Lawyers in the Wild Podcast

Lawyers spend their careers helping clients plan for the future, but many professionals struggle to give their own finances the same attention.

In this episode of Lawyers in the Wild, Rob Hartigan and Lindsey Egan sit down with Jane Harris for a practical conversation about building wealth, protecting income, planning for retirement, and creating long-term financial security.

Jane also shares the extraordinary story that shaped her perspective on opportunity and money. Born outside Prague in communist Czechoslovakia, her family escaped to Austria, lived in a refugee camp, relocated to Australia, and eventually immigrated to the United States. At 11 years old, her father challenged her to make something of the opportunities their family had worked so hard to reach.

More than three decades into her career in financial services, Jane shares the principles she believes professionals should understand early: pay yourself first, live below your means, automate your savings, protect your ability to earn income, build an emergency fund, and begin retirement planning before it feels urgent.

The conversation also explores retirement options for employees and business owners, financial checkups, the role of life insurance, and Jane’s strong perspective on term versus whole life insurance.

Jane closes by sharing one of the experiences that solidified her belief in financial protection—the unexpected death of a young client whose insurance helped provide security for his wife and twin daughters.

A practical discussion about earning money, keeping more of it, protecting your family, and building something that lasts.

Choosing the wrong technology, cybersecurity, or marketing company can cost a law firm far more than money. It can lead to wasted time, poor service, security risks, disappointing results, and the difficult process of starting all over again.

In this episode of Lawyers in the Wild, Lindsey and Rob sit down with Gregory Klein-Hertzel, founder and CEO of ConnectivTech, Inc, to discuss how law firms and business owners can make smarter vendor decisions, build meaningful professional relationships, and create a stronger foundation for long-term growth.

Greg explains how Connective Tech operates as an outsourced procurement and vendor-matching resource, helping businesses identify, compare, and select trusted providers across technology, cybersecurity, marketing, human resources, and financial services.

The conversation also explores why collecting three proposals may not be enough, what a company’s sales process can reveal about the service it will eventually provide, and why price should never be the only factor considered when selecting a business partner.

Greg also shares the personal story behind his company, including his decision to leave a healthcare organization after refusing to overlook unethical conduct. That experience helped shape two principles that continue to guide his work: businesses can operate ethically while remaining profitable, and people are heavily influenced by those they choose to surround themselves with.

In this episode:

• Why law firms frequently struggle to select reliable vendors

• How to evaluate technology, cybersecurity, and marketing providers

• What responsiveness and professionalism reveal during the sales process

• Why referral relationships should come before aggressive advertising

• Practical networking advice for lawyers and business owners

• How curiosity can make someone a more effective networker

• Why preparation matters before a professional introduction

• The importance of giving value without expecting an immediate return

• Why sustainable networking takes time and consistency

• How partnerships can create more opportunity than competition

This conversation is especially relevant for solo attorneys, law-firm owners, entrepreneurs, and legal professionals who want to grow their practices without wasting money on the wrong providers or relying entirely on paid advertising.

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-klein-hertzel

Learn more about Connective Tech.:

https://connectivtech.com/

#LawFirmGrowth #LegalMarketing #BusinessNetworking #Cybersecurity #LawFirmManagement #Entrepreneurship #LawyersInTheWild

In this episode of Lawyers in the Wild, Lindsey and Rob sit down with Peggy Gruenke, owner and co-founder of CPN Legal, to talk about one of the least glamorous but most important parts of running a law firm: the money.

Peggy shares how CPN Legal became a specialized bookkeeping and financial management partner for law firms, why lawyers need to stay in their lane, and how outsourcing the right work can protect both your time and your firm.

The conversation covers trust accounting, three-way reconciliations, Clio and QuickBooks, profitability, billing habits, client selection, payroll, cash flow, and why lawyers often hurt their own businesses by writing off time before a client ever sees the bill.

If you own a law firm, manage a practice, or are trying to build a more profitable and sustainable legal business, this episode is full of practical lessons.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro: Lawyers, control, and knowing when to hand things off
03:04 What CPN Legal does and how Peggy found her niche
07:28 Choosing the right clients and staying in your lane
10:14 Building a bookkeeping team lawyers can trust
13:26 Trust accounting, three-way matches, and why details matter
16:19 Why law firms struggle with profitability
23:57 Profit margins, payroll, cash flow, and sustainable growth

#LawyersInTheWild #LawFirmManagement #LegalBusiness #LawFirmOwners #SoloLawyer #SmallLawFirm #LegalAccounting #TrustAccounting #CPNLegal #PeggyGruenke #Clio #QuickBooks #LawFirmProfitability

In this episode of Lawyers in the Wild, Rob Hardigan and Lindsay Egan sit down with Jared Correia of Red Cave Law Firm Consulting for a candid conversation about the business side of running a law firm.Jared has worked with thousands of law firms and brings a direct, practical perspective on why many lawyers struggle with operations, profitability, hiring, delegation, technology, and long-term growth. The conversation digs into the difference between simply getting busier and actually scaling, why vanity metrics can mislead firm owners, how AI and automation can improve profitability, and why attorneys need to spend more time working on the business instead of only working in the business.They also talk about the lawyer tendency toward catastrophic thinking, the need for better business discipline, the importance of intellectual curiosity, and why utilization rate may be one of the most important metrics for law firm owners to understand.Featuring: Jared Correia, Red Cave Law Firm ConsultingWebsite: redcavelegal.comChapters00:00 Welcome to episode three of Lawyers in the Wild00:39 Lindsay’s essential item: Burt’s Bees chapstick02:49 The things lawyers do that make practice harder03:22 Jared Correia explains Red Cave Law Firm Consulting04:05 When lawyers realize they are running a business05:02 Why overwhelmed law firm owners struggle to start06:10 Are lawyers bad at business?07:19 The two biggest business problems lawyers face08:03 Catastrophic thinking and the lawyer mindset09:28 How to move from fear to business momentum12:07 Scaling versus just getting busier13:33 Profitability by person and team structure15:09 Vanity metrics in law firm growth16:25 How boutique firms can compete through technology18:26 Using AI and automation to improve profitability20:06 Keeping the human touch while adopting technology21:20 Practicing at the top of your law license22:26 Hiring, retention, and compensation challenges26:17 Why some hires fail despite looking great on paper27:49 Hire slowly, fire quickly28:11 Personality and work-style tests in hiring30:02 Making time to work on the business31:34 Why business development gets pushed aside33:50 Delegation and documenting processes34:31 Why law firm owners struggle to let go35:17 Delegation as a profitability decision37:09 Do lawyers overestimate their own importance?37:52 Getting out of the law firm echo chamber40:24 Intellectual curiosity and staying current with technology42:35 Why lawyers delay adopting new tools43:32 When owning a business may not be the right fit44:46 Willpower, imposter syndrome, and pushing through hard days47:23 Vision, goals, and accountability49:07 Starting with one or two key data points49:36 The most important law firm metric: utilization rate50:56 Where to find Jared CorreiaHashtags#LawyersInTheWild #LawFirmGrowth #LegalBusiness #LawPracticeManagement #LawFirmOwner #LegalTech #AIForLawyers #LawFirmProfitability #AttorneyLife #LawFirmConsulting #RedCaveLegal #JaredCorreia #LegalOperations #SmallLawFirm #LawFirmMarketing #BusinessOfLaw

In this episode of Lawyers in the Wild, we sit down with Melissa Lavine Piro, founder of Hera Law Group, to talk about what it really takes to build, grow, and manage a law firm while still trying to maintain your sanity.

Melissa shares her perspective on scaling a family law and estate planning firm, hiring in a difficult legal market, pricing with confidence, serving domestic violence clients through sliding-scale legal services, and learning how to delegate while still protecting the quality of the work.

The conversation also covers the realities law school does not prepare attorneys for: running a business, managing people, dealing with burnout, expanding into new markets like Nantucket, and building a team that reflects the values of the firm.

Featuring: Melissa Lavine Piro, Founder of Hera Law Group
Website: heralawgroup.com

Source transcript:

00:00 Crazy travel stories and delayed flights
04:05 Welcome to Lawyers in the Wild
04:44 What Hera Law Group does
05:23 Realizing law firm ownership is business ownership
07:17 What law school does not teach lawyers
09:19 Scaling a law firm and hiring challenges
12:05 Pricing legal services with confidence
13:33 Sliding-scale fees for domestic violence clients
14:59 The real cost of running a law firm
16:01 Delegation, control, and trusting your team
17:50 Burnout and mental health in the legal profession
18:42 Hera Law Group’s offices and growth
19:28 Practicing law on Nantucket
22:02 Opening a Nantucket office and finding opportunity
24:16 Rapid fire: tools, team pride, and advice for lawyers
25:55 Where to find Melissa and Hera Law Group

#LawyersInTheWild #LawFirmGrowth #LegalEntrepreneurship #FamilyLaw #EstatePlanning #LawFirmOwner #WomenInLaw #HeraLawGroup #LegalBusiness #LawPracticeManagement #AttorneyLife #SmallBusinessOwner #LawFirmMarketing #LegalLeadership #AccessToJustice

ChaptersHashtags

Welcome to the very first episode of Lawyers in the Wild.

In this premiere episode, hosts Rob Hartigan, Principal Attorney at Lionhart Injury Law, and Lindsey Egan, Principal Attorney at Poppy Legal Group, sit down with Tristian, Head of Marketing for the Law Offices of Giselle M. Rodriguez, PLLC.

This conversation dives deep into the realities of legal marketing today—what’s actually working, what’s outdated, and how law firms can stand out in an increasingly competitive and noisy environment. From branding and client trust to adapting marketing strategies without losing authenticity, Rob, Lindsey, and Tristian explore how modern law firms can grow while staying true to their values.

Lawyers in the Wild is all about real conversations with professionals navigating the legal world as it is today—unscripted, honest, and grounded in real experience. This episode sets the tone for what’s to come.

👇 Subscribe for future episodes featuring attorneys, legal professionals, and industry experts sharing insights from the field.

#LawyersInTheWild
#LegalPodcast
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#PersonalInjuryLaw
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#BostonLawyers
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Step outside the courtroom and into the real world of law with Lawyers in the Wild — the podcast where legal minds go off-script. Hosted by two sharp and curious podcasters, each episode dives into candid conversations with attorneys, vendors, and professionals who power the modern legal industry.

From the war stories of trial lawyers to the tech tools reshaping client service, to the human side of balancing justice and life — Lawyers in the Wild explores what really happens beyond the briefcase.

Whether you’re a practicing attorney, a legal vendor, or simply fascinated by the people behind the profession, this show offers insights, humor, and unfiltered perspectives from every corner of the legal jungle.