Best Jeff Sterling Hughes Podcasts (2025)

1
The 15-Minute Daily Practice That Built Our $17M Family Law Firm - #144 24:59

18h ago24:59

24:59

Send us a text Want to see the exact communication system that scaled our law firm, Sterling Lawyers, to 25+ attorneys and $15+ million in revenue? In this exclusive behind-the-scenes J Sterling Hughes Insider episode, I take you inside an actual daily huddle—the 15-20 minute discipline that transformed their firm's growth and culture. Drawing from…

1
How a 9-Month-Old Law Firm Hit $24K in One Month (The Real Numbers) - #143 42:47

7d ago42:47

42:47

Send us a text From struggling solo to breakthrough month—Tom Hartin just hit $24,000 in revenue with 4 new clients after 9 months of building his Long Island practice. In this episode, we witness the dramatic turnaround that every startup attorney dreams about. We dive into his explosive May success: Why his lead-to-consult conversion rate hit nea…

1
How to Run a Family Law Firm Daily Huddle That Propels Growth - #142 23:41

15d ago23:41

23:41

Send us a text Want to know the secret tool that transformed Sterling Lawyers from chaos to a coordinated 25+ attorney firm doing $15+ million in revenue? In this interview, I interviewed our CFO, Todd Clauer, who revealed our game-changing daily management huddle—a 30-minute meeting that revolutionized how they operate. Drawing from 30+ years acro…

1
The 3 Marketing Traps That Keep Law Firms Stuck in Feast or Famine Cycle - #141 9:08

22d ago9:08

9:08

Send us a text Tired of the feast or famine cycle that plagues most family law practices? In this video, I reveal why consistent marketing is the only way to break free from the devastating ups and downs that keep attorneys trapped in survival mode. We tackle: The three psychological traps that kill marketing momentum when you get busy Why redefini…

1
How Joining a Mastermind Transformed My Law Firm’s Profitability - #140 26:32

29d ago26:32

26:32

Send us a text 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 mastermin…

1
Tom's Trek: Managing Financial Pressure While Building Two Locations - #139 20:31

1M ago20:31

20:31

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 challen…

1
Why Jonathan Abandoned the City — And Built a $4 Million Family Law Practice - #138 1:19:47

1M ago1:19:47

1:19:47

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 …

1
How Deidra Almost Quit, Then Built a $3.7M Family Law Empire - #137 1:16:39

2M ago1:16:39

1:16:39

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 …

1
8 Law Firm Naming Tips I Learned Building a $15M Practice - #136 9:02

2M ago9:02

9:02

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 mi…

1
Tom’s Trek: Balancing Short-Term Loss for Long-Term Growth - #135 30:43

2M ago30:43

30:43

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 mo…

1
Delegating Work in a Family Law Firm - #134 16:32

2M ago16:32

16:32

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…

1
How to Equip a Law Firm’s Satellite Location (Pt 3 of 3) - #133 16:54

3M ago16:54

16:54

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 unde…

1
How to Structure Your Law Firm Website for Multiple Locations (Pt 2 of 3) - #132 18:45

3M ago18:45

18:45

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 revea…

1
How to Pick New Law Office Locations (Pt 1 of 3) - #131 19:15

3M ago19:15

19:15

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 l…

1
Simple Blueprint to Innovate a Family Law Firm - #130 23:34

3M ago23:34

23:34

Send us a text Want to innovate your family law practice but don't know where to start? In this episode, I share how our firm has grown to $15M in revenue through small, practical innovations that compound over time. Drawing from both our successes and failures, I reveal: The most successful innovations are the small, systematic improvements anyone…

1
Tom’s Trek: It’s Goal Time after Six Months In - #129 32:34

4M ago32:34

32:34

Send us a text We're back with Tom Hartin for month six of his family law startup journey on Long Island, NY. February brought steady progress with 9 leads, 6 consults, and an impressive 5 hires, along with nearly $8,000 in revenue. In this update, Tom shares: His new second office — now open but still waiting on furniture and Google Maps approval …

1
Five-Part Framework to Build and Grow a Family Law Firm - #128 18:22

4M ago18:22

18:22

Send us a text Struggling to grow your family law practice? Drawing from my journey building Sterling Lawyers, I share the framework I wish I'd had when starting out. In this episode, I reveal: The five key principles that guide smart resource allocation in a growing firm My biggest mistakes and hard-earned lessons along the way How one principle h…

1
Her Secret Formula to Get 87 Family Law Reviews with Nina Kelly - #127 17:57

4M ago17:57

17:57

Send us a text How does a top lawyer get 87 client reviews in a single year? In this episode, I sit down with Nina Kelly, one of our partners from our Illinois team, who shares her secrets to gathering authentic 87 reviews while managing 40-55 cases, raising two children, and collecting nearly $800,000 last year. Nina reveals: Why client experience…

1
Go $0 → $15M in Family Law By Ignoring Your Competition - #126 12:43

4M ago12:43

12:43

Send us a text Want to grow your family law practice? Stop obsessing over what other firms are doing. In this episode, I reveal how to grow your revenue by focusing inward instead of watching competitors. I share: Why constantly monitoring competitors leads to competitive convergence - where everyone looks the same and profit margins shrink How bui…

1
How to Objectively Measure Attorney Skills and Promote Fairly with Robin Esch - #125 29:25

4M ago29:25

29:25

Send us a text Growing a family law team is hard - especially when lawyers have no clear path forward. In this episode, I sit down with Robin Esch, our HR leader, to explore how we've solved one of the most vexing problems in scaling a law firm: developing attorneys from associates to partners. Robin shares: The innovative competency matrix that re…

1
Focus Your Family Law Practice to Have The Firm of Your Dreams - #124 21:22

4M ago21:22

21:22

Send us a text Want to grow your family law practice? I've learned that saying 'yes' to every opportunity isn't always the answer. Drawing from Sterling Lawyers' journey from 1 to 25+ attorneys, I share why focusing purely on family law transformed our firm. In this episode, I break down: Our painful pivot - cutting half our staff and clients to fo…

1
Tom's Trek: Switching Marketing Partners to a Specialist - #123 26:20

4M ago26:20

26:20

Send us a text Just wrapped up month five of Tom Hartin’s journey building his family law practice in Long Island, NY. January started slow until late in the month when things suddenly picked up — booking four consults over three days. In this update, Tom shares: How he's doubling down - opening a second office and switching marketing partners Why …

1
How to Change Attorney Compensation Without Losing Your Team (Pt 2) - #122 25:26

4M ago25:26

25:26

Send us a text Following up on our lawyer compensation discussion, I sat down with two key perspectives from our 2024 comp change — Katie VanDeusen (Managing Partner) who led the rollout, and Nina Kelly (Partner) who experienced it firsthand. Drawing from their different vantage points, we explore: How Katie and our leadership team rebuilt trust th…

1
How to Change Attorney Compensation Without Losing Your Team (Pt 1) - #121 30:38

5M ago30:38

30:38

Send us a text As we've grown Sterling Lawyers to 25+ attorneys and $15M in revenue, one of the toughest challenges has been getting lawyer compensation right. In this episode, I sit down with my partner, Jeff Kerlin, to walk through our 2024 journey of transforming our compensation model. We share: Why our original percentage-of-collections model …

1
Train Your Lawyers and Build Culture Simultaneously - #120 18:16

5M ago18:16

18:16

Send us a text Wondering how to build a killer team culture AND speed up training for your new attorneys at the same time? In this episode, I sit down with Austin Miller (one of our Partners) and Bailey Holt (our rising star Senior Associate) from our Milwaukee team to share a simple but powerful tool we stumbled on - what we call "The Big Table." …

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New AI Lawyer Lead Gen Tool - Divorce.Law - #119 46:16

5M ago46:16

46:16

Send us a text In this episode, I sit down with Antonio Jimenez, a Florida family law attorney and technologist who's created Divorce.law, which is a lead gen tool for lawyers. ------------------------- 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 beaut…

1
Developments Toward Non-Lawyer Ownership in Family Law - #118 17:53

5M ago17:53

17:53

Send us a text Is a massive opportunity storm brewing for family law practices? In this show, I explore the impending stories that could reshape how we run our family law firms. Here’s what I covered: Washington State’s new 10-year pilot program to test non-lawyers practicing in a limited way How KPMG moving into big law (through Arizona) will tric…

1
Build Advantages for Higher Margins in Family Law - #117 19:18

5M ago19:18

19:18

Send us a text Growing a family law firm is hard. As we built Sterling Lawyers to a 25+ attorney firm doing $15M in revenue, I learned that you need clear competitive advantages to break out of the pack. In this show, I cover: Why having just one advantage wasn't enough for us Examples of what's working for successful family law firms across the U.…

1
Tom’s Trek: Growing a Solo Practice While Planning For Associates - #116 28:45

5M ago28:45

28:45

Send us a text Four months into his new family law practice, Tom Hartin shares some frank insights about December 2024. While revenue hit a new high at $10,820, new client signings were slower than expected—though that's typical for the holiday season. Listen in as we discuss: The mindset shifts needed when running your own practice and managing gr…

1
Why Smart Family Lawyers Are Losing Premium Clients (Fix This Now) - #115 11:34

5M ago11:34

11:34

Send us a text Obtaining great client outcomes is not enough to satisfy family law clients. There's a mind-bending truth on what clients want more than great outcomes—it's meeting their emotional needs. In this episode, I share: The truth about what clients will pay premium rates for (hint: it's not legal outcomes) The two things we aggressively fo…

1
Practical AI Family Law Tools That Work - #114 29:26

6M ago29:26

29:26

Send us a text Jeff Morrell, one of our Senior Partners, is back to talk about AI tools for family lawyers. This is the presentation that Jeff gave at our annual Sterling Day event. It's about how our firm is using AI tools to enhance efficiency and streamline operations. Here’s what we covered: - The ways AI is transforming legal workflows. - Prac…

1
The Family Law Firm Strategy to Rule Them All - #113 21:11

6M ago21:11

21:11

Send us a text For most of our firm's history, we have been a "marketing-first" family law practice. This philosophy can only get a family firm so far. When I finally bought into the idea that long-term prosperity and career satisfaction come from doing amazing client work, our firm turned the corner in a big way. This podcast is about that shift a…

1
How She Collects $1,285,000+/yr in Family Law - #112 58:15

6M ago58:15

58:15

Send us a text This is a gold nugget-laden show for anyone practicing in family law. I interview our firm's highest-collecting attorney, Tiffany Vogel. She is a star, an ultra-high performer. Tiffany gives a masterclass in operating a family law practice. In this show, Tiffany shares: • Her approach to client management as project management • The …

1
Tom's Trek: Emotional Resilience Through a Tough Month - #111 26:35

6M ago26:35

26:35

Send us a text We all have months that kick us in the teeth. It hurts. It sucks. Tom had one of those months in November -- his third month in practice. This show is about what happened and is a picture of mental toughness. Keep pushing, Tom! Stay focused on what you can control. You are making the right moves. ------------------------- Go to: www.…

1
The Managing Attorney's Role in a Family Law Firm - #110 29:24

7M ago29:24

29:24

Send us a text The second most important role in a family law firm is the managing attorney. In the vast majority of family law firms, the founder/owner sits in two seats: (1) the president and (2) the managing attorney. The president sets the strategy, casts the vision, models the culture, and many other “presidential” type things. The managing at…

1
Casting a Compelling Vision to Your Family Law Team - #109 32:31

7M ago32:31

32:31

Send us a text This show highlights a talk I gave to our entire legal team at a recent event. I announced a new service blending Artificial Intelligence into tools for clients. I also shared two other long-term strategic initiatives that we are working on. Feel free to steal for your firm! LOL ------------------------- Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.co…

1
Staying Focused On One Marketing Tactic at a Time - #108 16:41

7M ago16:41

16:41

Send us a text There are limitless marketing tactics available to a family law firm. It can be overwhelming. One of Sterling Lawyers' most successful marketing strategies has been to focus on one tactic at a time. In this show, I articulate why to focus on one tactic: 1 - Allows enough time to yield results 2 - Avoids switching costs 3 - Enables ac…

1
Recurring Money Wasters that Family Pummel Lawyers - #107 15:36

7M ago15:36

15:36

Send us a text Are you throwing money down the drain in your family law practice? On this show, I reveal five of my most egregious money wasters. These nasty culprits get many other family lawyers too. Maybe you? Here they are: SEO services (There are good ones and many bad ones) Fancy office space Overstaffing Online review software Costly website…

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Should You Try to Persuade the Attorney to Stay? - #106 14:22

7M ago14:22

14:22

Send us a text Unexpected attorney resignations can feel like a gut punch. But, should you try to get them to stay? In this show, I explore: 1 - Getting to the truth behind the departure 2 - Assessing the impact and deciding if it's worth it try to get them to stay 3 - Offering more than words 4 - Embracing the changing legal landscape 4 - Turning …

1
Tom’s Trek: Forming Ideal Client & Tightening Marketing Radius - #105 34:55

7M ago34:55

34:55

Send us a text We've been following Attorney Tom Hartin as he has launched his family law firm. This is a behind the curtain peek at the nitty-gritty world of family law firm start-up. This month we discussed: Tom’s revenue highs and lows for September and October Smart marketing on a budget, from Google Ads to local strategies. How Tom is explorin…

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Scaled Offers at Sterling (Entry to High-End Service) with Mary Sankey - #104 13:43

7M ago13:43

13:43

Send us a text Is your law firm losing clients who can’t afford full-time representation? This show offers creative ideas to get incremental clients that you may otherwise not get. I sit down with Mary Sankey, our Sales Manager, to explore how Sterling offers legal services for clients with varying needs and budgets. My last episode explained scale…

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Scaled Offers to Turbo-Charge Client Hires w/ Tony Karls - #103 14:38

8M ago14:38

14:38

Send us a text Are you missing out on potential clients? Most family lawyers give potential clients one offer: hourly representation. There is a better way to serve clients than with just one offer. Having multiple offers is a great way to incrementally grow sales. We call this "scaled offers" at Sterling Lawyers. In this show, my co-founder, Tony …

1
What Law Firm Numbers Should I Track First? - #102 18:11

8M ago18:11

18:11

Send us a text Numbers will make or break your law firm. Tracking the wrong ones is like getting bad directions to a desired location. Failing to track a number is an admission of not managing it. It's critical to get the number tracking right. This show is about: 1 - Leading vs. lagging indicators, understanding what to focus on for future success…

1
When to Move From Working IN to ON Your Law Firm - #101 19:05

8M ago19:05

19:05

Send us a text Ready to push your family law firm to new heights? In this episode, I discuss the crucial shift from working in your practice to working on it—a challenging but THE essential step for growth. I cover: Key indicators that signal you're ready to make the shift The importance of firm size, revenue, and performance metrics Practical step…

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Tom’s Trek: September 2024 Review - #100 15:09

8M ago15:09

15:09

Send us a text We are following Attorney Tom Hartin as he launches his family law firm. Month #2 is officially closed. How did Tom do? Check out the podcast to get the authentic details. Spoiler alert: it wasn't a huge month financially, but he's above water and making progress. ------------------------- Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of F…

1
Solving the Real Client Problems to Stand Out! (Legal Start-up 3 of 3) - #99 19:38

8M ago19:38

19:38

Send us a text Oftentimes, lawyers and clients disagree on the most important problem to solve in family law. Lawyers can assume it's one problem. Meanwhile, the client is focused on a totally different problem to solve. What’s the secret to figure this out -- so your firm can stand out above the rest? In this third part of our Legal Start-up serie…

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Easy Interviews to Fine-Tune Your Legal Service (Legal Start-up 2 of 3) with Tony Karls - #98 13:58

8M ago13:58

13:58

Send us a text Client interviews can revolutionize your law firm. That's what happened at our firm, Sterling Lawyers. In the second part of our 3-part series, I sit down with my partner and co-founder, Tony Karls, to reveal how early client interviews turned our struggling practice into a successful, growing firm. We talked about: The surprising im…

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Selecting the Law Practice Type that Fits You (Legal Start-up 1 of 3) with Tony Karls - #97 22:28

8M ago22:28

22:28

Send us a text Ready to build a law practice that aligns with your strengths and passions? Tony Karls, my co-founder at Sterling Lawyers, is back to discuss how to identify the best type of law for your practice. This conversation kicks off a three-part series where we share the early details that helped us start, build and scale our firm. We cover…

1
Is Your Law Firm Culture Toxic? - #96 11:09

9M ago11:09

11:09

Send us a text Ever promoted someone only to watch your firm's culture crumble? In this raw episode, I share one of my biggest leadership blunders and its far-reaching consequences. I take you behind the scenes of our law firm's year-long struggle to recover from a toxic culture shift, sharing hard-earned wisdom that could save your practice. Here’…

1
Getting Law Firm Associates to Have an Owner's Mentality - #95 8:45

9M ago8:45

8:45

Send us a text Are you struggling to get your associates to think like owners and future leaders of your law firm? In this show, I share what we have done to achieve modest success in our law firm in order to develop the next generation of leaders. In many ways, this is a leadership development episode. We can't grow our firms without leaders who u…

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Jeff Sterling Hughes Podcasts

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