I was very honored when Ken Hardison asked me to speak at PILMMA’s AI for PI Expo. I had a great time at the event, and I’d love to share what I learned and which tools the attorneys should check out.

When Ken asked me to speak, I already knew how I would frame and focus my presentation. I knew that any AI event would feature plenty of vendors selling their AI solutions and plenty of law firms talking about how they use AI, but there probably wouldn’t be many speakers talking to marketers about how they can leverage AI.

Going into the presentation, my goal was to “give my audience practical ways to use AI to enhance their marketing.”

You can watch the first 5 minutes of the presentation in this article.

If you are interested in watching the full presentation, I have made it available to members of the Sharp Marketing Mastermind. Click the button below if you’d like to join and see all our resources!

Enjoying this insight? I post tactical legal marketing breakdowns like this regularly, including the tools, workflows, and real-firm examples you won’t find anywhere else.

Quick Recap of My AI for PI Expo Presentation

There are so many ways to dissect AI. We could talk about how to rank in AI search, or how to best leverage AI inside your law practice.

My talk primarily focused on how marketers (and anyone, really) can use AI to enhance themselves.

I only had 30 minutes to speak, so I had to limited time to make some key points.

* Humans have strengths and weaknesses; AI has strengths and weaknesses. If we want to use AI effectively, we must find the “sweet spot” where it fits into our workflows and enhances output.

* The best use of a marketer’s time is learning and growing their own skills (not just their “AI” skills). Everyone has access to or is using these tools, and AI only raises the floor, not the ceiling of good marketing. We can enhance the outputs we get from AI by upgrading ourselves.

* We can use AI in many automated processes. The example I used is how I leverage multiple AI tools to automatically generate project cards from my meeting transcripts. This enables me to be fully present in meetings and simply assign and delegate the pre-made tasks to my team.

* Modern AI is like Computer in the Enterprise (yes, I shoehorned a Star Trek reference into my presentation – plus some). It’s a system that records everything and can synthesize answers to complex questions, but the crew still makes the decisions and uses their skills.

That summary covers the first quarter of the presentation. If that list sounds intriguing, watch the full video and let me know what you think in the comments (yes, you can leave comments on my newsletter!)

What I Learned at the AI for PI Expo

I was a presenter on day 3, but for the first two days, I was an attendee. I spoke to the vendors, speakers, and many of the attendees. Honestly, there wasn’t enough time to connect with everyone, so I did my best to talk to as many people as I could each day.

I was speaking with Josh Schmerling about his AI tool (LawPro.AI), and I was a little awestruck. Their tool does things with demand letters and medical records that I really don’t understand because that’s not my lane, but what he showed me seemed incredibly useful.

I asked him, “What did law firm do in the 90’s?”

I asked another vendor a similar question when they showed me their AI solution, and curiously, both Josh and this other vendor had the same response.

“Not even the 90’s, what do law firms do today!?”

There’s a huge technology gap developing at law firms, and I don’t think the solos or small attorneys realize how much more advanced the tools are becoming.

In this episode of Sharp Strategies Sweet Success, I’m joined by Robert Hartmann, a California criminal defense attorney and soon-to-be author of Making It Rain: The Art of Building a Successful Law Firm. We unpack what most law schools and firms never teach: how to actually get clients.

Robert shares how getting laid off early in his career forced him to build a practice from scratch. Relationships, not advertising, kept it thriving for decades. We talk about why empathy is his number one marketing strategy, why young attorneys should stop fearing solo practice, and how AI is collapsing the old law firm hierarchy by eliminating the need for junior associates.

We also dig into the real barriers that stop lawyers from networking, and how to overcome them with consistent habits, low-pressure conversations, and small follow-ups that build trust over time. Robert explains why he believes in weekly and monthly networking groups, how he personalizes referrals, and why your best clients probably won’t come from billboards or SEO. They’ll come from people who know you.

If you’re tired of the grind, feeling stuck in someone else’s firm, or just want a clearer path to sustainable growth, this conversation will shift how you think about business development in 2026.

In our January Sharp Marketing Mastermind meeting, we focused on how law firms can improve performance and accountability across Google Ads and Local Service Ads. We were joined by Thomas Glasgow of 1122 Marketing, who shared deep insights into how Local Service Ads actually work and what Google prioritizes today. Together, we covered where firms commonly lose money and how better intake handling and tracking directly impact results.

In this meeting, we discussed:

* How Local Service Ads differ from traditional Google Ads and why call handling matters so much.

* Best practices for intake teams, including keeping LSA calls neutral and using lead feedback correctly.

* The importance of consistent Google review activity for LSA performance.

* How to audit Google Ads accounts, including search terms, negative keywords, and ad strength.

* What conversion goals should be tracked, and why phone calls should carry more weight than form fills.

* How to spot data issues between Google Ads, LSAs, and your CRM or lead tracking system.

