What happens when a family law attorney decides the courtroom is no longer where the real change happens?

David Johnson walked out of his last case in 2019 and never came back. Instead, he built a multi-state firm, challenged the rules of law, and started asking dangerous questions. Why is value tied to time? Why can’t lawyers own something real? And what happens to evidence when AI can fake reality perfectly?

What happens when a small town farm kid becomes a trial lawyer who refuses to play the part? Hunter Garnett grew up around chicken houses and soybean fields, not courtrooms. Yet he built a Huntsville injury firm by leaning into the very things most lawyers hide. What drives someone to walk away from security, bet on themselves, and build a practice around faith, authenticity, and blue jeans? And what does he know about people that most attorneys miss?

In this conversation, I sat down with Kevin Cott, founder of COTT Law Group, who left a stable legal career to start a boutique firm with no clients, no plan, and a lot of faith. We talk about the impulsive moment that sparked it all, the partnership that didn’t work out, and how he turned risk into strategy through automation, AI, and a clear vision for the future.

What if the only thing standing between your mission and your impact… was your margin?

When I sat down with Tom Spiggle, we talked about the hard truths of scaling a law firm — hiring before you’re ready, clearing payroll by eleven cents, and learning to let go of control. What does it really take to grow from a cracked laptop to a multimillion-dollar practice? And how do you lead through the chaos without losing your purpose?

This episode will make you rethink what it means to build, lead, and sustain a law firm that lasts.

What if the way we bill clients is the very thing breaking the system? In this episode of The Founding Partner Podcast, I sit down with Christopher Anderson, founder of New Leaf Family Law, who’s replacing the billable hour with something few thought possible—a subscription model for family law. Could this be the future of how lawyers serve, earn, and build trust again?

What does it really take to walk away from prestige and bet on yourself? How do two rivals become partners, build a team that never loses a lawyer to another firm, and still keep their humanity in the fight? Is the billable hour dying, or is it stronger than ever in big-ticket litigation? And what do you do when your daughter is born at 3 a.m. and your Eleventh Circuit argument is at eight? This 100th episode dives into the gut calls, the near-misses, and the systems that make a firm outlast its founders. Ready to hear what most don’t say out loud?

What happens when a trial lawyer decides to stop doing everything himself? In this episode, Dan Purtell reveals how letting go transformed his firm from five people to sixty—and why saying no to the wrong cases made room for the right ones. Can a law firm scale without losing its soul? And what happens when AI enters the courtroom? This conversation might change how you think about leadership, growth, and the future of law.

What happens when a successful attorney finally admits he can’t do it all? When letting go becomes the only way to grow? In this in-person episode, I sit down with Kevin Rubin, founder of Rubin Family Law, to talk fear, delegation, and the mindset shifts that turned chaos into culture. How do you build a thriving firm without losing control—or yourself—in the process?

What if the universe really is trying to tell you something—but most of us are too busy to listen? Joe Fried was a cop who never planned on being a lawyer, until a judge pulled him aside and changed his life. He walked away from a lucrative practice, burned the boats, and five hours later got a call that set his destiny in motion. In our conversation, he shares why chasing money is the wrong path, why fear can be your greatest teacher, and how specializing can make you unstoppable. What would happen if you stopped playing it safe and committed fully to one path?

What makes someone leave a stable job, take four bar exams, and then launch a law firm with zero clients just weeks before a global pandemic? In this episode, I sit down with Roya Vasseghi, who did exactly that. We talk about starting over in a new state, why building relationships pays off years later, and the painful reality of partnerships that don’t work out. Her story made me ask: how do you know when to bet on yourself, and what’s the cost if you don’t?