Tip the Scales

So many of us go through life every day feeling like we have little control over what happens to us. Planes get delayed, kids get sick, and we find ourselves frustrated, stressed, and generally unhappy. And while we may not be able to stop travel delays or illnesses, Joe Fried believes that we do have control over how we respond to these situations.Joe has been challenging his preconceived notions about how the world works and how we should respond to the people we encounter every day. Not only has this helped him to become calmer and happier in his personal life, but he is also bringing these ideas to his work in the courtroom. Joe is among the top truck accident lawyers in the country, and has, in fact, been named Trucking Trial Lawyer of the Year.This week, we’re delighted to welcome Joe back to the podcast to talk about how the work he’s doing in his personal life translates to his success in trial. We reexamine the assumptions we make every day, discuss the power of empathy, and dig into the work Joe is doing to help empower women in the legal field.Key TakeawaysEverything works out okay in the end. Even things that may be painful or frightening in the moment will eventually become something you can move past and accept as part of your path. Spending time worrying about whether something will work out okay is just wasted energy. You can control your beliefs and outlook on the world. Many of us feel like we don’t have any control over the things that shape the way we view the world. But you can make a conscious choice to change your preconceptions and shift how you view a situation.Being a good lawyer doesn’t always mean being tough. Oftentimes, lawyers — especially women — feel like they have to present a front of being tough, badass, and no-nonsense. But being empathetic, vulnerable, and even emotional in front of a jury can sometimes help you get a better result for your client.Get your free competitor report at lawrank.com/reportTip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterFried Goldberg WebsiteFried Goldberg TwitterJoe Fried LinkedInPrevious Guests: Bob Simon, Gary Sarner, Jen Gore-Cuthbert, Muhammad Ramadan, Amanda Baggett, Sara Williams, Joe Fried, Bibi Fell, Sahm Manouchehri, Sevy Fisher, Taly Goody, Teresa Diep, Dan Ambrose, Rick Ferri, Glen Lerner, and many othersOther episodes you might enjoy:4. Make the Choice: Champion for Kindness16. Own Your Career: Empowering Female Trial Attorneys20. Courage and Intention: How Radical Honesty Creates Stronger Attorneys21. Compassion Through Crisis: Discovering Strength in Vulnerability

Sean Claggett learned first-hand that health scares can change the course of your life. After surviving a near-death experience, he decided to take the leap into trial law. Sean has since built a successful career and now shares his skills and advice with newer lawyers.Sean is the founder of Claggett & Sykes Law Firm, which has recovered over $300 million for their clients. In 2017, the Nevada Justice Association named him Trial Lawyer of the Year. He was also named a Mountain States Super Lawyer every year from 2014 to 2022. In addition to his work at Claggett & Sykes, Sean is an adjunct professor at UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law.On this week’s episode, we talk about how Sean’s remarkable career got started and how he prioritizes his well-being while maintaining a full trial schedule. He talks to us about the role music plays in helping him connect with juries. And we dive into parenting and how Sean is raising two remarkable kids.Key TakeawaysPrioritize your health. Sean survived a near-death experience that helped him shift his perspective on life and law. Learning to recognize signs of burnout and make time for recovery can help you avoid a similar lesson.Trust your skills. When you’re first starting out, you may feel like you just got lucky on a case or that you’re a one-hit-wonder. Don’t let imposter syndrome ruin your confidence; instead, stay the course and let your work speak for itself.Find the emotional connection. Getting a jury to connect emotionally to a case can be extremely helpful in getting a win in your cases. Find creative ways to foster that connection, whether that be through music or another method.Tip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterClaggett & Sykes WebsiteClaggett & Sykes InstagramClaggett & Sykes FacebookClaggett & Sykes LinkedInClaggett & Sykes Twitter

Building a brand is hard work. From choosing a market segment and a name to finding marketing opportunities that you can afford, it takes a lot of time, effort, and money. And it can be even more challenging when you’re trying to break into a market as competitive as Las Vegas.Justin Watkins of Battle Born Injury Lawyers has seen his marketing efforts return remarkable profits. Battle Born Injury Lawyers has recovered over $100 million for their clients, including several individual verdicts well over $1 million. Justin has been named one of southern Nevada’s Top 150 lawyer every year for nine years running, and in 2016, he was elected to the Nevada Assembly.This week, Justin sits down with us to talk about how he started Battle Born Injury Lawyers and how he uses a variety of marketing channels to maximize his ROI. We also discuss the death of his friend and business partner, Troy Atkinson. Key takeawaysDiversify your marketing. Billboards, radio ads, TV ads, SEO, and social media can all work together to get you more conversions and a higher ROI. A potential customer may drive by your billboard, see an ad on social media, and then recognize your name when it comes up in their search for a lawyer and decide to give you a call instead of your competitor.Don’t be afraid to make changes in your firm. As your marketing begins to work, you may find that the systems you have in place don’t meet your needs with the larger volume of calls you’re receiving. Be willing to scrap the systems that don’t work for you any more, and set up scalable processes that can sustain this new level of growth.Be grateful for every day. Justin’s business partner, Troy Atkinson, lost his life to colon cancer in 2016, but right to the end, he fought for every day he had. Today, Justin focuses on appreciating every day he has to live, work, and carry on Troy’s legacy.Tip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterBattle Born WebsiteBattle Born FacebookBattle Born TwitterBattle Born InstagramBattle Born YouTubeBattle Born LinkedInPrevious Guests: Bob Simon, Gary Sarner, Jen Gore-Cuthbert, Muhammad Ramadan, Amanda Baggett, Sara Williams, Joe Fried, Bibi Fell, Sahm Manouchehri, Sevy Fisher, Taly Goody, Teresa Diep, Dan Ambrose, Rick Ferri, Glen Lerner, and many othersOther episodes you might enjoy:10. Punch Above Your Weight: Success On Any Budget11. Outshine the Competition: Authentic Branding and Wise Spending12. From $7 to $7 Million: Mobile Advertising and Optimism18. Accelerate Your Firm: Intake and Understanding Revenue21. Compassion Through Crisis: Discovering Strength in Vulnerability

As you grow your legal practice, it can be tempting to focus in on one specific area. And while diving deep into a specialty can be good, it’s important to remember not to limit yourself. Referrals can be one of your best friends, both in getting new cases and in expanding the scope of your practice.Jeremy Tissot of The Tissot Law Firm is a pro at both referring cases to attorneys who specialize in other areas of law and handling cases that get referred to his firm. He has become one of the leading experts on litigating traumatic brain injury cases, and in fact, is a faculty member and featured speaker at TBI MedLegal conferences. Jeremy has taken more than 2,000 depositions over the course of his career and has been first chair on over thirty jury trials.Today, we talk about when you should refer a case to another lawyer and how to make sure your intake team is set up to accept cases that get referred to you. Jeremy shares his insight into working with TBI victims, including the challenges working with mentally ill clients can pose.Key takeawaysLearn what you don’t know. No matter how long you’ve been working in a field, there’s always more to learn. You can’t get complacent and start to think you have everything figured out. Always be looking for what you don’t know, and don’t be afraid to call other lawyers for help.Focus on improving your intake. If you’re missing more than 10 percent or so of your calls, you’re missing not only cold leads from potential clients, but also warm leads from other attorneys. Your intake team needs to be consistently answering and returning calls and engaging with clients who call you looking for help.Mental illness complicates everything. Not only can it make your interactions with your clients more challenging, but it can also make your discovery process harder. It’s important to find ways to accurately assess the mental symptoms your clients are experiencing, as well as the physical ones.Tip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramTip the Scales YouTubeMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterThe Tissot Law Firm WebsiteThe Tissot Law Firm FacebookThe Tissot Law Firm TwitterThe Tissot Law Firm InstagramThe Tissot Law Firm LinkedInJeremy Tissot FacebookJeremy Tissot InstagramJeremy Tissot LinkedIn

Expand Your Horizon: Maintaining a Growth MindsetBeing a good lawyer isn’t just about the time you have in the game — it’s about what you do with that time. Przemek Lubecki of Morris Bart Personal Injury Lawyers has dedicated himself to constantly growing, improving, and honing his skills. This week he shares with us what routines he uses to stay at his best, inside and outside the courtroom.Przemek has personally tried over 100 jury trials. In fact, in 2006, he was recognized by the Cook County Jury Verdict Reporter for having tried the second-most jury trials of any lawyer in Illinois. He began his legal career in Chicago working in defense litigation before moving to New Orleans and switching to personal injury law. On this week’s episode, we talk to Przemek about the methods he uses to maintain a growth mindset in both his personal and professional lives. He tells us about his hobby of competition shooting and how it teaches him skills that transfer to the courtroom. And we delve into some of the wellness routines he uses to keep his mind and body at their best.Key takeawaysCreate a growth mindset. Simply having years of experience as a lawyer isn’t enough to keep you at the top of the game. It’s important to actively cultivate a mindset of growth and continuous improvement.Develop strong skills, strategies, and confidence. Many of the same characteristics that help Przemek win shooting competitions also help him find success in the courtroom. You need a solid strategy, the skills to put that strategy into action, and the confidence to sell a jury on what you’re telling them.Set up wellness routines. Finding wellness routines that fit with your needs and lifestyle can help you be healthier mentally and physically. Getting quality sleep, reducing your stress levels, and being more aware of your body’s natural rhythms can keep you at your best.Tip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramTip the Scales YouTubeMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterMorris Bart WebsiteMorris Bart InstagramMorris Bart FacebookMorris Bart TwitterMorris Bart LinkedInPrzemek Lubecki Instagram

Starting a legal career is hard. Even after you survive the slog of law school, you might have trouble getting a job, signing cases, or making the kind of money you want. Mauro Fiore of Fiore Legal knows first-hand the persistence it takes to make it through those early years. Mauro started his career working on the cases that no one wanted and struggling to make ends meet. Today, his firm has won more than $250 million for their clients and includes the top 1 percent of lawyers. Mauro was named a Super Lawyer every year from 2016 to 2020 and has tried dozens of jury trials in his career.This week, Mauro tells us the story of the unusual path he took to becoming a lawyer and how he grew a successful firm out of humble beginnings. We chat about the importance of having a strong network of friends, the power of hard work, and what it takes to forge a successful career in the legal world.Key TakeawaysPut in the work. Take the cases no one wants, make network connections, and put in the time working cases. Nothing can make up for a strong work ethic and a willingness to push through difficult situations when you’re establishing a legal career.Make friends with other lawyers. Don’t view your competitors as your enemies — they can be some of your greatest resources. Make friends with the other lawyers in your field, and lean on them when you need advice.Trust the process. Finding success takes time, and it can be a challenging road. Trust the process, believe in yourself, and know that with enough time and work, you’ll end up where you want to be.Tip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterFiore Legal WebsiteFiore Legal FacebookFiore Legal InstagramFiore Legal Twitter

Leaving a steady, high-paying job at a successful law firm to strike out on your own may seem like a risky decision. But that’s exactly what Mark Bratt did. One year later, The Bratt Law Firm is making over a million dollars, and his work-life balance is better than ever before.Mark has had an impressive career, winning over $150 million for his clients, being named a National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyer, and being nominated for the Los Angeles Trial Lawyer of the Year award. The Bratt Law Firm has recovered settlements of over $27 million in its first year, and this is just the beginning.This week, Mark sits down with us to talk about why he left his job at a large law firm and how he’s found such success in his first year of sole proprietorship. We dig into the importance of work-life balance, the power of honesty and integrity, and how to push past fear and create a life you love.Key takeaways:Listen to your inner voice. Making change is scary, but you have to listen to your inner voice, not just the voice of fear. Be honest and vulnerable. If you aren’t being honest and transparent with your family, your friends, your clients, and yourself, you’re going to lose. Build a balanced life. Success in your career is wonderful, but it can’t come at the cost of happiness in your personal life. You have to build a life that allows you to meet both of those needs.Links and ResourcesTip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterThe Bratt Law Firm WebsiteThe Bratt Law Firm LinkedInMark Bratt LinkedIn

What does it take to build a firm that has offices in half a dozen states, signs over 70 cases a day in one office, and employs more than 450 people? Glen Lerner of Lerner and Rowe can tell you that the key is consistency and having a team you can trust. In the past two decades, Glen has grown a firm that has some of the best brand recognition in the country.Glen has built a national reputation and a firm that has recovered over a billion dollars for their clients in the last five years alone. He has worked as a teamster and a garbage man to gain a better understanding of the people he represents. And today, he prides himself on fighting for “the little guys” in personal injury cases.On this episode of Tip the Scales, Glen talks to us about what exactly makes Lerner and Rowe so successful and how they’re navigating the challenges of a post-COVID world. We dig into why good processes are so critical, how to stand out in a competitive market, and Glen’s deep-rooted obsession with trees.Key takeaways:Focus on improving. Build processes that help your firm consistently deliver a better client experience. You should never feel like you can rest on your laurels — always be looking for ways to get better.Worry less. Delegate tasks to people you trust, and trust that everything will work out okay in the end. Learning to go with the flow can help you find a healthier, happier mindset in your life.Find the right people. Hire people into your firm who are dedicated to the same principles as you. If you have a solid team that believes in your company values, you’ll be able to create a great culture and brand.Links and ResourcesTip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterGlen Lerner LinkedInLerner and Rowe WebsiteLerner and Rowe FacebookLerner and Rowe InstagramLerner and Rowe TwitterLerner and Rowe LinkedInLerner and Rowe YouTubeLerner and Rowe TikTok

Investing your money can be a scary, overwhelming, and confusing process. How do you create an investment plan that will not only support you through your golden years, but also give your children and grandchildren a strong inheritance? These are exactly the questions Rick Ferri has been answering for over thirty years, and some of his answers may surprise you.Rick has worked in a variety of finance roles, from his beginnings as a stockbroker in a large Wall Street firm to running an industry-changing private advisory firm. At its peak, Rick’s firm was managing over $1.5 billion in assets and had a revolutionary low rate of just 0.25 percent per year. Today, he offers as-needed financial advice to families looking for the best way to build a more secure future.We sit down with Rick this week to talk about what really goes into making good investment decisions. He explains the machine that drives market fluctuations, the importance of a diversified portfolio, and the simple approach to investing that gives you the best chance at a solid return. Cut through the media hysterics and bad counsel from unethical financial advisors to discover how you can take back control of your money and your future.Key TakeawaysAdvocate for your own interests. Just because someone says they’re a fiduciary doesn’t necessarily mean they’re acting in your best interests. It’s best to learn all you can and be proactive in making sure you’re getting the best investment setup for you.Good investing is not sexy. It’s incredibly difficult for even the most educated financial advisors to outperform the stock market. You have a better chance of success if you invest in a solid, diversified portfolio and give it lots of time to grow.Investing in the stock market is betting on capitalism. As long as we continue to believe capitalism works and that it’s going to persist as the global financial system, the stock market is going to continue to grow and thrive. Tip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterRick Ferri WebsiteAll About Asset AllocationAll About Index FundsThe ETF BookThe Power of Passive InvestingProtecting Your Wealth in Good Times and BadSerious Money: Straight Talk About Investing for RetirementThe Bogleheads’ Guide to Retirement PlanningBogleheads ForumJohn C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy WebsiteJohn C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy FacebookJohn C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy TwitterJohn C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy YouTube

Running a successful law firm means always being willing to adapt, explore new technology, and make bold moves. Yosi Yahoudi has built a successful firm following these principles, even recently implementing an exciting new piece of software called Levitate. His firm has also switched case management software multiple times as their needs have changed.Yosi began his law firm, J&Y Law, in the middle of the 2009 recession and has grown it to a successful practice nearly fifteen years later. J&Y has recovered millions of dollars for their clients, and Yosi has become a lifetime member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, as well as a member of the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40. This week, we dive into the features you can get with software like Levitate or Litify. We talk about whether AI is really going to replace humans in the content creation space and how you can be confident in taking daring action for the future of your firm.Key TakeawaysAI has potential, but it’s not a silver bullet. Programs like Chat GPT may show promise for eventually creating high-quality legal content, but the field is still very new. For the time being, human-generated content remains the gold standard.Don’t be afraid to make bold moves. Investing in your firm, particularly in advertising, is scary, but it’s well worth the risk. Figure out what works for your firm, and then be bold in taking the leap and putting your firm out there.The right software can transform your client experience. Programs like Litify and Levitate can help you create a streamlined client experience. But make sure you have the budget to support these programs so you avoid overextending yourself.Tip The Scales PodcastTip the Scales InstagramMaria Monroy InstagramMaria Monroy LinkedInLawRank WebsiteLawRank InstagramLawRank FacebookLawRank LinkedInLawRank TwitterJ&Y WebsiteJ&Y LinkedInJ&Y FacebookJ&Y TwitterJ&Y YouTubeYosi Yahoudai LinkedInYosi Yahoudai Instagram