* Common pitfalls with vendors, automation, and AI tools, and what to approach with caution.

A big thanks to everyone for attending and participating!

Here’s Thomas’s information for anyone who’d me interested in contacting him: Email: thomas@1122management.comWebsite: www.1122marketing.com

Schedule a meeting here

Below are the resources for our Sharp Marketing Mastermind members:

In this episode of Sharp Strategies Sweet Success, I’m joined by Will McCreight of Blue Shark Digital to break down what law firm SEO actually looks like in 2026—and why it still matters. Will explains why “unqualified leads” are often a sign that your SEO is gaining traction, not failing. But to make that visibility useful, firms need better tracking—moving beyond the generic “organic” label to identify which sources (Google Business, directories, AI search) are truly delivering. We also dig into legal directories: which ones might be worth paying for, how to evaluate their real impact, and why they’re becoming more relevant again with the rise of AI-driven search. A key insight: SEO doesn’t work in a vacuum. Without solid intake systems and phone support, even the best search rankings can lead to lost opportunities. Will shares how marketing and operations need to align to turn leads into actual cases. This episode is a must-listen if you’re reevaluating your digital strategy, feeling stuck with low-quality leads, or just wondering how to make SEO work smarter—not harder—for your firm.

In this end-of-year episode of Sharp Strategies Sweet Success, I’m joined by Conrad Saam of Mockingbird for a wide-ranging conversation about what law firms should actually be planning for in 2026. We dig into why the industry’s obsession with AI rankings risks pulling attention away from fundamentals that still drive real case volume, and how firms should think more strategically about choosing the right marketing “chess pieces” instead of trying to play every channel. Conrad breaks down why LSAs, intake performance, location strategy, and operational discipline matter more than ever as larger firms expand into smaller markets, and how competitive pressure is forcing law firms to level up across marketing, intake, and case value optimization. We also talk candidly about why intake is no longer just an operations issue, how Google is quietly shaping incentives through data collection, and why many firms are losing opportunities long before marketing ever gets blamed. If you’re heading into 2026 feeling overwhelmed by AI noise, increased competition, or shifting market dynamics, this episode offers a grounded, practical way to refocus on what actually moves the needle.

In this episode of Sharp Strategies Sweet Success I'm joined by Adam Rossen, who opens up about a year that tested everything — leadership, culture, and the systems behind a multimillion-dollar law firm. After losing team members, facing resistance to change, and stepping back into legal work for the first time in four years, Adam shares why he dismantled attorney-led sales, rewired his intake process, and began building a team around accountability and role clarity. We talk about how EOS fits into that evolution, where it falls short, and what it really takes to shift from personality-driven to process-driven growth. If you’ve outgrown your early team structure or feel stuck in the messy middle, tune in, this episode offers clarity from someone who’s deep in the work.

In this episode of Sharp Strategies Sweet Success, Kevin Daisey, co‑founder of Array Digital, joins me to unpack why digital PR, SEO, reviews, and PPC only work when your law firm is committed to brand consistency. We talked about why digital PR is becoming a smarter, more brand-aligned replacement for link buying, and how the best firms build processes that make five-star reviews feel personal, not transactional. We also got into PPC myths (including why Performance Max is usually a red flag) and the power of pairing lead generation with genuine brand familiarity. Tune in if you’re in the weeds of legal marketing, this one will get you thinking bigger.

In our December Sharp Marketing Mastermind meeting, we discussed how to build a review system that actually supports your law firm’s growth in a consistent, predictable way.

Reviews help with social proof, visibility in search, authority in the market, and the quality of leads who decide to contact your firm. We walked through where reviews should live, how to get more of them without feeling awkward, and how to turn them into a marketing asset instead of something you only think about when Google removes one.

In this meeting, we discussed:

* Where law firms should prioritize getting reviews (Google, Yelp, Avvo, BBB), and how to manage cadence and review links.

* What to track for every review, and how to organize all of this in review or testimonial spreadsheets.

* How to get more reviews using both automation (Hona, CaseStatus, Lead Docket, your CRM with SMS) and person-to-person requests.

* When to ask for reviews, including right after a positive interaction, shortly after signing, and after settlement but before the check arrives.

* How to ask for reviews effectively using email, text, or one-on-one conversations, plus persuasion principles that increase follow-through.

* Practical ways to make leaving reviews easier, including brochures, forwarding URLs, QR codes, reminder systems, and firm-wide review culture.

* How to protect reviews through monthly audits and reinstatement requests.

* How to repurpose reviews as marketing content for social media, newsletters, website sections, printed materials, and office decor.

* How to respond to reviews by beginning with fact-finding, thoughtful communication, and a healthy mindset about negative feedback.

A big thanks to everyone for attending and participating! Below are the resources for our Sharp Marketing Mastermind members: