Leadership In Law: Growth & Leadership for Law Firm Owners

For more than twenty years, legal marketing has revolved around one question: Where do I rank?

But something fundamental has shifted. Your future clients are no longer typing keywords into a search box and choosing from ten blue links. They're opening ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Google AI, and simply asking who they should hire.

And here's the uncomfortable truth at the heart of this episode: your firm can have a beautiful website, strong rankings, and thousands of dollars in monthly marketing spend, and still be completely invisible the moment someone asks AI for a recommendation.

Marilyn has spent the last year studying exactly how AI decides which firms to recommend, running visibility audits for firms across the country, and testing what actually earns a firm a seat at the table in this new era.

What she's discovered should get every law firm owner's attention.

In this episode, Marilyn explores:

• Why AI is not just another search engine — and the critical distinction that explains why so many good firms are struggling to be found
• The one phrase that captures everything about this shift — and why it changes how you should look at your website starting today
• Why some of the most successful, established firms in their markets aren't being mentioned by AI even once — and what those firms are missing
• The difference between publishing content and building authority — and why one compounds while the other quietly expires
• The concept that Marilyn believes is the single most misunderstood idea in legal marketing right now — and why getting it right can transform your entire marketing ecosystem
• What happened to one firm's website traffic and AI visibility just weeks after implementing this approach (the numbers are worth hearing)
• Why the future may belong not to the firms with the biggest budgets — but to the firms willing to become the best teacher in their market
  
  

The bigger idea: This isn't about chasing another algorithm or learning another marketing hack. Algorithms change. Authority compounds. And the firms that commit to becoming the most trusted resource in their market won't just earn better rankings — they'll become the firms that both Google and AI recommend for years to come.

Whether you're building a firm you intend to run for decades or one you hope to sell someday, this conversation reframes your website, your content, and your marketing as something far more valuable than you may have realized: an asset that keeps working long after you've built it.

You will not look at your website the same way again.

A free resource for listeners:
Marilyn has created a practical checklist called "Five Things I Do For My Clients To Improve AI Visibility in Google AI and ChatGPT" — based on the real audits her team performs for law firms across the country. Download it completely free at 5things.lawmarketingzone.com.

Ready to build a law firm that's positioned to win — no matter how your clients search?
Your marketing is only one part of a truly wealth-generating law firm. To turn visibility into signed clients, and signed clients into a firm that runs and grows without consuming your life, you need the right strategy, systems, and support behind it.

Download Marilyn's free guide, "Five Things I Do For My Clients To Improve AI Visibility," at 5things.lawmarketingzone.com.

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

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#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

Your calendar is packed, your brain is louder than your inbox, and somehow you’re still the one chasing updates. That’s not a workload problem, it’s an ownership problem. Marilyn Jenkins sits down with Gina Cotner, founder and CEO of Athena Executive Services, to unpack what changes when you stop delegating tasks and start delegating responsibility to a high-caliber executive assistant. 

We dig into the mechanics of accountability, including the simple but often avoided question: “When will that be done?” Gina explains how strong executive assistants help drive accountability, protect a law firm owner’s time, and support better delegation through systems and clear communication.

We also discuss practical ways to document repeatable processes using Loom, Zoom recordings, and voice notes, along with how Athena vets and matches virtual executive assistants. Gina shares why trust and partnership matter just as much as admin skills, and how starting with just a few hours a week can create momentum for better follow-through and fewer bottlenecks.

Reach Gina here:
https://www.athenaexecutiveservices.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/athena-executive-services/
https://www.instagram.com/athena_executive_services/
https://www.facebook.com/AthenaVirtualAssistants

Special for listeners of Leadership in Law Podcast!

Receive 5 free hours of service added to your first full month of work with Athena Executive Services (AES)—a $275 value! Just mention this offer during your first call with them.

Season 4 Episode 164

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

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#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

He used to defend insurance companies. Now he helps injured people take them on, with a calm approach that gets results. We sit down with California personal injury attorney Anderson Franco, founder of Anderson Franco Law, to unpack what he learned during seven years in insurance defense and how that insider knowledge changes everything on the plaintiff side, from evaluating liability to presenting evidence in a way an insurance adjuster can act on.

We also get real about what clients actually need right after an accident: clear expectations, steady communication, and a roadmap that makes the personal injury process feel less intimidating. Anderson shares how he texts clients, uses templated letters, and prepares people for major milestones like depositions and settlement demands. Because most clients have never been part of a legal claim, we focus on the practical habits that build trust and reduce stress.

A major part of Anderson’s practice is serving Spanish-speaking clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. We explore access-to-justice challenges, Spanish-first legal education on social media, and the systems and grassroots marketing strategies helping his solo firm grow.

If you care about law firm leadership, client experience, and building a referral-driven practice, this conversation will sharpen your playbook. 

Reach Anderson here:
https://www.andersonfranco.com/

Season 4 Episode 163

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

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#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

Animal cruelty is often dismissed as “someone else’s problem,” but it frequently overlaps with violence in the home. Attorney Joyce Glass joins us to discuss the legal and human realities behind cruelty investigations and why they can serve as early warning signs for abuse.

Joyce shares how a dog named Lucy led her into animal protection work and how her advocacy now includes legislation, law enforcement partnerships, and courtroom work. We also discuss policy efforts like banning roadside animal sales and the broader issues tied to them, including fraud, public health risks, and sick animals being sold to families.

We also explore the connection between animal abuse and interpersonal violence. Joyce explains why cross-reporting between animal control and social services matters, what warning signs neighbors should notice, and what goes into building a strong animal cruelty case, from evidence collection to veterinary forensics and proper charging decisions.

If you care about community safety, criminal law, animal welfare, or building better systems through collaboration, this conversation will give you clear next steps and a framework you can share. 

Reach Joyce here:
https://www.jmgpclaw.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyce-glass-7708b1158/

Season 4 Episode 162

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

Copycats do not just steal a product. They steal momentum, cashflow, and confidence. When Alan Li’s e-commerce brand went viral during COVID, hundreds of counterfeit and knockoff listings appeared across Amazon and other marketplaces, undercutting price and pulling sales away fast. The worst part was not only the revenue drop, but watching stolen photos and even cause marketing get reused by strangers who faced zero real consequences. 

We sit down with Alan and his attorney, Nicholas Lee, an intellectual property and business lawyer with more than 20 years of experience, to explain what actually works when DMCA takedowns turn into whack-a-mole. Nick breaks down Schedule A cases in plain English: how one lawsuit can name dozens or hundreds of online infringers, why these cases often focus on foreign sellers, and how tools like injunctions and potential asset freezes can create real deterrence. We also dig into how to think about an enforceable IP portfolio, including trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets, so your brand has teeth when it is time to act. 

Then we get practical about speed and scale. Alan and Nick explain how Copycatch uses AI and automation to find sellers, expand target lists across platforms, and build consistent evidence packages that can cut early-stage legwork dramatically, helping firms take on more IP enforcement work and helping brands protect future sales. If you care about e-commerce brand protection, Amazon counterfeit enforcement, and AI legal tech, this conversation lays out the strategy. 

Reach Alan & Nick here:
https://copycatch.ai
[email protected]
[email protected]

Season 4 Episode 161

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

“All-gas no-brakes” sounds like a slogan until you hear what it looks like in real cases. We’re joined by Megan Kiefer, a Louisiana trial attorney known for relentless advocacy, a client-first philosophy, and a courtroom reputation that helps her team recover serious value for people who are having the worst day of their lives.

Megan shares the leadership story behind her firm’s growth, from taking an out-of-state job to escape nepotism, to traveling the world on a shoestring budget, to coming home and transforming a family practice into a thriving plaintiff-side personal injury and high-stakes litigation shop. Along the way, we dig into what actually drives results: preparing for trial at the beginning, pressing discovery, telling a client’s story with clarity, and earning the kind of credibility that insurance companies cannot ignore.

We also get specific about law firm culture, retention, and sustainable leadership. Megan explains why she hires for values, pays over market to keep A-players, and protects the client experience at every step. She’s candid about boundaries and lawyer mental health too, including taking real vacations, deleting email apps, and normalizing “I’m not available” so you can show up at your best in court and at home.

On the marketing side, we talk law firm branding, Google Local Services Ads, SEO feedback loops, and why “database reactivation” and an authentic newsletter can outperform louder tactics.

Reach Megan here:
https://www.kieferlaw.com/
Instagram: @kieferkieferlaw; @mylawyermegan
https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganckiefer/

Season 4 Episode 160

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

If you’re running a law firm that depends on you for every decision, every client relationship, and every late-night “quick task,” you’re not leading a business you’re carrying a bottleneck. Marilyn Jenkins sits down with law firm coach Gary Mitchell, founder of OnTrac® Coach and creator of the Law Firm Xelerator™ Program, to unpack the leadership shifts that turn a busy practice into a firm that actually supports your life.

