September 23, 2025 • 22 mins
Solo law practice owners hit a ceiling fast - but Christina cracked the code to 50% yearly growth. Here's her system.
Most solo attorneys think they need partners to scale, but Christina proves that wrong. She went from lacking confidence to building small law firm systems that generated consistent family law firm growth without sacrificing her attorney work life balance.
The legal practice management strategies she shares about the law firm hiring process and putting family first changed everything for her legal business coaching approach.
📲 Subscribe Now: https://www.youtube.com/@TylerxDolph
📝 Schedule a FREE Family Law Firm Audit: rocketclicks.com/schedule-a-family-law-quick-audit
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📄 CHAPTERS
0:00 - Solo Law Practice Success Story: From Confidence Crisis To Growth
2:02 - Why Christina Never Worked As An Associate
4:21 - The Mentor Who Changed Her Attorney Entrepreneurship Journey
7:05 - Business Lessons That Built Her Family Law Practice
8:11 - The Partnership Mistake That Cost Her Years
9:16 - Legal Business Coaching: The Game-Changing Investment
12:52 - Solo Practitioner Challenges: Avoiding The Bottleneck Trap
14:28 - Law Firm Profitability: Putting Family First Strategy
16:46 - The Wake-Up Call That Transformed Her Legal Entrepreneur Mindset
18:00 - Attorney Business Development Advice For New Firm Owners
21:15 - Scaling Beyond Solo: Hiring Senior Family Law Attorneys
----------------------
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It took Christina a few years to gain the confidence
to go out on her own and starther own family law firm, but
once she did, she experiencedthe success of growth and
profitability and has grown herfirm by almost 50% every year
she's been in business.
You are going to love her story.
(00:21):
Welcome back to the RevenueRoadmap.
My name is Tyler Dolph.
I am the CEO of our agency herethat works exclusively with
family law firms, called RocketClicks.
We also own and operate our ownfamily law firm called Sterling
Lawyers that has grown to over30 attorneys across 25 offices.
(00:43):
Today we are continuing our lawfirm interview series and
Christina has a great story.
She worked at a few small firms.
She partnered up with someattorneys but eventually
realized she wanted to have herown thing.
She wanted to put out her ownshingle and when she did, she
was able to leverage all thatprior experience and has grown a
very fast-growing law firm withnow three attorneys, and her
(01:07):
future is bright.
Make sure to check it out.
I hope you enjoy her story,christina.
Thank you so much for beingwith us today.
We were talking a little bitbefore the podcast started about
the fact that you are a mom.
You have two differentbusinesses that you're trying to
run all at the same time, soI'm sure life gets a little
crazy.
I'd love the opportunity tolearn more about you.
(01:29):
Would you introduce yourselfand your law firm for our
audience?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Thank you so much for having me.
I really appreciate it.
My name is Christina Alvarez.
I am a family lawyer in CentralFlorida and my law firm is C
Alvarez Law.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Love it.
And how long have you had thelaw firm?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
It will be 11 years coming up in October.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Congratulations.
That's amazing.
So bring us back to thebeginning.
What made you want to startyour own firm?
Were you at a big firmbeforehand, or how did the
origin story start?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
So the origin story is a little non-traditional.
I actually have never been anassociate anywhere, yes.
So I had a mentor of mine whohad his own solo practice.
I was working with him as hislaw clerk for about two years
while I was in law school, andhe knew that I had an interest
in family law and so hebasically helped me gain the
(02:26):
skills to become a family lawyerwhile I was interning.
And he said listen, I you knowI can't hire you, but I know
that you really want to dofamily law and so I will help
you build your firm.
And in return, if you couldhave counsel to my family law
department and handle my familylaw cases, and basically he said
(02:47):
I'll teach you everything Iknow about business, about
trials, about depots, aboutmotion practice, handling
clients, interviewing clientsnothing in return except for you
know, help me build my practiceup and take on those cases and
those clients.
And that's what I did.
And so I did that for about twoyears and then him and I
(03:10):
actually, and a third personthat I was very good friends
with in law school, becamepartners and so each of us had
our individual practice areasthat we did, because he also did
immigration and criminaldefense, and so I kind of stayed
, you know, in that family law,that family law realm, because
that's where I felt comfortable.
And so I kind of stayed, youknow, in that family law, that
family law realm, because that'swhere I felt comfortable and I
liked it.
It was exciting, you know, itwas a different issue every day,
(03:32):
and so we did that for a littlewhile as well and then, you
know, just didn't work out.
We're all still very goodfriends today and you know we
talk all the time and all that,but you know, I think it's just
different visions right of howwe saw the firm going.
So, yeah, and then I wassomewhere else for about a year,
(03:52):
a year or so, as a non nonequity partner boutique firm,
and I decided that working forme was really the best, the best
thing, best thing.
I really enjoyed having fullcontrol of what I was going to
do in my office.
I mean, I do play nice withothers in the sandbox when it
(04:14):
comes to the vision of mybusiness.
That's just what it is and I'vecome to terms with that.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
And there's nothing wrong with that.
I think that's great.
I mean, that's why a lot ofentrepreneurs start their
business right is they want tobe their own boss and make their
own hours and do what they gotto do.
It was great that you had thismentor right to help teach you
about building a firm and theentrepreneurial side of starting
your own law firm.
Were there some early lessonsthat he imparted on you that
(04:41):
really helped kind of steer yourship in the right direction
that you could share with us?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
I would say number one um to always be hustling
right, that you can get clientsreally from anywhere, um.
So you know he was big on doingthat every day and making sure
that he was maintainingconnections with people.
He was very good at listeningto the clients and being
(05:10):
compassionate with them, whichyou know I saw firsthand.
And basically, you know, makingsure that it was about the
client and not so much about thelawyer, and I think that's very
missed on a lot of lawyers justbecause the clients do tell me.
Like you know, I went to speakto this lawyer and I think
that's very missed on a lot oflawyers, just because the
clients do tell me.
Like you know, I went to speakto this lawyer but I really felt
like it was about them tellingme about all of their accolades
(05:31):
and everything they've done andall the cases they want, and not
really about what my specificissue was.
So he was very good at that,you know, making sure that the
client felt heard.
The client felt like they weregoing to get the best
representation possible.
And he's just really creative,you know, like just he would get
cases from all kinds of places.
You know we took on not justfamily law cases, but some other
(05:52):
things that I was just like,okay, I guess we're doing this.
You know, in other areas of thelaw that like small claims
cases and stuff, nothing big.
But it was just interestingbecause I always got some
interesting fact patterns andlike we would go together and he
would teach me how to kind ofmaneuver around the craziness of
the courtroom.
Right, because you're not.
You go in there thinking, ok,one thing is going to happen.
Right, you plan for that, ofcourse, but when you're a
(06:14):
litigation attorney, triallawyer, like you never know
what's going to come out thatday.
So he taught me how to be agile, how to adapt to that.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
What about on the business side?
Anything as it relates to likewell, you need to set up your
payroll this way, or you need tomake sure you have these
software systems, yeah, actually.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
So yeah, he had a system for his files.
I still continue to use thatsame system to this day in my
firm because I just love it somuch.
We did end up having at onepoint, a case management
practice, crm and I have a CRM,of course and that was very
valuable, obviously for you knowas you know for for billing and
keeping invoices and all thatUm and so on that end, you know,
(06:54):
making sure that the clientsunderstand the payment terms, um
, I think is very important too,and I'm very big on that as
well, and he, he definitelystressed that with them.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
On it?
Is there, um, you know I guessyou're thinking back and
reflecting on the experiencesyou had, both from working with
some partners and you know thatfirm eventually dissolving.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Is there anything that you go back and do a little
bit differently or that you'relike, oh, I wish I knew this had
left the first partnership withmy friends, that I would have
maybe just made the decision tostay solo and not have gone to
(07:38):
the other place.
