Grow Your Law Firm

Welcome to episode 134 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Christine Miles and they talk about how listening can contribute to the growth of your business. Christine Miles is an author, professional keynote speaker, consultant, executive coach, thought leader, entrepreneur, and radio show host. She is the Founder and CEO of EQuipt, a training and consulting company that helps leadership teams grow sales, develop people, and create cultures of understanding. She developed the Listening Path™, a transformational workshop on listening to understand, which has been taught at various Fortune 100 corporations, universities, law firms, and privately held companies. She is the author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning book, What Is It Costing You Not To Listen?   What you’ll learn about in this episode: What we are not taught about effective listening Deconstructing what you learn and systemizing it Keeping your curiosity even if you are an expert Bringing out expertise and insight from others Emotional skills as the hallmark of great leadership Truly listening to understand The power of asking someone to tell you more Asking about emotions and not just facts   Resources:  Website: https://www.equipt-people.com/get-the-book/ Facebook: @cmileslistens Contact: Christine Miles cmiles@equipt-people.com   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/  

Developing Systems To Reach Your Full Potential Welcome to episode 133 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Tim McKay and they talk about how to develop systems that will help your firm reach its full potential. Tim co-founded Vista Consulting in 2009, along with his partner Chad Dudley. Vista’s aim was to help plaintiff law firms reach their full potential. In December 2017, Tim acquired Chad’s interest in Vista. Tim and Chad remain very close friends to this day! Tim has decades of CPA experience with local, regional, and national CPA firms. However, it is through Tim’s prior consulting practice that he found his passion. He has worked with many business owners, assisting them with defining and attaining success in their business and personal lives. Developing a management philosophy with business owners along with the associated systems and processes that assist in delivering outstanding management to Vista’s client teams is Tim’s forté. Tim’s experience and interest allow him to assist Vista clients with developing a realistic vision of their firm into the future, creating a strategic plan to achieve that vision while working with firm owners in designing their desired lifestyle. From a technical standpoint, Tim assists Vista clients in reviewing firm tax entity structure, accounting systems analysis, and financial reporting. Additionally, Tim is the managing partner of The McKey Business Group (MBG) CPAs. MBG is a small consulting CPA firm located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The firm only works for select businesses, providing consulting services (building the roadmap for the future), as well as traditional CPA products and services. When working with Tim, there usually are “light bulb” moments…he calls them BFOs (a Blinding Flash of the Obvious). Sometimes, he says, business is just not that complicated. Tim’s ability to mentor successful businesspersons, gently push them to new levels of thinking, while providing creative perspectives, contributes to Vista clients’ success, as well as Vista’s success. Tim’s strategic vision for Vista has made a great contribution toward developing a team of consultants who take a comprehensive approach to working with their clients. Identifying and solving operational issues is not the only goal…enhanced profitability and having fun doing it is real success.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Aligning your passions with your business to deliver the greatest results Grading your law firm with operational metrics to discover your areas of need What a healthy firm’s cash flow should look like depending on the stage of its growth Cultivating accurate financial numbers to get the real picture The importance of developing systems for existing clients that foster referrals The unique needs of each law firm to maximize potential and finding a tailored approach How to manage your cash flow and lines of credit to stay ahead of the game The advantages of paying associates on a commission basis   Resources:  Website: www.vistact.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-consulting-team Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vistact Contact Info: Company: Vista Consulting Email: tmckey@vistact.com   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/  

Using Facebook To Grow Your Law Firm Welcome to episode 132 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Luke Russell and they talk about how to use Facebook to grow your law firm. Luke Russell founded Russell Media in 2009 after working in web development since 2006 – but RM isn’t the first business he has owned. That distinction goes to Luke’s first venture of collecting rock crystals from the playground in grade school and selling them to the other students for $0.50 apiece! Luke has been honored to travel the country and speak at conferences and private engagements about websites and social media marketing. He has worked as a contracted Director of Marketing for a national law firm for almost 4 years. One of Luke’s biggest strengths lies in his ability to take a topic and distill it into simple terms so that people can understand and take action accordingly.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Making sure to have content that is compelling in a social context Working hard to make a connection with your followers The power of education-based marketing The magic of staying in front of people consistently What re-targeting is and how it can help you Leaning into your authentic self to get results   Resources:  Website: www.russellmedia.us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RussellMediaUS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukewrussell   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/  

The Information Age: Using Data To Grow Your Firm   Welcome to episode 131 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Neil Goffman and Melanie Weires and they talk about how to use data to grow your law firm. Prior to becoming GrowPaths Chief Executive Officer, Neil Goffman served in leadership roles involving sales, marketing, and operations efforts at some of the world’s largest software/IT companies including IBM Global Business Services and Wolters Kluwer. Most recently, Neal served as Vanguards Chief Operating Officer and facilitated a successful all-cash exit for $110M. A proven self-starter and problem-solver, he has also successfully launched and/or sold several software startups. Melanie Weires is the Business Intelligence and Implementation Analyst at GrowPath. She is responsible for assisting customers on their data migration and power BI reporting needs.  Before joining GrowPath, Melanie was the COO/CMO at a large multi-location, multi-state personal injury law firm where she integrated GrowPath as an overall end-to-end business system. Melanie strives to continuously improve customers’ overall data, data strategy, and reporting through power BI reporting.  By having these goals in mind, she aims to deliver unparalleled value to law firms, by improving their workflow and business decisions.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Current trends in using data for law firms How GrowPath software can help your law firm Lessons law firms can learn from other industries How to implement your data for a winning strategy Improving reporting within your law firm Resources:  Website: www.growpath.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-goffman-584264/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoGrowPath/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/growpath?lang=en   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/    

Always Learning To Maintain A Culture Of Excellence and Grow   Welcome to episode 130 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Mike Bottaro and they talk about how to maintain your culture of excellence and continue to grow. As a college student, Mike Bottaro knew he wanted to become a lawyer. There, Mike read a New England lawyer’s book about standing up to large corporations on behalf of sick children.  Mike met that lawyer who inspired him to learn about personal injury law as a calling to help people and make our communities safer. Later in life, Mike suffered his own injuries and obstacles that grew his spiritual faith and gave empathy for the injured. It is these life experiences that Mike brings with him every day in helping his clients recover and achieve justice after a personal injury.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Always continuing to learn to maintain a culture of excellence Striving to differentiate yourself with authenticity Keeping core values front and center to strengthen a team Learning from those who have done it Fostering the bonds with team members Practicing law as an honorable endeavor   Resources:  Website: https://bottarolaw.com/ Mike Bottaro’s Website: https://bottarolaw.com/about-us/meet-our-attorneys/mike-bottaro/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-bottaro-law-firm-llc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandPersonalInjury Twitter: https://twitter.com/rilawyer   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/  

Law Firm Marketing And Management Tips From An Expert   Welcome to episode 128 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Micki Love and she shares her expertise on marketing and management for law firms. Micki Love is the President and Chief Brand Strategist of cj Advertising. She oversees all agency accounts and launched cj Consulting. Her insight on marketing, strategy, management, and leadership helps guide the agency and their family of clients toward a bright and successful future. Micki began her career as a runner for Hughes & Coleman, a small personal injury law firm in Kentucky where she was involved in all aspects of marketing and managing at the firm. Over the course of her tenure with Hughes & Coleman, the firm grew to over 175 team members with nine offices in four states. Throughout that time, she helped organize the M&L Legal Marketing and Management seminars, conducted financial comparison groups, and helped implement a cutting-edge intake department and operational efficiency system. She eventually came to lead the firm as their Chief Operating Officer.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Combining a law firm operational background with a marketing background Starting with intakes and converting them to build an efficient firm Your medical records process and how to streamline it Looking at your negotiation process and optimizing it Average fees and how to increase them Case-grading to know what you have in the works and that they get to the right attorneys Why it’s best to have an in-house medical records department The difficult labor market After-hour call centers that deliver   Resources:  Website: https://www.cjadvertising.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjAdvertising/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milove/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cjadvertising?lang=en   Contact Info: Company: cj Advertising Email: Micki Love mlove@cjadvertising.com   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/  

Benefitting From What You Have Built: Buying or Selling Your Law Firm   Welcome to episode 127 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Tom Lenfestey and they talk about buying or selling a law firm. Tom Lenfestey is the Founder of The Law Practice Exchange, LLC as well as a practicing North Carolina attorney, licensed CPA and Accredited Business Intermediary. Tom’s years in private practice focused on transition and succession planning for other professions including creating, advising and implementing strategic business and estate plans for those clients. In doing so, he came to recognize the lack of knowledge, attention and options that were available in the legal profession to attorneys and their own practices, specifically in the realm of succession planning and other transition or exit opportunities. As a result, Tom founded The Law Practice Exchange in 2013 to provide education, options and brokerage and consulting services to the legal profession on selling, buying and overall law firm succession strategies. Tom has served on the Transitioning Lawyers Commission and Professional Vitality Committee with the North Carolina Bar Association and provides numerous educational events to attorneys hosted by state and local bar associations, legal insurers and law related professional organizations on the topics of succession planning, selling your law practice, valuing a law practice and others related to lawyer transitions. In addition, Tom has been interviewed or published in a number of legal publications in regard to transition planning for lawyers and law firms. Tom is an author of the book Designing a Succession Plan for Your Law Practice and numerous other articles and resources about selling, buying and valuation of law firms.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Helping transact business deals for other professionals and seeing a need to help Lawyers complete deals The effects of COVID on the sales of law firms A remote world and its effects on what a buyer looks for when buying a law firm Structuring the sale of your law firm to minimize tax hits Not signing a deal until you know it is tax advantageous How to value your law firm Lawyers as risk-adverse buyers The ease at which deals are getting done because of the influx of funds in the space Non-attorney ownership as a wild card possibility in the future Private Equity’s role in the market for law firms in the future The lowering age and demographic shift of those selling, and what it means The importance of knowing your potential options when ready to sell   Resources:  Website: https://thelawpracticeexchange.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-law-practice-exchange/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawpracticeexchange/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawPracticeExch   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/  

The New Landscape of Legal Marketing With Social Media Welcome to episode 125 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Ali Awad and they talk about why social media is the way you should be marketing your law firm. Ali Awad is the owner of CEOLawyer, a multi-million dollar law firm servicing personal injury victims nationwide. Before becoming an attorney, Ali had seven different companies where he went from making $10,000 a week in middle school doing online sales to running a 7-figure car audio business. By age 24, he earned his doctorate in law and masters in business, making him one of the youngest JD/MBA graduates in the entire state of Georgia. One of his main strategies for client acquisition has been social media marketing. Because he provides free legal advice on Instagram (@ceolawyer) and many other social media channels, he has amassed a following of over 1.5 million followers. Engaging with followers through giveaways, polls, trivia and replying to every comment has allowed the CEOLawyer community to grow greatly in size. Ali is dedicated to content creation and has developed a unique content strategy for developing ‘blastable’ videos in bulk. He has monthly content shoots with his media team where he creates 60+ videos in a single day. Whether it’s a video post, a meme, a car crash video, or a graphic post, any content can be run as an ad. This is his main marketing strategy. Ali also runs a media company, CEO Media, that is dedicated to teaching attorneys and other professionals how to brand and market themselves through social media. He believes most professionals need help with understanding and leveraging platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, and Ali is now on a mission to change the way professionals use social media.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Social Media can give you a lower cost per case Finding yourself with the problem of signing on too many cases Becoming the big fish in the small pond of your market Free engagement and awareness with social media Social media as a brand building platform as opposed to a lead generating platform Why you don’t have to spend money on TV, radio, and billboards Educating the public with social media, creating relationships, and building trust Waiting to convert until after you build awareness and engagement Why you don’t want every available client, only the right ones Creating content that people want to share and creating a snowball effect 1000 followers on social media as enough to take over a market Knowing when you need to become a better leader   Resources:  Website: www.ceolawyer.com Facebook: @ceolawyer Instagram: @ceolawyer   Contact Info: Company: CEOLawyer Email: Ali Awad:  aliawadlaw@gmail.com   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/  

Being Proactive To Take Advantage of Business Incentives In The Tax Code Welcome to episode 125 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Boris Musheyev and they talk about why you should be proactive with your tax planning. Boris Musheyev, CPA is a tax and accounting firm specializing in tax planning and strategy for entrepreneurs and business owners. We use proven tax strategies to save our clients tens of thousands of dollars on taxes every year when implemented correctly. We personalize each and every strategy to ensure that our client's family and business situation is thoroughly examined to maximize tax savings. Our team is made of high-performing professionals who take diligence and care in every step of the process when handling clients taxes.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: Being proactive and using tax strategies to contribute to business growth Income shifting from a higher tax bracket to a lower tax bracket The difference between C corporations and S corporations Understanding how the tax code is incentivized to help business owners save money Self-rental strategies to acrue depreciable assets Creating different business entities to shift income The changes to the tax code with the changes in political control   Resources:  Website: www.taxplanningcall.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/borismusheyevcpa Contact Info: Company: BORISMTAX INC Email: Boris Musheyev accounting@Borismtax.com   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/

Finding The Perfect Marketing Recipe Welcome to episode 124 of the Grow Your Law Firm podcast, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode Ken sits down with Eric Morgan and they talk about finding the right marketing recipe. Eric Morgan has a rich background of over 27 years of strategy, media planning and buying, and analytics experience in offline, online, non-traditional and promotional advertising campaigns. His insight and approach have helped design media strategies and campaigns for brands including Morris Bart, LLC, Frank D. Azar & Associates, Wayne Wright Injury Lawyers, Shelly Leeke, Harrahs Casino, Louisiana Office of Tourism, Hotel Monteleone, and Visit Baton Rouge.   Eric earned an M.B.A. at Tulane University and a B.A. from Loyola University in Advertising Communications with a minor in Marketing. Having over 27 years of strategy and media buying experience, Eric regularly speaks on the topics at conferences. In 2009, he was named Top Executive of the Year by the Advertising Club of New Orleans. He has taught Advertising Media Planning in Loyola University’s Communications Department, and is a fellow of Loyola’s Institute for Environmental Communications and the Institute of Politics. Eric sits on the Board of Directors of the Go.Be., supporting entrepreneurial minority small business owners, and is a past board member of Louisiana Chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization and the Tulane Association of Business Alumni.   What you’ll learn about in this episode: The difficulty in discerning where your leads come from when marketing with several mediums How marketing is like a gumbo where different ratios and mixtures will give you different returns Tinkering with your marketing to find the recipe that gives you the conversion rate that you want Finding your niche in your market and capitalizing on the right cost per case for you Reaching frequency and how it’s more nuanced than you think Do ads on live TV pay off? Is there a real benefit to the QR code? Knowing your brand and your strategy as the answer to everything else   Resources:  Website: www.morganandco.com Contact Info: Company: Morgan & Co. Email: Eric Morgan eric@morganandco.com   Additional Resources: PILMMA’s Super Summit: https://www.pilmma.org/summit/ The Mastermind Effect: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect/ PILMMA’s Free Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/resources/ PILMMA Join Page: https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind/