Episodes

  • The Vibe Check, the Intake Call, and the AI Problem with Jason Epstein

    The Vibe Check, the Intake Call, and the AI Problem with Jason Epstein
    Nov 10 2026
    Welcome to episode 65 of The Earley Show, hosted by personal injury attorney Christopher Earley! For this conversation, Chris is joined by Jason Epstein, co-founder of Premier Law Group in Seattle.Jason hung out his own shingle straight out of law school and calls it “a total complete disaster.” Nearly 20 years later, he and his partner Patrick run a PI firm where every caller talks to a lawyer right away and two-thirds of cases settle in pre-litigation. Jason and Chris revisit the cold call that led Chris to Ben Glass, then dig into why Jason’s partnership works precisely because the partners aren’t friends, why he treats the first client meeting as a vibe check, and the moment he admitted the courtroom wasn’t his seat. He also shares the TV and radio bet he wishes he’d made, why everyone feels behind on AI, his wish for one platform that runs a case from intake to close, and what teaching law firm entrepreneurship at Seattle U has taught him.00:00 Intro 00:52 Welcome Jason Epstein 01:32 The cold call that led Chris to Ben Glass 02:39 Growing up in an entrepreneurial Seattle household 03:45 USC, Pepperdine, and hanging a shingle straight out of school 04:14 From “total disaster” to learning PI the right way 05:23 Unemployable — and partnering with Patrick 07:42 Finding Ben Glass and Great Legal Marketing 10:29 Why a mastermind still pays off after 20 years 11:38 A 20-year law partnership — without being friends 15:31 The shared vision that keeps it working 17:10 Ditching the suit: the first meeting as a vibe check 20:23 Every caller talks to a lawyer: Jason’s intake model 21:31 Admitting the courtroom wasn’t his seat 23:47 The redo: going big on TV and radio early 25:06 Biggest challenge: keeping up with AI 27:10 Waiting for one fully integrated PI platform 28:32 Why remote work didn’t work for his office 29:58 Teaching law firm entrepreneurship at Seattle U 33:29 What teaching taught him about the next generation 35:51 The biggest Ben Glass lesson: abundance 38:49 The one book: Traction — and Jason’s consultingAbout our guest Jason Epstein is a personal injury attorney and co-founder of Premier Law Group in Seattle, Washington, which he has built and grown with his partner Patrick for close to 20 years. A Seattle native, Jason earned a philosophy degree from the University of Southern California and his law degree from Pepperdine. He runs the firm’s pre-litigation and marketing side and personally takes as many intake calls as he can. Jason is an adjunct professor at Seattle U School of Law, where he teaches law firm entrepreneurship. He is a longtime member of Ben Glass’s Great Legal Marketing masterminds and recently soft-launched a one-on-one consulting practice for law firm owners.Topics covered Hanging a shingle straight out of law school — and getting bailed out by a job offer on the WSTLA listserv Finding Ben Glass when a yellow pages double truck cost $15,000 a month Why the value of a mastermind is in the room, not the answers A 20-year partnership where the partners aren’t friends (Penn and Teller) A shared vision: make as much money as possible, spend as little time working as possible The first client meeting as a vibe check — jeans, t-shirt, no suit An intake model where every caller is transferred to a lawyer Right people, right seats before he knew EOS, and running “EOS light” with 12–14 employees Regret: not investing big in TV and radio when it was affordable Keeping up with AI and waiting for one vertically integrated PI platform Going back to the office 100% after COVID Teaching law firm entrepreneurship, and why young people are pushed onto career paths too early Ben Glass lessons: abundance mentality and the moving parade of interestPeople and resources mentioned Ben Glass — Great Legal Marketing Dan Kennedy Charlie Mann John Fischer Michelle Delino Ryan McKeen — Best Era Gerry Spence — Trial Lawyers College Mike Morse and John Nachazel — Mike Morse Law Firm Penn and Teller Seattle U School of Law; University of Washington USC; Pepperdine Law School Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (now Washington State Association for Justice) Traction by Gino Wickman / EOS EvenUp, Eve, Supio, Strata, Claude practicetipoftheweek.com — Chris’s free weekly email listLearn more about Chris’ practice, the Earley Law Group, here: https://www.chrisearley.com/Check out Chris’ book “Scaling The Wall” here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxxyv5nThe Earley Show is a part of the Answering Legal Podcast Network. Learn more about our podcast network here: https://tinyurl.com/yk7t3nmsInterested in learning more about Answering Legal? Book an appointment to speak with us here: https://tinyurl.com/ufnvb2a3You can also give us a call at 631-866-0801.
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    41 mins
  • Morgan & Morgan Moved Into His Market. Here's What Bart Siniard Did About It

    Morgan & Morgan Moved Into His Market. Here's What Bart Siniard Did About It
    Oct 28 2026

    Welcome to episode 64 of The Earley Show, hosted by personal injury attorney Christopher Earley! For this conversation, Chris is joined by Bart Siniard, co-founder of Siniard Law in Huntsville, Alabama.

    In elementary school, Bart wrote down three goals: go to Alabama law school, become a personal injury lawyer like his dad, and someday start his own firm. In 2022, he and his father, Tommy Siniard, achieved the third. Bart walks Chris through leaving an established firm to build a father-son practice, running the brand-new firm on his own just 39 days after opening, and modernizing a legacy operation across a generational gap. He also shares the two numbers he tracks every month, why he posts KPI scoreboards for the entire firm, how a hometown practice competes when Morgan & Morgan moves into the market, and the hard lesson he learned about health, family, and slowing down to grow.

    0:00 Intro
    0:52 Welcome Bart Siniard (Roll Tide)
    2:18 Growing up the son of a PI lawyer
    5:20 Dad: the lawyer on the back of the phone book
    6:30 Nine years as dad's associate
    7:20 Deciding to start a father-son firm
    8:44 His wife's push: "Go run the ship"
    9:41 Opening Siniard Law on July 1, 2022
    11:29 Dad's biggest lesson: your handshake has to mean something
    13:28 From 6 to 13 and a half: hiring the team
    16:43 Modernizing a legacy firm across a generational gap
    19:50 Day 39: running the firm alone
    21:15 The books and podcasts that changed his career
    23:15 The numbers Bart watches: signups and case value
    25:14 Monthly KPI scoreboards for the whole firm
    27:15 Self-implementing EOS
    28:19 True signups, attrition and cost per case
    30:05 Trial lawyer or business owner?
    32:48 Competing when Morgan & Morgan comes to town
    36:58 What he'd do differently: health and family
    40:37 Turning off the switch
    41:27 Slow down to grow
    42:28 Book pick: Buy Back Your Time
    43:56 Leverage, an executive assistant and gradual shedding
    45:26 How to reach Bart

    About our guest
    Bart Siniard is a personal injury trial attorney and co-founder of Siniard Law, LLC in Huntsville, Alabama, which he launched in July 2022 with his father, Tommy Siniard. A Huntsville native, Bart earned his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Alabama and spent nearly nine years trying cases at his father's previous firm before the two started their own. Siniard Law handles car wrecks, medical malpractice, and other serious injury cases across North Alabama, litigates heavily, and has grown from six people to more than a dozen.

    Connect with Bart
    Website: siniardlaw.com

    Topics covered
    Growing up in a PI firm and the elementary-school goal that came true
    Leaving an established firm to start a father-son practice
    Running a new firm solo just 39 days after opening
    Hiring an associate, a lateral litigator, and dedicated intake
    Modernizing: going paperless, new case management, Lead Docket
    The two numbers Bart tracks monthly: signed cases and case valuation
    Firm-wide KPI scoreboards and internal competition
    Self-implementing EOS
    True signups, attrition, and cost per case
    Balancing trial work with running the business
    Community and referral marketing against Morgan & Morgan
    Health, family, and learning to slow down

    People and resources mentioned
    Siniard Law — siniardlaw.com
    John Fischer — The Power of a System; The Law Firm of Your Dreams
    Gino Wickman — Traction / EOS
    Mike Morse — Fireproof
    John Morgan / Morgan & Morgan — You Can't Teach Hungry; Life is Luck
    Dan Martell — Buy Back Your Time
    Gyi Tsakalakis and Conrad Saam — Lunch Hour Legal Marketing
    Maximum Lawyer
    Chad Dudley and Mickey Love — on true signups and attrition
    Birmingham School of Law
    Lead Docket

    Learn more about Chris' practice, the Earley Law Group, here: https://www.chrisearley.com/

    Check out Chris' book "Scaling The Wall" here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxxyv5n

    Join Chris' free weekly email for lawyers at practicetipoftheweek.com

    The Earley Show is a part of the Answering Legal Podcast Network. Learn more about our podcast network here: https://tinyurl.com/yk7t3nms

    Interested in learning more about Answering Legal? Book an appointment to speak with us here: https://tinyurl.com/ufnvb2a3

    You can also give us a call at 631-866-0801.
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    47 mins
  • 50% Referral Split? No Way. How Seth Bader Built and Scaled His Firm

    50% Referral Split? No Way. How Seth Bader Built and Scaled His Firm
    Oct 13 2026

    Welcome to episode 63 of The Earley Show, hosted by personal injury attorney Christopher Earley! For this conversation, Chris is joined by Seth Bader, founder of Bader Law in Atlanta, Georgia.

    Seth started his firm in 2008 with $5,000 in the bank and a website that never produced a single client call. Today Bader Law has roughly 150 team members, about 20 lawyers, and more than 3,500 Google reviews. Seth and Chris cover how Spanish-language web content landed his first major referral partners, why he walked away when a referral split crept to 50%, what he learned in the Ben Glass and PILMMA mastermind rooms, why he tried and failed to self-implement EOS before committing to it years later, and why the biggest mistake growing firms make is moving too fast.

    00:00 Intro
    00:52 Welcome Seth Bader of Bader Law
    02:05 Growing up in Miami & a neurologist dad
    03:17 ADD, 11th grade, and re-engaging with school
    05:30 Florida State Law & insurance defense in Atlanta
    07:36 A stifled entrepreneur: "Stay in your lane"
    09:50 Why he went out on his own
    12:01 Starting with $5,000 and a dream
    13:04 Building a website at 4:30 a.m.
    14:36 Spanish content & the referral that built the firm
    15:48 The 50% split and a very short phone call
    17:07 A second referral partner shows up
    18:18 Know your numbers: referral fees & margins
    19:42 2013: Ben Glass, Ken Hardison & PILMMA
    20:35 Masterminds and outgrowing the room
    23:17 When to leave the room
    24:38 Learning from the next generation
    25:50 150 team members, 20 lawyers, global staff
    26:35 Scaling challenges: leadership & systems
    28:17 Running on EOS (and the $20K he should have spent)
    32:00 Get a Grip & keeping it simple
    32:49 Staying current: AI, private equity & non-lawyer ownership
    34:27 Resilience as a superpower
    35:54 Vision, impact, and why money isn't the motivator
    38:10 Biggest mistake: moving too fast
    41:32 Book pick: Think and Grow Rich
    42:54 How to connect with Seth

    About our guest
    Seth Bader is the founder of Bader Law, an Atlanta personal injury and workers' compensation firm with roughly 150 team members, including about 75 in Atlanta and 60 to 75 virtual team members around the world. Raised in Miami, he earned his law degree at Florida State University and spent five years in insurance defense before opening his own practice in 2008. He has been active in the national mastermind and conference scene since 2013, runs his firm on the Entrepreneurial Operating System, and welcomes referral partnerships and idea-sharing with firm owners across the country.

    Connect with Seth
    Website: baderlaw.com
    Email: seth@baderlaw.com
    LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook: Seth Bader

    Topics covered
    Growing up with a self-made father and how an ADD diagnosis changed Seth's path
    Why insurance defense felt misaligned: "a closed file is a good file"
    Launching a firm with $5,000 and bootstrapping with overflow work
    How Spanish-language web content generated attorney referrals instead of client calls
    Referral-fee creep, knowing your margins, and diversifying marketing channels
    Going from $5,000 a month in marketing spend to $300,000–$400,000 a month
    Masterminds, conferences, and knowing when you've outgrown a room
    Learning from mentors and from the next generation coming up behind you
    Scaling past 20–25 people: leadership, SOPs, and KPIs
    Implementing EOS, and why self-implementation didn't stick
    Competition from private equity, non-lawyer ownership, lead generation companies, and AI
    Resilience, vision, and building a firm that grows its people
    The biggest mistake: moving too fast on hiring, firing, marketing, and systems

    People and resources mentioned
    Bader Law — baderlaw.com
    Ben Glass — Great Legal Marketing
    Ken Hardison — PILMMA
    Mickey Love — previous Earley Show guest
    John Morgan — Morgan & Morgan
    Gino Wickman — EOS and Traction
    Get a Grip by Gino Wickman and Mike Paton
    Napoleon Hill — Think and Grow Rich
    Shepherd Center, Atlanta
    Practice Tip of the Week — Chris's free weekly email for lawyers: practicetipoftheweek.com

    Learn more about Chris' practice, the Earley Law Group, here: https://www.chrisearley.com/

    Check out Chris' book "Scaling The Wall" here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxxyv5n

    The Earley Show is a part of the Answering Legal Podcast Network. Learn more about our podcast network here: https://tinyurl.com/yk7t3nms

    Interested in learning more about Answering Legal? Book an appointment to speak with us here: https://tinyurl.com/ufnvb2a3

    You can also give us a call at 631-866-0801.
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    44 mins
  • Why the Midwest’s Largest PI Firm Makes a Podcast About Sandwiches

    Why the Midwest’s Largest PI Firm Makes a Podcast About Sandwiches
    Sep 29 2026
    Welcome to episode 62 of The Earley Show, hosted by personal injury attorney Christopher Earley! For this conversation, Chris is joined by Ed Herman, Managing Partner of Brown & Crouppen, the largest personal injury firm in the Midwest.Two kids from Rockland County, New York end up running personal injury firms a thousand miles apart. Ed and Chris go deep on what actually builds a 240-person, $82 million firm: the weekly one-question pulse survey that reads the room every Thursday, the culture matrix that plots every employee on performance against cultural buy-in, and the "toxic box" of high performers Ed argues you have to fire. He also explains why a lunch eighteen months into his career ended his caseload in a single afternoon, why the largest PI firm in the Midwest makes a podcast about sandwiches instead of law, and what he'd do to build a brand from scratch in 2026 with no money.00:00 Meet Ed Herman, Managing Partner of Brown & Crouppen 01:57 Born in Manhattan, raised in Rockland County 03:15 Small world: Pearl River vs. Spring Valley 04:30 Mock trial, a state championship, and knowing he'd do PI 06:00 Food stamps, and learning to relate to clients 08:39 John Morgan's "You Can't Teach Hungry" and the PI origin story 10:31 Should clients know your backstory? 12:30 Culture isn't platitudes — it's policy 14:00 The bereavement policy that covers the loss of a pet 15:38 Thanksgiving, and the staffer who made stuffing for 240 people 17:56 The weekly pulse survey: one question, every Thursday 21:03 The culture matrix: every employee in four quadrants 23:00 The toxic box, and why you have to fire your highest performer 24:16 Setting people free 26:02 The real cost of being an early adopter 29:49 From $7-8M to $82M in 25 years 31:25 The lunch that ended his caseload in two hours 33:03 Mastering intake before anyone was talking about intake 34:23 A day in the life: Litify dashboards and the executive committee 36:07 The biggest challenge: replenishing the pond 37:30 The roofing company analogy 39:30 Why they make a sandwich podcast instead of a legal one 41:00 Brand as the tiebreaker at the bottom of the funnel 42:46 Hiring for nice and work ethic — the two things you can't teach 46:59 The $10 million call that came in on Halloween 48:47 Appreciation costs nothing and gets you everything 50:11 Required reading: How to Win Friends and Influence People 51:55 KPIs are a report card, not the work 53:29 If you were starting over in 2026 55:12 TikTok, education, entertainment, and reciprocity 58:37 Find your authentic difference and lean in hard 59:14 Why measurable marketing beats the squishy stuff 1:01:25 Where to find Ed 1:02:08 The best sandwich in St. LouisAbout our guest Ed Herman is Managing Partner of Brown & Crouppen Law Firm in St. Louis, the largest personal injury firm in the Midwest, with roughly 240 employees and $82 million in revenue last year. Born in Manhattan and raised in Rockland County, New York, he won the New York state mock trial championship at Spring Valley High School and came to St. Louis for law school at Washington University. He joined Brown & Crouppen in the summer of 2001; eighteen months later, a casual lunch with managing partner Ron Brown ended with his entire caseload reassigned and a mandate to rebuild the firm's intake operation. He has run the business ever since, and co-hosts the firm's entertainment properties, Three Lawyers Eating Sandwiches and Ed Vs.Connect with Ed Website: getbc.com Entertainment: BCTV.comTopics covered Culture as systems, not slogans — and extending bereavement leave to cover the loss of a pet The weekly pulse survey: on a scale of 1 to 10, right now, what's your level of contentment? The culture matrix: performance vs. cultural buy-in, scored every 90 days, and what to do with each quadrant Why you can't create demand in PI — and what that does to measuring your marketing Affinity marketing: why a sandwich podcast outperforms a legal one, and why the clips are the productPeople and resources mentioned Brown & Crouppen — getbc.com Ron Brown, Terry Crouppen and Andy Crouppen — Brown & Crouppen John Morgan — You Can't Teach Hungry; two-time Earley Show guest Dale Carnegie — How to Win Friends and Influence People, required reading at the firm Litify — the firm's case management platform Three Lawyers Eating Sandwiches and Ed Vs. — BCTV.com practicetipoftheweek.com — Chris Earley's free weekly email list for lawyersLearn more about Chris' practice, the Earley Law Group, here: https://www.chrisearley.com/Check out Chris' book "Scaling The Wall" here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxxyv5nThe Earley Show is a part of the Answering Legal Podcast Network. Learn more about our podcast network here: https://tinyurl.com/yk7t3nmsInterested in learning more about Answering Legal? Book an appointment to speak with us here: https://tinyurl.com/ufnvb2a3You can also give us a call at 631-866-0801.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • 650 Employees, 46 Lawyers, One Case Type: Inside Angel Reyes & Associates

    650 Employees, 46 Lawyers, One Case Type: Inside Angel Reyes & Associates
    Sep 28 2026
    Welcome to episode 61 of The Earley Show, hosted by personal injury attorney Christopher Earley! For this conversation, Chris is joined by Angel Reyes III, founder and president of Angel Reyes & Associates in Dallas.Angel has been a lawyer for 35 years and has spent 33 of them building a roughly 650-person firm with 46 lawyers and more than 550 jury verdicts in Texas. He got there doing the opposite of what most firms do: narrowing to one case type, shutting off every TV ad, billboard and bus wrap he had spent two decades buying, and refusing to spend a dollar he can't measure. He and Chris walk the whole arc — the 1994 policy-limits fee he put into Univision instead of a new car, the meeting where he told a dozen lawyers the firm would never touch another mass tort, the 2019 decision to go fully digital that produced a 5x increase in case count, and the machinery holding it together: Litify, nearshore teams, always-on Zoom rooms, the Wonderlic, and a training academy that never stops running.00:00 Intro00:52 35 years a lawyer, 33 in business03:13 Michigan Law, Wall Street, and the move to Dallas09:13 The firm today: ~650 people, 425 nearshore10:32 The 1994 case and the $50,000 Univision bet11:45 Cutting everything that wasn't car wrecks16:26 The only three jobs of a CEO24:10 "We are never doing another mass tort"26:52 Hiring the person, not the resume28:04 Why every hire takes the Wonderlic30:29 Killing broadcast media for Google33:01 The hockey stick: 5x the case count33:37 "If you can't measure it, don't spend it"35:04 Leaving Needles for Litify and Salesforce42:51 ActivTrak, RTO and the nearshore decision46:03 "An overpaid watcher of watchers"48:10 How to reach AngelAbout our guestAngel L. Reyes III is the founder and president of Angel Reyes & Associates in Dallas, Texas. Born in Hawaii to a Puerto Rican family and raised on the island until age 11, he finished high school and college in Kansas City before attending the University of Michigan Law School. He started his career in corporate securities and finance at a Wall Street firm, moved to Texas in the early 1990s, and opened his own firm about five months later. Today the firm handles auto and truck cases exclusively, employs roughly 650 people including 46 lawyers, and has secured more than 550 jury verdicts in Texas.Connect with AngelWebsite: reyeslaw.comEmail: angel@reyeslaw.comTopics coveredGrowing up between Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Kansas City — and how speaking Spanish shaped the firmMichigan Law, Wall Street big law, and the accidental move to TexasThe 1994 policy-limits case and the $50,000 Univision buy that followedBuilding around a market nobody else was serving in 1990s DallasWhy the firm dropped mass torts, work comp and premises to focus only on auto and truckThe three criteria that make a case worth taking: fault, coverage, and a willing clientCase cost financing, phantom income tax, and keeping case costs in a separate accountHiring: interviewing the person instead of the resume, and why every hire takes the WonderlicWhy 2018-2019 was the right moment to kill broadcast media and go fully digitalCompetitor keyword bidding and where the Fifth and Ninth Circuits landedAttribution: unique numbers per ad since the 90s, and the 2021 test that proved TV wasn't liftingMigrating off Needles to Litify on Salesforce — and what that unlocked in measurementThe nearshore decision: service, not savingsAlways-on Zoom rooms, ActivTrak, Power BI and "watching the watchers"Training as a permanent operating discipline, not an onboarding stepThe only three jobs of a CEO: vision, talent, and paying the billsPeople and resources mentionedAngel Reyes & Associates, Dallas, TX — reyeslaw.comGlen Lerner — Lerner and Rowe; Ninth Circuit keyword-bidding litigationMike Morse — FireproofGino Wickman — Traction / EOSMichael Gerber — The E-MythUnivision — the network behind the firm's first big media buyLitify — case management platform built on SalesforceNeedles — the legacy system the firm migrated off in 2019RingCentral and Invoca — telephony and call trackingPower BI — productivity and activity reportingActivTrak — workforce activity monitoring, adopted in 2020Wonderlic — the 50-question, 12-minute test the firm gives every hirepracticetipoftheday.com — Chris's free weekly email list for lawyersLearn more about Chris' practice, the Earley Law Group, here: https://www.chrisearley.com/Check out Chris' book "Scaling The Wall" here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxxyv5nThe Earley Show is a part of the Answering Legal Podcast Network. Learn more about our podcast network here: https://tinyurl.com/yk7t3nmsInterested in learning more about Answering Legal? Book an appointment to speak with us here: https://tinyurl.com/ufnvb2a3You can also give us a call at 631-866-0801.
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    51 mins
  • David Craig: 50 Employees, 10 Lawyers, and Almost Nobody Leaves. Here's Why.

    David Craig: 50 Employees, 10 Lawyers, and Almost Nobody Leaves. Here's Why.
    Sep 21 2026

    Welcome to episode 60 of The Earley Show, hosted by personal injury attorney Christopher Earley! For this conversation, Chris is joined by David Craig, managing partner of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC and host of the After the Crash podcast.

    David has been a trial lawyer for nearly four decades and a marketer for just as long. He tells Chris how he started a firm in 1999 with three lawyers, no cases and no money; how wrapping every phone book in southeastern Indiana in a vinyl cover got him the back cover for free; and why he flipped his firm from 80% attorney referrals to 80% consumer marketing and ended up with more referrals than ever. He also breaks down how he squeezes a dozen assets out of a single podcast interview, why he writes books for consumers instead of lawyers, and the Monday-morning bacon that keeps 50 employees from leaving.

    00:00 Sponsored by Answering Legal
    00:52 Meet David Craig, Indiana truck accident lawyer
    02:04 Growing up in Indiana: a psychologist dad who was a Marine
    03:27 From politics to law: the drive to make a difference
    04:31 Law school strategy: one A and a clerking plan
    05:45 Learning from the best trial lawyers he could find
    07:45 Stacking experience — and hanging a shingle in 1999
    09:09 Leaving with zero cases and starting from nothing
    11:27 The slow burn: competing when you can actually try cases
    12:04 The phone book cover idea that beat the back cover
    13:24 “I don’t know how to build a business” — why that’s a choice
    14:03 Laundromat cards, bike helmets, and standing out
    14:41 Being a high-level trial lawyer and a high-level marketer
    16:12 Masterminds, Crisp, and maximizing every asset
    17:04 After the Crash: niching a podcast down to trucking
    18:21 Batching content and spinning one asset into many
    18:56 Keywords, comments, and asking “why am I doing this?”
    20:29 Flipping from B2B referrals to B2C consumer marketing
    22:33 Stacking authority: books, speaking, Google and AI rankings
    24:27 Turning down speaking gigs and protecting your time
    25:52 Refer a case to Chris Earley
    26:34 The 80/20: start with “is this helpful to anybody else?”
    28:11 Why David still gets on planes to speak
    29:16 Marketing two books written for consumers, not lawyers
    30:45 The client interview that flipped the script
    32:40 Becoming a category of one — and never pressing the client
    34:13 Retention: hiring law clerks and good human beings
    35:54 Equal partners and a buy-in formula from John Morgan’s book
    37:11 Giving associates 50% of every case they bring in
    38:01 Accountability, seasons of life, and kids in the firm
    39:46 People don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses
    40:36 Monday bacon and Thursday lunch: culture that costs little
    42:08 A day in the life at 66
    43:36 Why trial lawyers are the future in an AI world
    44:55 Bring on the competition: challenges as fuel
    46:33 The moat — and how to reach David Craig

    About our guest
    David Craig is the managing partner of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC in Indianapolis, which he founded in 1999 with Scott Faultless and B.J. Kelley. He is board certified in truck accident law and has tried catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases for nearly four decades. He hosts the After the Crash podcast and wrote Semi-Truck Wrecks: A Guide for Victims and Their Families and It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney. He speaks nationally for the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys and hosts an annual trucking seminar for the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association.

    Connect with David
    Website: ckflaw.com
    After the Crash podcast: https://www.ckflaw.com/after-the-crash-podcast/

    People and resources mentioned
    Scott Faultless and B.J. Kelley — David’s founding partners
    Semi-Truck Wrecks: A Guide for Victims and Their Families
    It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney
    Tanner Jones — Consultwebs
    PIMCon — Personal Injury Mastermind Conference
    Crisp — David’s coaching and mastermind group
    Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA)
    Indiana Trial Lawyers Association
    John Morgan — his book shaped David’s partner buy-in formula
    practicetipoftheday.com — Chris Earley’s free weekly email list for lawyers

    Learn more about Chris' practice, the Earley Law Group, here: https://www.chrisearley.com/

    Check out Chris' book "Scaling The Wall" here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxxyv5n

    The Earley Show is a part of the Answering Legal Podcast Network. Learn more about our podcast network here: https://tinyurl.com/yk7t3nms

    Interested in learning more about Answering Legal? Book an appointment to speak with us here: https://tinyurl.com/ufnvb2a3

    You can also give us a call at 631-866-0801.
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    48 mins
  • Jenn Gore: She Sold Her Law Firm, Ran Intake For 500 People, Then Walked Away

    Jenn Gore: She Sold Her Law Firm, Ran Intake For 500 People, Then Walked Away
    Sep 8 2026
    Welcome to episode 59 of The Earley Show, hosted by personal injury attorney Christopher Earley! For this conversation, Chris is joined for the second time by Jenn Gore, founder of Evergreen Business Coaching.Jenn and Chris go deep on the intake system she installs in firms around the country: the dedicated new client line, why manual lead entry both loses cases and invites outright fraud, the audit process that catches misclassified leads, and the 30-day chase sequence most firms never build. She also explains Greg Crabtree’s “black hole” between $2 million and $5 million, why the most broken department in most firms is production rather than intake, and why she would not sign a long-term CRM contract right now.00:00 Welcome back — a return guest, two and a half years later01:24 Selling her firm, joining Sweet James, and walking awa07:13 Running national intake: what she found and fixed08:10 Why you need a dedicated new client line09:13 Manual lead entry is a hole in the bucket10:24 Intake fraud: leads sold out the back door for $10,00010:44 Auditing every single call that comes in12:29 The 30-day chase sequence15:11 Chris: I meet with intake more than my COO17:52 The most broken department in every firm (it isn’t intake)20:39 Evergreen Business Coaching: who it’s built for24:29 Labor ratio and the lag built into contingency30:58 Coaching outside of law — and COO services33:06 Where this is all going: AI, and CRMs under threat37:31 Do not sign long-term software deals right now38:11 How to reach Jenn40:02 Chris’s why: being the father he didn’t have44:29 Vision boards, big checks, and writing the future down45:33 “One day you will sell your law firm”About our guestJenn Gore is the founder of Evergreen Business Coaching, where she works with personal injury firm owners around the country on intake, operations and scale. She founded Atlanta Personal Injury Law Group, which was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing U.S. companies for three consecutive years, and later sold equity in the firm to create Sweet James Georgia — serving as a partner and running intake nationally for Sweet James before completing a full sale and exiting. She practiced personal injury law for 14 years, focusing on wrongful death, trucking and motorcycle cases. She hosts an annual business plan workshop in Atlanta where firm owners pitch their plans for live, Shark Tank-style feedback.Connect with JennLinkedIn: Jennifer Gore — Evergreen Business CoachingInstagram: @jenngorelawyerWebsite: evergreenbizcoaching.comEmail: jennifer@evergreenbizcoaching.comTopics coveredSelling a firm into a national platform — and what the transition actually feels likeWhy revenue predictability in a contingency practice requires intake, marketing and production to all be predictableThe dedicated new client line, and why attribution falls apart without oneAPI integration between call tracking and intake software vs. manual entryIntake fraud: leads sold to competitors, and leads misclassified as unqualified to protect conversion numbersDaily call auditing, and using AI call summaries to trigger deeper reviewThe 30-day chase sequence and why two days is not enoughThe fundamentals that put a firm in the top 5% of intake operationsGreg Crabtree’s “black hole”: why profit disappears between $2M and $5MLabor as the number one expense — and the lag between paying for work and collecting on itWhy production, not intake, is the most broken department in most firmsCRMs vs. AI platforms, and why long-term software contracts are risky right nowCoaching second-in-commands and building a world-class COOStaying open to career change, and writing your future downPeople and resources mentionedSweet James Accident Attorneys — sweetjames.comAtlanta Personal Injury Law GroupGreg Crabtree — Simple Numbers, Big ProfitsJames Clear — Atomic HabitsChad Dudley — on never taking your eyes off intakeRyan McKeen — Best Era, LLC; the Best Era Slack communityRevolutionary Era — Best Era’s Boston event, Suffolk University Law SchoolAI Era — Best Era’s AI conference in Charleston, SC (2026 edition: AI Era 2.o, November 5–6)Lunch Hour Legal Marketing — Tennessee, AugustPILMMA — where Chris saw Greg Crabtree speakTLU (Trial Lawyers University)Mike Morse — on how a couple of ideas can change your trajectoryMickey Love — previous Earley Show guest, on constantly curious peopleLead Docket, Law Ruler, CallRail, RingCentral, EveLearn more about Chris' practice, the Earley Law Group, here: https://www.chrisearley.com/Check out Chris' book "Scaling The Wall" here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxxyv5n The Earley Show is a part of the Answering Legal Podcast Network. Learn more about our podcast network here: https://tinyurl.com/yk7t3nms Interested in learning more about Answering Legal? Book an appointment to speak with us here: https://tinyurl.com/ufnvb2a3You can also give us a call at 631-866-0801.
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    50 mins
  • David Vicknair On Building A Law Firm People Love Working For And Clients Love Reviewing

    David Vicknair On Building A Law Firm People Love Working For And Clients Love Reviewing
    Aug 10 2026

    Welcome to episode 58 of The Earley Show podcast, hosted by personal injury attorney Christopher Earley! For this conversation, Chris is joined by David Vicknair, Partner at Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers.

    David has built a thriving personal injury practice in one of the country’s most competitive legal markets by leading with love, demanding accountability and making exceptional client service part of his firm’s culture. In this conversation, he shares how his Louisiana upbringing and passion for football shaped his coaching-style approach to leadership, explains why systematizing hospitality helped Scott Vicknair earn more than 2,000 Google reviews and discusses how community involvement, mentorship and a commitment to personal growth have fueled the firm’s success.

    Guest Info:

    David Vicknair - Co-Founder of Scott Vicknair Law

    Visit David's firm website: https://www.scottvicknair.com

    Follow David's writing on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/zxwkf4j9

    Learn more about Chris' practice, the Earley Law Group, here: https://www.chrisearley.com/

    Check out Chris' book "Scaling The Wall" here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxxyv5n

    The Earley Show is a part of the Answering Legal Podcast Network. Learn more about our podcast network here: https://tinyurl.com/2t4pa53m

    Interested in learning more about Answering Legal? Book an appointment to speak with us here: https://tinyurl.com/3yujbs8z

    You can also give us a call at 631-866-0801.

    This podcast is produced and edited by Joe Galotti. You can reach Joe via email at joe@answeringlegal.com.

    Music by https://www.free-stock-music.com
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    45 mins