We dig into the traits many lawyers share like perfectionism, control, and risk aversion and why those strengths in legal work can become weaknesses in law firm management. Gary shares a practical framework for delegation that doesn’t create chaos, including clearer instructions, permission to ask questions, and follow-up before the deadline. We also talk hiring strategy, why attitude and coachability often beat raw credentials, and how to build the right team and the right systems so you can “press play” instead of being the constant point of failure.

You’ll also hear a direct challenge to the billable-hour reflex and a case for value-based billing that aligns pricing with outcomes clients actually want. Along the way, Gary explains the core idea behind his upcoming book, The And Approach: how to grow your law firm and gain more freedom at the same time through mindset, self-care, leadership, practice management, HR, and marketing.

Reach Gary here:
https://ontraccoach.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyemitchell/
https://www.instagram.com/ontrac_coach/
https://www.facebook.com/ontraccoach#
https://www.youtube.com/@ontraccoach4514

Season 4 Episode 159

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

Your family can pay every premium on time and still get a letter that says, “We’re not paying.” That moment is where estate planning meets the hard reality of life insurance claims and it’s exactly what we dig into with Stephanie Prestridge, founder of Lineage Law and co-founder of Life Claim.

We talk about the behind-the-scenes mechanics that drive life insurance claim denials and delays, including the two-year contestability period and how insurers can revisit medical records even when the death has nothing to do with health. Stephanie explains why the paperwork can feel like an attrition game for grieving families, what not to say on “helpful” calls from an insurance company, and why the fine print matters more than most people realize.

We also break down the most common planning mistakes: mixing up the insured, owner, and beneficiary, assuming a will controls a policy, and forgetting to update beneficiary designations after divorce, remarriage, or new family members. Stephanie shares practical steps to protect your loved ones, what it means to challenge a questionable denial, and why a DIY appeal, especially one generated by AI, can permanently damage your chances.

Reach Stephanie here: 
www.lifeclaim.com

Season 4 Episode 158

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

You can buy leads all day and still feel like your phone is ringing for someone else. That’s the painful reality behind a stat that should make every law firm owner pause: many firms lose the majority of the clients they already paid to acquire, not because the marketing failed, but because intake failed.

We sit down with Sou Bounlutay, founder of Zinger Consulting, to unpack what actually happens between “Hello” and a signed fee agreement. We dig into why lead source changes the entire conversation, how cold leads from lead generation behave differently than warm leads from SEO, websites, and Google Local Service Ads, and why treating every inquiry the same destroys consultation conversion rates. Sou also explains the mindset shift that unlocks results: stop running “legal consultations” up front and start running a legal enrollment conversation with a clear structure and purpose.

From there, we get practical. We talk about the first three seconds on the phone, removing friction like complicated phone menus, and how to stabilize a high-emotion caller in family law or criminal defense before you ever try to move the process forward. We also cover speed to lead, why web forms can quietly waste great opportunities, how after-hours responsiveness affects ad performance, and the key metrics that reveal whether your bottleneck is contact rate, scheduling, or follow-through.

Reach Sou here:
Book: Little Black Book of Legal Enrollment https://amzn.to/48ug3z1
https://www.gozinger.com/

Season 4 Episode 157

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

Your calendar isn't the problem, your priorities are. In this episode, JD/CPA Chris Papin shares practical strategies for law firm owners to take control of their time, align their schedules with business goals, and stop getting stuck in "technician mode."

We discuss why time blocking fails without clear objectives, how reactive habits like constantly checking email hurt productivity, and the importance of focusing on the right opportunities. Chris also explains the value of combining legal and financial planning when making decisions about taxes, contracts, entity formation, and risk management. 

Finally, we explore how client experience and thoughtful onboarding can drive better reviews, stronger relationships, and long-term growth, plus a simple 30-minute focus exercise you can start using immediately. 

Reach Chris here:
https://www.papinspeaks.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispapin/
BLABO on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Jll3VIXtTFOR0DwGhQKJb
BLABO on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blabo-behave-like-a-business-owner/id1831290137/
https://www.instagram.com/papinspeaks/

Season 4 Episode 156

Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins