Founding Partner Podcast

What does it take to leave a successful 28-year Big Law career and start over?

In this episode of The Founding Partner Podcast, appellate attorney Laurie Webb Daniel shares the story behind launching her boutique appellate firm after decades at a major firm. From arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court to building a thriving eight-lawyer practice, Laurie explains why relationships, reputation, and courage matter more than logos on a letterhead.

What if the fastest way to grow your professional services firm wasn’t marketing… but acquisition?

In this episode of The Founding Partner Podcast, Jonathan Hawkins sits down with CPA entrepreneur Brad Dower to unpack how he built a rapidly expanding accounting firm by acquiring practices across the country. From structuring deals to integrating teams and scaling systems, Brad shares the lessons he’s learned turning small local practices into a national platform.

What happens when a seasoned prosecutor decides to bet on herself?

In this episode of The Founding Partner Podcast, Nana Knight shares how she walked away from a stable government career to launch a premium criminal defense firm — without a single client on day one. From board certification to YouTube marketing to charging premium fees with confidence, Nana reveals the mindset and systems that fueled her rapid growth.

What does it really take to grow a law firm from two former Army JAG officers in a kitchen… to a 40-person national practice in under six years?

In this episode of The Founding Partner Podcast, Robert Capovilla shares the mindset, marketing strategy, and uncomfortable decisions that fueled his firm’s rapid growth. From direct lead generation to 50 military-base billboards, this conversation is a masterclass in commitment, courage, and building something bigger than yourself.

What if your burnout isn’t caused by the work… but by the way you’re paid to do it?

After 14 years in high-stakes criminal defense, Trevor Riddle walked away. He thought he needed a new practice area. A new city. A fresh start.

But the real problem wasn’t the cases. It was the billable hour.

So he came back, built a firm on flat fees, and bet everything on alignment over tradition.

Would you have the courage to rebuild your career from the ground up?

I’ve interviewed a lot of successful founders, but Scott Zucker’s story made me pause. What if building a niche isn’t about picking the “right” strategy, but paying attention long enough to see what keeps showing up? What if the real edge isn’t certainty, but curiosity? In this conversation, we talk about saying yes before you feel ready, using fear as fuel, and why legacy isn’t something you leave behind, it’s something you practice every day.

From the outside, growth looks linear. From the inside, it never is.

When I sat down with Laura Ramos James, we talked about the parts of building a law firm that don’t make it into highlight reels. The moments when the firm grows but you’re stretched thinner. When hiring helps and complicates things at the same time. When success creates opportunity, but also exhaustion.

What if the real challenge isn’t growth itself, but who you have to become to sustain it?

What if everything works in law firm marketing, just not for you yet? If you are starting from zero, where should the first dollar go: lunches or LSAs? Is podcasting a smart play, or should you borrow someone else’s audience first? What would happen if you defined your “wanted case” and fixed intake before buying more leads? And who already has your clients today, quietly waiting to refer them? This episode tackles the questions most firms avoid and shows how analog work scales your digital results.

What if the ceiling on your firm isn’t the market, it’s you? In this conversation, Hillary Walsh unpacks the messy truth of scaling: opening LA with tables and chairs, learning immigration by FedEx from Korea, and the day a daycare floor forced a business pivot. How do you grow when the plan breaks, when marketing turns toxic, when profit lags top line? If you had to choose, would you wait for marble, or open the doors now?

What makes a lawyer walk away from Big Law, scale a furniture startup, build a 12-location med spa, then grow a niche firm past seven figures? How do you market a law firm when the buying cycle moves slowly? What happens when you give away the entire playbook and still win? Why does the first hire so often fail, and what mindset keeps you moving when everything stalls? In this episode, Sara Shikhman unpacks relentless progress, subscription pricing, and the marketing engine behind Lengea Law. Ready to rethink growth?