and continuous improvement.

Because at TMQ, data does not just inform what we do. It defines how well we do it.

Focusing more on carrier-specific work, how do we ensure we’re complying with each carrier’s specific requirements?

Every carrier has its own set of expectations. TMQ ensures those requirements are built directly into our systems and workflows. We maintain a centralized, continuously updated repository of carrier guidelines, approved templates, and timekeeper protocols.

Compliance is integrated from the start through automated reminders, structured dashboards, and standardized file organization. We lead monthly audits, training sessions, and cross-functional roundtables to keep our teams aligned, informed, and responsive to carrier updates.

We also track compliance metrics and reporting timelines in real time giving attorneys and clients clear visibility and assurance that nothing is missed.

We do not just meet carrier expectations. We turn them into scalable systems that drive consistency, transparency, and trust.

TMQ works closely with the firm’s Head of Legal Operations, Jake Felderman. Can you talk more about that working relationship and his role in the operations of TMQ?

Jake Felderman is more than the firm’s Head of Legal Operations. He is a strategic partner, a collaborative force, and one of the most respected voices at Tyson and Mendes. With a distinguished background as a trial attorney and a deep understanding of litigation, Jake brings a rare combination of insight, operational clarity, and practical leadership to every aspect of the firm’s infrastructure.

His role spans the full case lifecycle, from client onboarding and conflict checks to ethical screening and firmwide coordination of operational processes. TMQ works in close alignment with Jake’s team to ensure that these systems are not only implemented, but continuously refined to meet the evolving needs of our clients, attorneys, and carrier partners.

He is known for bringing clarity to complexity and for building solutions that work in real time. Our collaboration ensures that legal operations and quality remain fully integrated. Together, we streamline workflows, strengthen compliance, and create a foundation that empowers teams to perform at their highest level.

Jake brings structure, trust, and clarity. TMQ ensures it performs with consistency, precision, and lasting impact.

What makes this department so special and sets it apart?

TMQ was built with purpose, and that purpose starts at the top.

We report directly to Founding Partner Pat Mendes, an architect of innovation whose clarity, adaptability, and conviction have shaped not only how Tyson and Mendes operates, but what it stands for. Pat leads with vision, sound judgment, and a deep understanding of people and process. He asks the questions others overlook, sees around corners, and turns high standards into scalable systems.

Under his leadership, TMQ was created to ensure that quality is not a final step. It is the structure behind every step. It drives the systems we build, the decisions we make, and the level of service our clients experience.

TMQ is where culture meets execution. We lead with Radical Candor, Extreme Ownership, and Radical Hospitality. These are not aspirational ideals. They are operational principles that guide how we communicate, collaborate, and uphold our commitments.

We align systems with strategy and ensure every file meets the standard our clients expect.

We do not just manage quality. We engineer it and we take it personally.

How does TMQ help us deliver the best service and results possible for our clients?

TMQ exists to turn intention into execution.

Our job is to ensure that every client receives consistent, high-quality service, regardless of the case, practice group, or attorney involved. We do this by designing and maintaining the operational foundation of the firm. From file standards and compliance workflows to data audits and billing oversight, TMQ ensures that what we promise is delivered with precision.

We support attorneys by streamlining processes, flagging risks early, and providing visibility into key performance indicators. This allows legal teams to focus on strategy while we manage the structure that supports consistency, compliance, and carrier expectations.

Clients benefit from fewer surprises, faster turnaround times, cleaner files, and more strategic communication. We reduce friction, increase clarity, and reinforce trust across the entire lifecycle of a case.

Our goal is simple. We make excellence sustainable, measurable, and client-centered across every file, every outcome, every time.

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