Best Jeff Sterling Hughes Podcasts (2024)

1
Casting a Compelling Vision to Your Family Law Team - #109 32:31

8h ago32:31

32:31

Send us a text 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 ------------------------- Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.co…

1
Staying Focused On One Marketing Tactic at a Time - #108 16:41

5h ago16:41

16:41

Send us a text 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 ac…

1
Recurring Money Wasters that Family Pummel Lawyers - #107 15:36

7d ago15:36

15:36

Send us a text 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…

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Should You Try to Persuade the Attorney to Stay? - #106 14:22

12d ago14:22

14:22

Send us a text 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 …

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Tom’s Trek: Forming Ideal Client & Tightening Marketing Radius - #105 34:55

14d ago34:55

34:55

Send us a text 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 explorin…

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Scaled Offers at Sterling (Entry to High-End Service) with Mary Sankey - #104 13:43

19d ago13:43

13:43

Send us a text 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 scale…

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Scaled Offers to Turbo-Charge Client Hires w/ Tony Karls - #103 14:38

23d ago14:38

14:38

Send us a text 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 …

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What Law Firm Numbers Should I Track First? - #102 18:11

29d ago18:11

18:11

Send us a text 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…

1
When to Move From Working IN to ON Your Law Firm - #101 19:05

1M ago19:05

19:05

Send us a text 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 step…

1
Tom’s Trek: September 2024 Review - #100 15:09

1M ago15:09

15:09

Send us a text 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. ------------------------- Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of F…

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Solving the Real Client Problems to Stand Out! (Legal Start-up 3 of 3) - #99 19:38

1M ago19:38

19:38

Send us a text 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 serie…

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Easy Interviews to Fine-Tune Your Legal Service (Legal Start-up 2 of 3) with Tony Karls - #98 13:58

1M ago13:58

13:58

Send us a text 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 im…

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Selecting the Law Practice Type that Fits You (Legal Start-up 1 of 3) with Tony Karls - #97 22:28

2M ago22:28

22:28

Send us a text 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 cover…

1
Is Your Law Firm Culture Toxic? - #96 11:09

2M ago11:09

11:09

Send us a text 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’…

1
Getting Law Firm Associates to Have an Owner's Mentality - #95 8:45

2M ago8:45

8:45

Send us a text 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 u…

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How to Tell Your Law Firm Associate to Dress More Professionally - #94 11:08

2M ago11:08

11:08

Send us a text 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 se…

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Attorney Levels at Sterling Lawyers with Holly Mullin - #93 22:21

2M ago22:21

22:21

Send us a text 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 disc…

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Tom’s Trek: A Bumpy, Bruising, Successful First Month - #92 27:38

2M ago27:38

27:38

Send us a text 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! ------------------------- Go to: www.JSterling…

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Appropriate Law Firm Owner Profit Expectations with Ryan Kimler - #91 41:16

2M ago41:16

41:16

Send us a text 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 me. We focused our talk on law firms serving people (B2C) and discussed: - The most Important Financial Metrics …

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Building a Legal Culture with Celebration and Recognition - #90 24:45

3M ago24:45

24:45

Send us a text 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 team Here’s what we discussed: Balancing client work and creating a collaborative atmosphere Transforming the office moral…

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Tom’s Trek: Fixed Fee Attorney Metrics - #89 35:02

3M ago35:02

35:02

Send us a text 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 filtering out irrelevant leads 2 - The gritty details of Tom's first consultation - and his big lesson learn…

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Tom's Trek: Allocating Work in a Family Law Firm - #88 23:20

3M ago23:20

23:20

Send us a text 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 - The impact of fixed-fee billing on efficiency and client satisfaction 2 - Managing and optimizing U.S.-based and Phil…

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$10k Lessons with Lee: Intake Teams & Moving to Fixed Fees (Pt 3 of 3) - #87 10:37

3M ago10:37

10:37

Send us a text 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 third installment, I share Lee's advice to us on: 1 - Intake team optimization principles 2 - Converting to Fix…

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$10k Lessons with Lee: Paying Lawyers & Building Culture (Part 2 of 3) - #86 17:23

3M ago17:23

17:23

Send us a text 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 exceptions, of course. Lee Rosen is one major exception for Sterling Lawyers. He has taught me so much. My partner and I paid $…

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$10k Lessons with Lee: Hiring & Retaining Lawyers (1 of 3) - #85 13:20

3M ago13:20

13:20

Send us a text 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. That’s when Lee’s advice turned things around for us—and now, I’m sharing those insights with you. Topics di…

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Tom’s Trek: Punch List of "Must Do’s” Before Launching Firm - #84 36:48

3M ago36:48

36:48

Send us a text 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 start a family law firm. If you want a checklist of "Law Firm Launch Action Items," you are listen…

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More Online Reviews = More Law Firm Wins - #83 10:46

4M ago10:46

10:46

Send us a text 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 feat particularly challenging in family law. Here’s what I cover Why Reviews Matter: From building trust t…

1
Tom’s Trek: Handling Client Sales and Intake - #82 45:15

4M ago45:15

45:15

Send us a text 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 Forms Prioritizing client leads based on urgency and resources The family law sales process Personal anecdotes and lessons learned from Tom's jo…

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Steal Our Powerful Law Firm Culture Tool - #81 34:51

4M ago34:51

34:51

Send us a text 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 powerful tool that brings us together—our bi-weekly meeting known as "The Summons." This 30-minute gatheri…

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Tom’s Trek: Quoting Fixed-Fees for Family Law with Mary Sankey - #80 42:42

4M ago42:42

42:42

Send us a text 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 delve into the intricacies of family law and share practical strategies for quoting fixed fees effectiv…

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8 Simple AI Actions to Future-Proof Your Law Firm - #79 17:55

4M ago17:55

17:55

Send us a text 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 have settled on a few practical steps to position our law firm for future AI opportunities and threats. In this show I cover…

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Tom’s Trek: Building and Marketing the Law Firm’s Website - #78 31:17

4M ago31:17

31:17

Send us a text 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 (hartinfamilylaw.com) 2. Setting up a Google My Business profile and initiating SEO efforts 3. Understanding the local legal lan…

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How to Quit a Law Firm - #77 12:44

4M ago12:44

12:44

Send us a text 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 for success. Over the last ten years, I have had a front row seat to 30 lawyers firing our law firm. Some did it very well…

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#141 - Josh Lawler and Jener Sakiri on securities, regulation and gaming in crypto 49:42

4M ago49:42

49:42

Josh Lawler is a partner at Zuber Lawler, where he leads the firm’s Emerging Technologies Group with a particular emphasis on blockchain technology. Josh previously practiced as a corporate securities and M&A attorney at Skadden, Arps. Jener Sakiri is an associate at Zuber Lawler and focuses on transactional and regulatory matters. He often works w…

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Tom’s Trek: Starting a Family Law Firm from Scratch - #76 43:32

4M ago43:32

43:32

Send us a text 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 behind and embarks on building his family law firm. In this show, we discuss: The appeal of family law for Tom…

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Retargeting Potential Family Law Clients with Tony Karls - #75 20:42

4M ago20:42

20:42

Send us a text 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, focusing on: Accurately identifying your target audience Crafting compelling and resonant messages Choo…

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Managing International Law Firm Teammates with Robin Esch (Part 3 of 3) - #74 19:59

5M ago19:59

19:59

Send us a text 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 valued and equipped from day one. How we create accountability and integration within our diverse team. The impor…

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#140 - SAFEs, SAFTs and what's market for crypto startups with Nick Pullman 1:07:22

4M ago1:07:22

1:07:22

Nick Pullman (@NickPullmanEsq) is Corporate Counsel and founder of Day One Law Corporation, where he provides legal solutions for tech startups and investors. Nick was previously head of legal at an NFT startup and an associate at Cooley and DLA Piper. In this conversation, we cover: [2:53] Nick's introduction to Bitcoin [7:33] What's market: SAFEs…

