Your Profitable Law Firm

Succession Planning, Selling Your Firm, and Private Equity in Law | Ed Alexander Business attorney Ed Alexander joins Kelley Brubaker to talk through one of the most avoided topics in law firm ownership: what happens when you're ready to step away. Ed has worked on succession plans, mergers, and law firm sales well into the hundreds, and he breaks down why waiting until you're ready to ret...

How Law Firms Can Use AI to 2X to 10X Their Productivity | Joe Popper Joe Popper, founder of Popper Tech Team and returning guest, joins Kelley Brubaker for their third conversation to break down how law firm owners can use AI to dramatically improve productivity. Joe walks through the four levels of AI adoption, from basic prompting tools like ChatGPT and Copilot up through AI agents doing autono...

Why Your Law Firm Needs CFO-Level Thinking (Not Just a Bookkeeper) | Natalia Zacharin Most law firm owners assume that having a bookkeeper and a tax person means their finances are covered. Fractional CFO and bookkeeping expert Natalia Zacharin of Zacharin Consulting joins Kelley Brubaker to explain why that assumption leaves dangerous gaps. In this conversation, Natalia breaks down why bookkeepin...

Is Your Law Firm IT Actually Good or Just Fine? | Joe Popper Most law firm owners say the same thing when asked about their IT: "It's fine. I have a guy." But is fine actually good? IT expert Joe Popper joins Kelley Brubaker to break down the real business cost of reactive IT, why law firms are measuring IT success the wrong way, and what proactive IT support actually looks like. Joe...

AI for Law Firms: Custom AI Agents, Flat-Fee Disruption & Secure Workflows with Aaron Shechet On the Your Profitable Law Firm podcast, host Kelley Brubaker interviews attorney and AI builder Aaron Shechet, who shares how a rare cancer diagnosis in 2023 pushed him to explore AI to keep his busy litigation practice moving, including work on a California Supreme Court case.  After building intern...

How Law Firm Owners Can Build a Referral System (Without Asking) | Stacey Brown Randall Kelley Brubaker interviews referral expert Stacey Brown Randall about how law firm owners can generate consistent, high-quality referrals without asking, paying, or relying on constant networking. Stacey explains why great work alone doesn’t create predictable referrals and outlines a system-based approach that...

Most law firm owners think the solution to growth is simple… spend more on marketing. But what if that’s not the real problem? In this episode, I sit down with Eric Ritter, founder of Digital Neighbor and self-proclaimed “SEO sommelier,” to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes in law firm marketing. We talk about why more leads don’t always mean more clients, how firms are wasting thou...

Most law firm owners believe they are overwhelmed because they are doing too much work… But what if the real problem is that you are carrying too much responsibility? In this episode, I sit down with Jason Henneberry, creator of Dependency Design and author of Why Your Business Won’t Let You Go , to talk about why growth often increases pressure instead of reducing it… and what is actually happeni...

Most law firm owners believe they are “too small” to be targeted by cybercriminals. That belief is exactly what makes them vulnerable. In this episode, I sit down with Joe Popper, the “OG of IT & AI,” to break down what is actually happening behind the scenes… how hackers are targeting law firms… and why even a 5-person firm is at risk. We walk through real scenarios where firms lost tens or e...

Investor Behavior Beats Knowledge...How Jonathan Blau Helps Professionals Stay the Course Kelley Brubaker welcomes Jonathan Blau, founder and CEO of Fusion Family Wealth, a Long Island-based fee-only RIA now overseeing about $1.5 billion, to discuss why investor behavior drives outcomes far more than intellect. Blau explains how fear, greed, regret, and overconfidence lead investors of all backgro...

How to Get Paid Your True Worth Ethically ... by Overcoming Fear, Raising Self-Worth, and Changing Pricing Habits with Vanessa Ugatti Host Kelley Brubaker welcomes Vanessa Ugatti to discuss why experienced professionals undercharge, discount, over-service, and sometimes even struggle to get paid. Author of Amazon Best Seller True Worth, Vanessa helps lawyers get paid their true worth ethically, wh...

AI, Billing, and Profitability: The Financial Systems Law Firms Need with Josh Noffke Kelley Brubaker welcomes business attorney Josh Noffke back to Your Profitable Law Firm, where Josh interviews Kelley about the financial realities of running a profitable firm and how AI fits into modern operations.  They discuss why lawyers lose money by not tracking time, how delayed billing crushes cash flow,...

