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Wondering if mastermind programs are worth the investment? In this episode, I sit down with Richard James, founder of Your Practice Mastered, who helped transform our practice after I discovered his work during my niece's graduation ceremony. 

This discussion reveals:

• My biggest 10-year mistake was avoiding industry-specific masterminds (despite being in other groups for 20+ years)
• The "third mind" concept that separates successful masterminds from networking groups
• Richard's unexpected journey from asking "dumb questions" in a $27,000 mastermind to helping 900+ attorneys
• The critical difference between free and paid mastermind commitments
• His hybrid approach that goes beyond traditional quarterly "hot seats"

Listen in for practical guidance on choosing the right mastermind environment, whether you're seeking accountability, benchmarking opportunities, or simply that safe space where you're not building your practice alone.

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

What happens when a promising family law practice hits a plateau after nine months of steady growth? In this interview, Tom Hartin opens up about the sobering reality of building a practice on Long Island—where April brought just 5 leads, 2 consults, and 1 hire despite $6,800 in monthly expenses.

We dive deep into his current challenges:

• How his strategic Massapequa location reached #1 in map rankings within two months, but growth has stagnated
• The difficult reality of expanding to competitive Melville while burning through savings as sole income earner
• Why call volume actually decreased during peak divorce season (February-April) despite working with marketing professionals
• The pressure of supporting a family of four in an expensive market while waiting for his second location to gain traction
• His upcoming trials and the constant juggle between building the practice and serving existing clients

Listen in for an unfiltered look at the emotional and financial pressures of year one—where Tom questions his timeline expectations while remaining committed to the long-term vision. His real struggle provides crucial perspective for any attorney considering solo practice or wondering what the real growth curve looks like beyond the success stories.

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

How does a small-town family lawyer build a $3 million practice after 19 years of struggle and heartache? In this candid Masters of Family Law interview, Jonathan Breeden shares the raw truth behind his rollercoaster journey from struggling solo practitioner to thriving multi-attorney firm in North Carolina.

We explore his strategic evolution:

• How choosing an underserved suburb with fewer competing attorneys proved crucial to his initial survival
• The devastating website vendor failure that collapsed his practice and forced his wife to become his paralegal
• His transformative decision to invest in marketing during COVID, while competitors pulled back
• The heartbreaking moment when associates attempted to steal $120,000 in clients (and how he rebuilt)
• The game-changing hire of a supervising attorney that finally stabilized his attorney retention

Listen in for practical wisdom from someone who grew from $700K to $3M+ in just four years by mastering his marketing funnel, implementing systems, and embracing an abundance mindset. Jonathan's authentic journey provides actionable strategies for family law attorneys at any stage—especially those willing to work through difficult transitions to achieve their ideal practice.

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

Struggling to scale your family law practice? In this interview, I sit down with Deidra Haynes, who transformed her Indianapolis firm from $129,000 to $2.1 million in just three years—with projections of $3.7 million in 2025. 

We tackled her incredible growth about:

• How a single Facebook ad and a $1 investment changed everything when she had no clients
• The counterintuitive "Mentor Mindset" that led her to study elite PI attorneys despite practicing family law
• Her strategic evolution from answering calls herself using different names to building a sophisticated intake team
• The critical CEO transition that took her from working early hours with a full caseload to complete removal from casework
• How faith-driven decision making gave her courage to make bold investments others would consider reckless

Listen in for practical insights from someone who has walked the path from struggling solo practitioner to building a thriving firm. Deidra's authentic journey provides actionable strategies whether you're trying to break six figures or scale into the millions.

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

Stuck on what to name your law firm? In this video, I share eight practical tips for choosing a name that enhances your marketing without becoming an unnecessary obsession. 

Drawing from both my successes and painful mistakes building Sterling Lawyers, I reveal:

• Why choosing a name that personally inspires you matters more than you might think
• The importance of making your name "portable" — easy to remember and share
• How to avoid the costly trademark mistakes I made when expanding to Illinois
• Why your firm name and brand are completely different things (and which one actually matters)

Listen in for practical guidance on selecting a name that serves your business goals without falling into common traps that delay growth or create marketing challenges. I'll help you focus your energy where it truly impacts your firm's success instead of getting stuck in naming paralysis.

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

We're back with Tom Hartin for month seven of his family law startup journey on Long Island. March brought his second-highest revenue month at $10,242 — crossing that significant $10K threshold, though his bottom line is temporarily down due to increased marketing investment. 

In this episode, Tom shares:

• His detailed roadmap: $16K monthly revenue in 3 months, $30K in 6 months
• Why he's exploring a PI attorney's networking group despite his already packed schedule
• How he's handling no-show consults (and why paid consultations can't come soon enough)
• The search for a reliable call answering service before his upcoming Disney vacation

Listen in to learn about strategic investments and the growing pains of a family law practice hitting its stride while preparing for expanding your firm.

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

Drowning in tasks that keep you from growing your family law practice? In this episode, I share why mastering delegation was essential to growing Sterling Lawyers to 25+ attorneys and $15M in revenue. 

Drawing from personal experience, I reveal:

• The 8 reasons we often resist delegating (and which ones are costing you the most)
• My five-part delegation framework that transformed our firm's growth trajectory
• Practical starting points, even if you don't have staff or resources

Listen in for a candid look at how delegation can free you from burnout while creating growth opportunities for your practice. Hope this helps you grow your practice!

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

Thinking about opening a satellite office? Learn from our $100,000 mistake. In this third conversation with Tony Karls, we reveal our most painful and expensive lessons from expanding Sterling Lawyers to 26+ locations. 

Drawing from our experience, we covered:

• Why we spent over $100,000 on a satellite office that should have cost under $20,000
• The ideal satellite office setup: 600 square feet with just two rooms (not the elaborate setup we initially built)
• How our door lock system provides crucial usage data that transformed our expansion strategy
• The hub-and-spoke model that makes multi-location growth actually profitable

Listen in for practical guidance on opening satellite offices without the costly mistakes we made. By implementing these lessons, we've built a system that supports our growth to 25+ attorneys and $15M in revenue. Hope this helps you grow your practice!

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

Are you planning to open multiple law firm locations? Your website structure could make or break your success. In the second part of my conversation with my partner Tony Karls, we explore the critical technical aspects of setting up your website for multi-location growth. 

Drawing from our journey building Sterling Lawyers, Tony reveals:

• The fundamental difference between single-location and multi-location website structures
• Why we experienced frustrating "traffic flipping" between our offices and how we fixed it
• The counterintuitive truth about backlinks that can actually harm your multi-location strategy
• How to future-proof your site for potential expansion into new states

Listen in for practical guidance on avoiding the costly website restructuring mistakes many growing firms make. Hope this helps you grow your practice!

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

How do you decide where to open a new family law office? In this episode, I sit down with Tony, my partner who led our growth from a single location to 4 regional offices and 20+ satellite locations. 

Drawing from data-driven analysis, Tony reveals:

• The specific metrics we use to select territories — including marriage rates, income levels, and population size
• Why understanding "normative drive time" dramatically impacts success (and why we failed in downtown Chicago)
• The surprising truth about rural vs. urban locations
• How to select the actual office space once you've chosen your territory

Listen in for a practical blueprint on how we expanded strategically using data instead of guesswork. This formula has helped us grow to 25+ attorneys and $15M in revenue — and it can work for your firm, too. Hope this helps you grow your practice!

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.

My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.

I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.

When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.

Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok