The J. Sterling Hughes Show
I share how my team and I have grown our family law firm, Sterling Lawyers, from zero to 25+ lawyers and $15m a year in revenue since 2014.
The purpose is to document what's working and not working so you can re-contextualize for your practice and shorten your success curve.
We are so open about what we are doing because we want to help other lawyers build a beautiful law firm, even if you "compete" with us.
So, follow me and subscribe to "The J. Sterling Hughes Show" Podcast.
My YouTube channel is @JSterlingHughes
Episodes
92 episodes
Tom’s Trek: A Bumpy, Bruising, Successful First Month - #91
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 fo...
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Episode 91
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27:38
Appropriate Law Firm Owner Profit Expectations with Ryan Kimler - #91
In this fun interview with Ryan Kimler I learned a ton about how to benchmark our law firm profit. This is the kind of information that all B2C law firm leaders need to pay attention to. I haven't at times, and it has cost m...
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Episode 91
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41:16
Building a Legal Culture with Celebration and Recognition - #90
Creating a positive team culture is essential to build a long term law firm. In this episode, Sterling's Managing Partner, Holly Mullin is back to share how she has built a dynamic and vibrant environment for her teamHere’s...
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Episode 90
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24:45
Tom’s Trek: Fixed Fee Attorney Metrics - #89
We are back following Attorney Tom Hartin as he launches Hartin Family Law. At the time of this recording, we are only a few weeks into the life of his new start up.We discussed:1 - Overcoming geographic targeting issues and f...
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Episode 89
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35:02
Tom's Trek: Allocating Work in a Family Law Firm - #88
We are following Attorney Tom Hartin as he forms and launches his Family Law Firm. We recorded this show just after Tom launched and had a wide ranging discussion on managing a family law firm. Highlights include:1 - ...
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Episode 88
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23:20
$10k Lessons with Lee: Intake Teams & Moving to Fixed Fees (Pt 3 of 3) - #87
My partner and I paid $10k (gulp!) for a day of Lee Rosen's time back in 2015. His advice turned around our law firm and the course of my career.His sage counsel turned out to be worth millions to Sterling Lawyers.In this ...
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Episode 87
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10:37
$10k Lessons with Lee: Paying Lawyers & Building Culture (Part 2 of 3) - #86
I have learned that most business consultants are not worth the money. I think the idea makes the owner feel good about engaging and buying. But, little good ever happens from business consultants.There are exception...
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Episode 86
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17:23
$10k Lessons with Lee: Hiring & Retaining Lawyers (1 of 3) - #85
In this 3-part series, I delve into the game-changing lessons learned from a $10,000 consultation with Lee Rosen, a top law firm consultant. Back in December 2015, our firm was growing fast, but we hit some serious roadblocks. ...
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Episode 85
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13:20
Tom’s Trek: Punch List of "Must Do’s” Before Launching Firm - #84
We are following Attorney Tom Hartin as he launches and builds his family law firm.In this 5th episode of the Tom's Trek series, we walk through Tom's meticulous planning and discuss all the many items that must be done to successfully ...
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Episode 84
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36:48
More Online Reviews = More Law Firm Wins - #83
What’s our secret to getting 9,000+ family law client reviews for Sterling Lawyers? In this show, I dive deep into the power of online reviews for law firms, sharing how Sterling Lawyers has amassed over 9,000 public reviews - a fe...
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Episode 83
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10:46
Tom’s Trek: Handling Client Sales and Intake - #82
We are following Attorney Tom Hartin as he launches his family law firm in the New York City area.This week we discuss:Capturing essential client intake data using simple tools like Google FormsPrioritizing client l...
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Episode 82
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45:15
Steal Our Powerful Law Firm Culture Tool - #81
I’m excited to take you behind the scenes of how we've crafted a thriving and cohesive culture at Sterling Lawyers, despite the challenges of having 75 teammates spread across three states and three countries. We've discovered a po...
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Episode 81
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34:51
Tom’s Trek: Quoting Fixed-Fees for Family Law with Mary Sankey - #80
Curious as to how to determine the right fixed fees for family law cases? In our latest Tom's Trek series, I have an insightful conversation with emerging Family Law attorney Tom Hartin and seasoned expert Mary Sankey. Together, we...
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Episode 80
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42:42
8 Simple AI Actions to Future-Proof Your Law Firm - #79
The AI frenzy has died down a bit since January 2023. But don't be lulled in complacency thinking AI will not have a significant impact on your life and law firm. It will in due time. Over the past 18 months, I h...
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Episode 79
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17:55
Tom’s Trek: Building and Marketing the Law Firm’s Website - #78
This is the second installment of the "Tom's Trek" series. We are following Attorney Tom Hartin as he plans and opens his family law practice on Long Island, New York.We discuss:1. Launching Tom's website (hartinfamilyl...
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Episode 78
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31:17
How to Quit a Law Firm - #77
Lawyers frequently fire the law firm they work at. The leave. They quit. They resign.This happens way more than law firms firing a lawyer.There are best practices to follow in order to best position your career...
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Episode 77
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12:44
Tom’s Trek: Starting a Family Law Firm from Scratch - #76
Transitioning from patent law to family law is no small feat, but Attorney Tom Hartin is taking on the challenge. This is episode one of a new series -- Tom's Trek. We will be following Tom as he leaves his patent law career ...
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Episode 76
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43:32
Retargeting Potential Family Law Clients with Tony Karls - #75
Retargeting potential clients is a big part of our firm's marketing strategy.I'm thrilled to welcome back Tony Karls, the innovative Sterling Lawyers co-founder and, now, President of Rocket Clicks. Tony shares his deep expertise,...
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Episode 75
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20:42
Managing International Law Firm Teammates with Robin Esch (Part 3 of 3) - #74
Robin Esch, our Director of Team Growth, joins me again to explore the Sterling Lawyers' playbook for managing international teammates. Here's what we dive into:Our structured process that ensures every team member feels...
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Episode 74
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19:59
Hiring International Law Firm Teammates with Robin Esch (Part 2 of 3) - #73
In the second part of our three-part series, Robin Esch and I dive deep into the intricacies of global hiring, with a special focus on the Philippines. What we discussed:Maintaining a strong cultural fit despite r...
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Episode 73
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18:20
Sourcing International Law Firm Teammates with Robin Esch (Part 1 of 3) - #72
One of Sterling Lawyers' talent advantages has been learning the skill of finding international teammates. This show is all about how we go about sourcing qualified, smart, hard-working teammates that do not live in the USA.
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Episode 72
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22:50
#1 Attorney Hiring Attribute to Grow a Family Law Firm - #71
Tenacity is the #1 attribute in selecting attorneys to build and scale a family law firm. Once you get past the table stakes of your firm's values and the candidate's character, no other quality is more important. Tenacity i...
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Episode 71
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22:00
Leverage Constraints to Build Your Law Firm - #70
If I could have a "Do-Over" for our first 10 years of building Sterling Lawyers, I would force myself to grow our family law firm with fewer resources.Why build our firm with less?-- Because I would have been more creative and disci...
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Episode 70
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9:35
Two Ways Lawyers Self-Sabotage Their Law Firm's Growth - #69
Why do so many law firms struggle with growth despite their best efforts? On today's show, I describe the two major ways lawyers self-sabotage their law firm's success: 1) Mistaking activity for progress&...
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Episode 69
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6:09
Coaching Family Lawyers and Support Teammates with Jeff Kerlin - #68
Our Sterling Lawyers' President, Jeff Kerlin, is back with me to breakdown the best practices on coaching lawyers.Jeff leads a high performing team of lawyers. This is not accidental. He shares his methods on how he does it....
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Episode 68
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11:46