Profit-Focused Accounting for Law Firms with Virtual CFO John C. Scott Kelley Brubaker interviews John C. Scott, CPA, partner at Anders and a legal industry virtual CFO, about helping law firms move beyond tax-focused accounting to profit-focused financial leadership.  John shares how his early referrals from attorneys and work with a data-driven, entrepreneurial lawyer shaped his approach, and ho...

Pricing Without Burnout: Nervous System Regulation, Minimum Aligned Price, and Raising Rates with Linda Hunt Kelley Brubaker interviews Linda Hunt, founder of SumSolutions LLC, about why pricing feels emotional for service providers and how to build sustainable, profitable pricing.  Linda explains separating personal identity from the service, focusing on the client’s transformation, and using ner...

How Burnout Will Kill Your Law Firm Just as Fast as Bankruptcy with Danielle Hendon Host Kelley Brubaker interviews Danielle Hendon, a CPA and fractional CFO who founded Four Corners CFO after leaving public accounting and an oil and gas audit leadership role during the pandemic to build a family-friendly career bringing big-business finance concepts to small business owners, especially law firms....

AI, Decision Avoidance, and the Entrepreneur Shift Law Firm Owners Must Make Now Kelley Brubaker explains why law firm owners must take responsibility for their firm’s financial future as AI threatens inefficiency and low-leverage work. She describes how many firms are “fine” on paper yet avoid key decisions, leading to stalled profit, delayed owner pay, and rising stress, sharing examples involvi...

How to Build a High-Profit Continuing Education Business as a Lawyer | Justin Allan Montgomery Kelley Brubaker hosts Justin Allan Montgomery, a nurse practitioner who created a continuing education course business in 2020, made $50,000 in seven days, scaled it into an eight-figure yearly business, and retired at 39.  He now runs ProCourseStart to teach professionals, including lawyers, how to crea...

Boosting Your Law Firm's Brand Strategy with Christine RanietsIn this exciting episode, Kelley welcomes branding expert Christine Raniets of Perran Design to discuss the critical aspects of branding for law firms. Christine, who specializes in branding, graphic design, and marketing for legal professionals and nonprofits, shares her journey from studying finance to forming her own company. The con...

Unlocking CEO Potential with Carol Schultz: Reclaiming Time and Overcoming Founder Syndrome In this episode, Kelley Brubaker talks with Carol Schultz, CEO of Vertical Elevation and columnist for Inc. Magazine. Carol, an experienced recruiter and executive coach, discusses her Chief of Staff Scaffold System, a comprehensive nine-step program designed to help CEOs delegate, manage time effectively,...

How Law Firms Can Stay Profitable and Resilient in Uncertain MarketsIn this episode, Kelley Brubaker, CPA and owner of Profit Scale Thrive, joins Brittany Hoffman from 8am in a webinar hosted by Above the Law. They discuss strategies for building economic resilience and maintaining profitability for law firms even during market shifts. Key topics include understanding financial statements, managin...

Understanding the Emotional Side of Money for Law Firm OwnersJoin Kelley Brubaker in this episode of Your Profitable Law Firm podcast as she explores the emotional aspects of financial decision-making for law firm owners. She discusses common emotional challenges such as guilt, fear of delegation, and martyr spending, and offers a framework to improve financial health without shame or pressure. Ke...

Empowering Law Firm Owners: AI, Marketing, and Growth StrategiesIn this episode of Your Profitable Law Firm podcast, host Kelley Brubaker discusses the September 2025 user conference in Austin, Texas organized by 8am (formerly Affinipay). Panelists Zach Herbert, Kelley Brubaker, and Bob Simon with Catherine Dawson as our Moderator share their experiences and strategies on law firm management, leve...

Empowering Legal Teams: Insights from CEO Charles D. Hatley Join host Kelley Brubaker as she interviews Charles D. Hatley, Esq., the CEO of Melone Hatley PC. In this episode, Charles shares his strategies for fostering high-performing teams and innovation within his firm, his approach to empowering both employees and clients, and the modernizing shifts required to enhance law firm operations. From...

Understanding CFO Support for Law Firms: Why It's Essential at Any Size In this episode of Your Profitable Law Firm podcast, Kelley Brubaker breaks down what a CFO does in a traditional business setting and how this role translates to law firms. Kelley clarifies the misconceptions about CFO support being exclusive to large firms and explains why it's valuable at any stage of growth. She di...

Mastering Legal Content Strategy with Dianna Mason Horacek In this episode of Your Profitable Law Firm Podcast, Kelley Brubaker sits down with Dianna Mason Horacek, founder of Acadia Content Solutions and expert legal content writer. They talk about strategies for creating impactful legal content for law firm websites and exploring the pitfalls law firms commonly encounter. Dianna shares insights...