The Sterling Family Law Show

Send us Fan Mail Four months into his new family law practice, Tom Hartin shares some frank insights about December 2024.  While revenue hit a new high at $10,820, new client signings were slower than expected—though that's typical for the holiday season.  Listen in as we discuss: The mindset shifts needed when running your own practice and managing growth expectations Tom's plans for hi...

Send us Fan Mail Obtaining great client outcomes is not enough to satisfy family law clients. There's a mind-bending truth on what clients want more than great outcomes—it's meeting their emotional needs. In this episode, I share: The truth about what clients will pay premium rates for (hint: it's not legal outcomes) The two things we aggressively focus on at Sterling to deliver thi...

Send us Fan Mail Jeff Morrell, one of our Senior Partners, is back to talk about AI tools for family lawyers. This is the presentation that Jeff gave at our annual Sterling Day event. It's about how our firm is using AI tools to enhance efficiency and streamline operations. Here’s what we covered: - The  ways AI is transforming legal workflows. - Practical tools that save us time every day. -...

Send us Fan Mail For most of our firm's history, we have been a "marketing-first" family law practice.   This philosophy can only get a family firm so far.   When I finally bought into the idea that long-term prosperity and career satisfaction come from doing amazing client work, our firm turned the corner in a big way. This podcast is about that shift and subsequent mega thrust for...

Send us Fan Mail This is a gold nugget-laden show for anyone practicing in family law. I interview our firm's highest-collecting attorney, Tiffany Vogel. She is a star, an ultra-high performer. Tiffany gives a masterclass in operating a family law practice. In this show, Tiffany shares:  • Her approach to client management as project management  • The importance of delegation for effective pr...

Send us Fan Mail We all have months that kick us in the teeth.  It hurts.  It sucks.  Tom had one of those months in November -- his third month in practice.  This show is about what happened and is a picture of mental toughness.  Keep pushing, Tom! Stay focused on what you can control. You are making the right moves.  ---------------------- Ready to find the accountability partner you need to bui...

Send us Fan Mail The second most important role in a family law firm is the managing attorney. In the vast majority of family law firms, the founder/owner sits in two seats: (1) the president and (2) the managing attorney.  The president sets the strategy, casts the vision, models the culture, and many other “presidential” type things. The managing attorney leads the lawyers and legal support staf...

Send us Fan Mail This show highlights a talk I gave to our entire legal team at a recent event. I announced a new service blending Artificial Intelligence into tools for clients.  I also shared two other long-term strategic initiatives that we are working on.    Feel free to steal for your firm! LOL ---------------------- Ready to find the accountability partner you need to build your dream family...

Send us Fan Mail There are limitless marketing tactics available to a family law firm.  It can be overwhelming.  One of Sterling Lawyers' most successful marketing strategies has been to focus on one tactic at a time. In this show, I articulate why to focus on one tactic: 1 - Allows enough time to yield results 2 - Avoids switching costs 3 - Enables achieving mastery 4 - Builds momentum And h...

Send us Fan Mail Are you throwing money down the drain in your family law practice? On this show , I reveal five of my most egregious money wasters. These nasty culprits get many other family lawyers too.  Maybe you? Here they are: SEO services (There are good ones and many bad ones) Fancy office space Overstaffing Online review software Costly website redesigns ---------------------- Ready to fin...

Send us Fan Mail Unexpected attorney resignations can feel like a gut punch. But, should you try to get them to stay? In this show, I explore: 1 - Getting to the truth behind the departure 2 - Assessing the impact and deciding if it's worth it try to get them to stay 3 - Offering more than words 4 - Embracing the changing legal landscape 4 - Turning departures into opportunities I hope you ca...

Send us Fan Mail We've been following Attorney Tom Hartin as he has launched his family law firm. This is a behind the curtain peek at the nitty-gritty world of family law firm start-up. This month we discussed: Tom’s revenue highs and lows for September and October Smart marketing on a budget, from Google Ads to local strategies. How Tom is exploring the niche market of first responders ----...

