Life Beyond the Briefs

Maximize Your Practice: When Referring Cases Pays Better Than Handling Them


Listen Later

Lawyers are leaving significant money on the table by stubbornly handling cases outside their expertise when referrals could generate higher profits per hour with zero risk. This eye-opening episode breaks down the surprising economics of legal referrals through the lens of a recent case where I wrote a six-figure check to an out-of-state attorney for essentially making one phone call.

When an attorney from Texas contacted me about a Virginia crash case, he declined my offer to handle it for a referral fee. Instead, he spent 20 months struggling with unfamiliar law before finally sending it my way just before the statute of limitations. After settling for $925,000, I wrote him a check exceeding $100,000. Had he referred it immediately, he would have earned the same amount with virtually no work while avoiding potential malpractice exposure.

The math becomes clear: your return on time skyrockets when you focus exclusively on cases within your geographic and subject-matter expertise. I share multiple examples of general practitioners who mishandled "simple" injury cases by missing immunity issues or incorrectly identifying corporate defendants, inadvertently creating legal malpractice claims more valuable than the original cases.

This philosophy extends beyond case management into personal finance and life planning. Just as I've stopped investing in real estate requiring active management, preferring limited partnerships with slightly lower returns but dramatically higher returns on my time, our firm has abandoned expanding into new practice areas. We've found cultivating strong referral relationships delivers superior results while preserving focus on our core expertise.

With my oldest son turning ten—marking the halfway point of his time under our roof—I'm increasingly aware of how precious time truly is. Are you optimizing your practice to maximize both profit and personal fulfillment? The highest hourly rate you'll ever earn may come from having the wisdom to know which cases to send away.

Subscribe now for more insights on building a law practice you actually enjoy showing up to on Monday.

____________________________________
Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax, Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others.

Want to connect with Brian?

Follow Brian on Instagram: @thebrianglass
Connect on LinkedIn

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Life Beyond the BriefsBy Brian Glass

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

35 ratings


More shows like Life Beyond the Briefs

View all
Lunch Hour Legal Marketing by Legal Talk Network

Lunch Hour Legal Marketing

53 Listeners

The Law Entrepreneur by Sam Mollaei and Neil Tyra

The Law Entrepreneur

3 Listeners

Maximum Lawyer by Tyson Mutrux

Maximum Lawyer

198 Listeners

Profit with Law: Profitable Law Firm Growth by Moshe Amsel

Profit with Law: Profitable Law Firm Growth

90 Listeners

Grow Your Law Firm by Ken Hardison

Grow Your Law Firm

56 Listeners

BE THAT LAWYER by Steve Fretzin

BE THAT LAWYER

48 Listeners

Personal Injury Mastermind by Chris Dreyer, Rankings.io

Personal Injury Mastermind

106 Listeners

The Law Firm Blueprint by Jay Ruane & Seth Price

The Law Firm Blueprint

13 Listeners

The Driven Crowd by Snellings Law

The Driven Crowd

34 Listeners

The Lawyer Millionaire: Business and Financial Planning for Law Firm Owners by Darren Wurz

The Lawyer Millionaire: Business and Financial Planning for Law Firm Owners

23 Listeners

They Don't Teach This in Law School by Law Firm Alchemy LLC

They Don't Teach This in Law School

40 Listeners

The Renegade Lawyer Podcast by Ben Glass

The Renegade Lawyer Podcast

8 Listeners

Founding Partner Podcast by Jonathan Hawkins

Founding Partner Podcast

42 Listeners

Law Deals:  Succession Planning, Partnerships, Purchases, and Sales by Ed Alexander

Law Deals: Succession Planning, Partnerships, Purchases, and Sales

6 Listeners

The Way with Best Era by Brittany Green

The Way with Best Era

2 Listeners