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November 4, 2025 21 mins

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Non-attorney law firm leadership grew us $3M in less than 2 years. Here's how we hired a manufacturing exec to run Sterling Lawyers.


Jeff Kerlin's journey from manufacturing leader to law firm president proves non-attorney firm management works when you prioritize leadership ability over legal credentials. His approach to law firm culture building strategies and one-on-one leadership development transformed our operations—implementing law firm executive team coaching, speaking candidly in law firms, and delegating law firm operations so attorneys could focus on legal decisions while he handled business decisions. 


The results of hiring non-lawyer law firm president talent: $14.5M to $17.5M+ revenue growth, stronger metrics than manufacturing companies, and a high-trust culture where leaders collaborate without asking permission. This law firm business leader recruitment approach proves that business expertise in the legal industry drives sustainable growth more effectively than traditional attorney-led models.


📲 Subscribe Now: https://www.youtube.com/@jsterlinghughes 

📝 Get your FREE Law Firm Growth Guide: https://jsterlinghughes.com/

📚 Order the Waterfall Method Book Now: http://www.RocketClicks.com/pre-order


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📄 CHAPTERS
0:00 - Law Firm Leadership Without a Law Degree: Jeff Kerlin's Manufacturing Background 

3:47 - Why Hiring Non-Lawyer Leaders Transformed Our Family Law Firm Growth

7:45 - Law Firm Operations Management: Better Metrics Than Manufacturing

10:45 - Building Trust in Legal Teams Through Law Firm One-on-One Meetings

14:08 - Delegating in Law Firms: The "Say the Thing" Culture That Drives Results

16:55 - Law Firm Business Management: The 60-70% Delegation Rule That Changed Everything 

18:51 - Scaling Law Firm Operations by Letting Go of Control


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