Send us Fan Mail Is your law firm losing clients who can’t afford full-time representation? This show offers creative ideas to get incremental clients that you may otherwise not get. I sit down with Mary Sankey, our Sales Manager, to explore how Sterling offers legal services for clients with varying needs and budgets.  My last episode explained scaled offers.  Here, we walk you through the scaled...

Send us Fan Mail Are you missing out on potential clients?   Most family lawyers give potential clients one offer: hourly representation.  There is a better way to serve clients than with just one offer.  Having multiple offers is a great way to incrementally grow sales.  We call this "scaled offers" at Sterling Lawyers.  In this show, my co-founder, Tony Karls, and I cover: 1 - The prob...

Send us Fan Mail Numbers will make or break your law firm.  Tracking the wrong ones is like getting bad directions to a desired location. Failing to track a number is an admission of not managing it. It's critical to get the number tracking right. This show is about: 1 - Leading vs. lagging indicators, understanding what to focus on for future success 2 - Essential KPIs to monitor, including...

Send us Fan Mail Ready to push your family law firm to new heights? In this episode, I discuss the crucial shift from working in your practice to working on it—a challenging but THE essential step for growth. I cover: Key indicators that signal you're ready to make the shift The importance of firm size, revenue, and performance metrics Practical steps to plan and execute this transition effec...

Send us Fan Mail We are following Attorney Tom Hartin as he launches his family law firm. Month #2 is officially closed.   How did Tom do? Check out the podcast to get the authentic details.   Spoiler alert: it wasn't a huge month financially, but he's above water and making progress. ---------------------- Ready to find the accountability partner you need to build your dream family law...

Send us Fan Mail Oftentimes, lawyers and clients disagree on the most important problem to solve in family law. Lawyers can assume it's one problem.  Meanwhile, the client is focused on a totally different problem to solve.  What’s the secret to figure this out -- so your firm can stand out above the rest? In this third part  of our Legal Start-up series, Tony Karls dissects how our family la...

Send us Fan Mail Client interviews can revolutionize your law firm. That's what happened at our firm, Sterling Lawyers.  In the second part of our 3-part series, I sit down with my partner and co-founder, Tony Karls, to reveal how early client interviews turned our struggling practice into a successful, growing firm. We talked about: The surprising impact of "Molly," our ideal clien...

Send us Fan Mail Ready to build a law practice that aligns with your strengths and passions?  Tony Karls, my co-founder at Sterling Lawyers, is back to discuss how to identify the best type of law for your practice.  This conversation kicks off a three-part series where we share the early details that helped us start, build and scale our firm. We covered: 1 - Determining the right type of law for...

Send us Fan Mail Ever promoted someone only to watch your firm's culture crumble?  In this raw episode, I share one of  my biggest leadership blunders and its far-reaching consequences.  I take you behind the scenes of our law firm's year-long struggle to recover from a toxic culture shift, sharing hard-earned wisdom that could save your practice. Here’s what I discussed: The impact of p...

Send us Fan Mail Are you struggling to get your associates to think like owners and future leaders of your law firm?  In this show, I share what we have done to achieve modest success  in our law firm in order to develop the next generation of leaders.  In many ways, this is a leadership development episode. We can't grow our firms without leaders who understand the business of family law.  I...

Send us Fan Mail Dressing like a pro is not optional if you want to be viewed as one.  Sometimes associates struggle in this area.  How do you support them with how they present themselves? Here’s what I covered: - The importance of maintaining a polished appearance in client interactions and court settings. - Strategies for addressing attire issues sensitively, especially considering generational...

Send us Fan Mail Holly Mullin and I have an insightful conversation about the lawyer career development process from Associate to Managing Partner.  She goes into detail with real-life examples and stories from consultations, settlement conferences, and court hearings that highlight how she mentors and trains in our firm’s future leaders. We also discussed: - Sterling’s  tiered system for career p...

Send us Fan Mail Attorney Tom Hartin's first month is in the books. How'd he do? It was definitely a "learning experience"! 🥴 In this episode we cover: - Tom's first client - A (needlessly) difficult opposing counsel - Preparing for the first trial - Marketing results - Family law's bumpy consults Enjoy! ---------------------- Ready to find the accountability partner...