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Hiring International Law Firm Teammates with Robin Esch (Part 2 of 3) - #73 18:20

5M ago18:20

18:20

Send us a text 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 remote work Crafting precise job postings and pre-screening questions about availability and language proficiency The nume…

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Sourcing International Law Firm Teammates with Robin Esch (Part 1 of 3) - #72 22:50

5M ago22:50

22:50

Send us a text 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. Most of our firm's 27 international support teammates are client-facing. They have regular and meaningful comm…

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#1 Attorney Hiring Attribute to Grow a Family Law Firm - #71 22:00

5M ago22:00

22:00

Send us a text 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 is far more important than experience, intelligence, grades in law school, interview ability, network, etc. It i…

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Leverage Constraints to Build Your Law Firm - #70 9:35

5M ago9:35

9:35

Send us a text 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 disciplined, leading to a strong law firm today. In this show, I answer: 1. What is a constraint? 2. Why d…

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Two Ways Lawyers Self-Sabotage Their Law Firm's Growth - #69 6:09

5M ago6:09

6:09

Send us a text 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 2) Stop learning until they implement In almost every circumstance, we lawyers put a lid on our firm's growth, not our competition.…

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Coaching Family Lawyers and Support Teammates with Jeff Kerlin - #68 11:46

5M ago11:46

11:46

Send us a text 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. We discuss: Biweekly coaching sessions and frequent tactical meetings on team transparency and achieving a sh…

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Leading a Family Law Firm as a Non-lawyer with Jeff Kerlin - #67 16:29

6M ago16:29

16:29

Send us a text Jeff Kerlin is the President of Sterling Lawyers. He is not a lawyer, but he is an incredible leader. Prior to joining Sterling, Jeff was the President and CEO of a large printer. His success at our firm is proof that good leadership applies wherever there are people. Here's a peek at what we covered: Becoming president of a law firm…

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Law Partners: Embrace your Differences from Teammates - #66 9:32

6M ago9:32

9:32

Send us a text Transitioning from associate lawyer to a partner leading your former peers can be the most challenging jump of a career. Doing this well demands uncommon maturity, emotional strength, and new boundaries. Many new partners are reluctant to accept the new differences between them and their teammates. I talk through how to do this succe…

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Managing a Family Law Firm Operating System with Jeff Kerlin - #65 17:22

6M ago17:22

17:22

Send us a text Jeff Kerlin is the President of Sterling Lawyers, my family law firm. Jeff is responsible for managing our firm's operating system, which is based on EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) -- a framework to ensure that the entire firm is executing on the right things. Today, we have 80+ teammates spread out across three states and th…

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Feedback as a Law Firm Growth Engine - #64 19:14

6M ago19:14

19:14

Send us a text Feedback is an underrated growth tool for law firm leaders. It is most certainly a shortcut to improving as a leader. And, when the leader gets better, the whole law firm benefits. In this show, I discuss how one moment of feedback from a teammate transformed how I lead. At first, I was resistant and defensive. Then, as I listened, I…

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#139 - Changing political tides in DC, Consensys' SEC lawsuit with Bill Hughes 50:03

5M ago50:03

50:03

Bill Hughes (@BillHughesDC) is Senior Counsel & Director of Global Regulatory Matters at Consensys Software, which is behind MetaMask, Infura, and various other software supporting the programmable blockchain ecosystem. For more on Bill’s background, I recommend episode 74 of Law of Code. This conversation is focused on the lawsuit Consensys brough…

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Four Major Law Firm Growth Mistakes I Made - #63 11:42

6M ago11:42

11:42

Send us a text We started and grew Sterling Lawyers from 0 to 25 lawyers with over $15M in revenue within the first 9 years. It has been fun -- and painful. The pain came from the four biggest mistakes I made along the way. Here they are: Not joining a mastermind group with other legal professionals Underestimating how growth can cover serious flaw…

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Jeff Sterling Hughes Podcasts

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