I think, for me in particular,like that, that that kind of
environment was not suitable formy personality, and I wish you
know hindsight is 2020, right, Iwish I had just taken the bet
on me earlier, you know, becauseI think I felt like I was, you
(08:00):
know, of course, just startingout.
I think I was like four or fiveyears into practice.
You know, of course, I'm juststarting out my business and, as
all entrepreneurs know, likeit's very hard, right, those
first couple of years, causeyou're doing everything, and so
I don't think at that point, Ihad the confidence enough in
myself to believe that I coulddo it alone, and I kind of wish
I would have just taken thatleap earlier, because I feel
(08:22):
like I would be a lot furtheralong if I had.
But you know, of course, youknow, everything is a learned
lesson, right.
So it did show me that likeokay, I, I can do this right.
Like I don't need anybody tocome in here and validate me,
right, like I can do this on myown.
I'm creative.
You know I'm always learningright, always learning how to be
(08:44):
better, whether that's to be abetter lawyer, better
entrepreneur or better boss, andI think that's suited me very
well, you know.
And so since 2019, I've beenback just on my law firm and
I've grown almost almost 50%every year since 2019.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
It's amazing.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Right, and so I'm like dang.
I wish I would have just liketaken the leap of faith on
myself right earlier, but I haveto do.
I have to credit most of thatto a business coaching program
that I've been in also since2019.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
And which one's that?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
So it's how to manage a small law firm.
Um, it's a pretty bigorganization.
It's got, I think, over 600lawyers now across the country,
most of them small or solo lawfirms, um, and so that's just
been a really amazing communityfor me.
Number one, because we're allthere supporting each other
through things that I think onlyentrepreneurs can understand.
(09:40):
And number two, you know I havevaluable access and insight and
advice right on a daily basis.
I'm not just here by myselffiguring things out.
I mean, you know we go to lawschool to be lawyers, right, I
mean, no one wants, unless youhave the MBA when you get there,
or you do the MBA after right.
But none of us are trainedbusiness owners in law school,
and so that's a whole differentgame, and so I've had the
(10:02):
benefit of having them guide me,you know, through some of these
really challenging businessdecisions.
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
And do they?
Do they focus more on thebusiness side of things, or is
it holistic?
Speaker 2 (10:15):
So well holistic in terms of like the mindset stuff,
which it's so interesting onceyou start getting into the
mindset work and you realize,like how much it really does
affect like every area of yourlife.
And so they always say, likepersonal growth precedes
professional growth, and I haveto tell you that's been very
true for me and so I like thataspect of it.
(10:38):
It's not just about like thenumbers and the KPIs and the
hiring and the systems.
It really is also about likewhat you're doing to feed your
mind in a positive way, and alsothings that maybe you've been
doing for years and years andyears, just because maybe there
were things you were taught,things you did just like survive
right, that necessarily aren'thelping you anymore, and things
(11:02):
you have to shed in order tobecome, you know, the better
lawyer, you want to be thebetter business owner, you want
to be my case.
You know I want to be the bestmom I can be, I want to be the
best wife I can be, and so forme that's really given me so
much in terms of just growth andconfidence, so that for me has
been invaluable 100%.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
I mean the fact that you were able to gain the
confidence to go out on your ownand then have a support
resource like this community tolean on, because I think as
entrepreneurs you know, we livein highs and lows and we think
we can conquer the world one dayand then it's all crumbling
down the next and having thatsupport is really important.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah, it gets lonely, right, they say like it's
lonely on the top right.
So I think it's nice to justhave, especially in that
community of other lawyers, justpeople I can call or text, you
know whenever, and say, hey, I'mhaving this problem.
And some of them are a lotfurther along than I am, you
know.
And so I'm like, hey, I'mhaving this problem.
They're like oh, I had thisproblem three years ago, Like,
(12:02):
here's what you need to do.
And I'm like, oh, thank God,Like, because I could go through
the problem by myself.
Right, I would learn somethingfrom it, of course, but if I can
prevent stress and I canprevent disaster, then that's
what I want to do.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Oh yeah, If you can get the answer in five minutes
versus five hours.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Right, yeah, or like years of just torturing myself
right and like banging my headup against the wall, you know.
So that's been really reallycool.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So you took this chance on yourself.
You know you, you gained theconfidence to do it and now
you're growing 50% every singleyear.
What do you attribute to thatgrowth?
Like what?
What are you doing that isallowing you to continue to grow
?
Cause, I think, as a solo umattorney, or a solo practice or
a solopreneur in any, anybusiness, um, oftentimes it's
(12:51):
that person that becomes thebottleneck right.
They can't let go, they can'tdelegate, they can't build
process, and that actuallyprevents them from growing.
You know, it sounds like you'vebeen able to make that leap.
What do you attribute that to?
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I think number one getting the right people in the
right seats at the right time,and not being and like not
saying I haven't done this, Ihave, and it was a mistake that
I made.
You know, I I think I didn'tinvest enough into, like
onboarding new employees.
I didn't invest enough intotraining them.
I just thought, oh well,they're experienced, they'll
know what to do.
Um, and so I do take that veryseriously now.
(13:26):
You know, when I bring newemployees on, sort like again
sourcing the right talent,because I think sometimes what
happens with us is we're like,okay, we have 150 cases.
Oh man, now I need help.
And then you just kind of takethe first or second person that
looks like they're going tothrow you a lifeline, not
knowing and vetting themcorrectly and knowing, okay, are
(13:47):
they going to be here for thelong before it happens?
Is is ideal, right.
So staffing before you actuallyneed it you know if it's where
it's going to be profitable foryou but not being so desperate
and freaking out in that momentlike, oh my God, I don't have
enough staff to handle this,these 150 cases, like let me
(14:08):
just go find whoever.
So I've been very strategicabout that as well and I'm going
to be just really transparent,putting my dreams and my goals
and myself and my family first,because I'm a very, very
compassionate person.
I might my staff will tell youyou know I do a lot for them.
(14:29):
They do a lot for me in return,right, and I am like very, you
know, very, um, humanitarian, Iguess is the word Right, and I
love people and I have a heartfor people.
That's why I practice familylaw.
You know, I don't think you canpractice family law and not
have a heart for people.
Um, but you know, I think forme I did that a lot to my
detriment, especially mybusiness.
(14:51):
You know I would put otherpeople and other ideas or what
they wanted to do or how theysaw the firm going right before
my myself and my comfort and mystress level right, Like trying
to bring my stress level down.
So that has been something thatI think about on the daily.
You know, when I make decisionsI'm like, okay, I got to do
(15:12):
this for me and my family firstand foremost.
Right, I got to make sure thatthis benefits myself, my family
and then the firm as a whole.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
So having your priorities in order.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yeah, yeah.
And especially, I became a mom.
I mean that shot right up tothe top list of the list, right.
And so you know the attention Iwas giving to people training
with me, right.
I couldn't do that anymorebecause now I have a little girl
, you know, depending on me foreverything.
(15:47):
You know I'm staying up allhours of the night, you know,
trying to be a mom, and thenworking in the morning and
dealing with my clients, and soI had to really prioritize my
life and I had to prioritize myfamily first, and I wasn't doing
that before.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Good for you?
Yeah, Was it?
Was your having your daughterthat kind of catalyst moment
that made you kind of reflect?
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Yes, I have a friend who's actually an HTM with me.
She's very successful familylawyer in South Florida.
She's a mom, wife, the wholething too.
And I remember calling her,just like freaking out, you know
, so tired and you know monthsif you have kids, months and
months of like staying up atnight and you're like when is
this ever gonna end?
And you don't know, and it'sjust you know growing the firm
right really quickly, wasn'tlike I was doing it little by
(16:33):
little.
No, I was like on the treadmillgoing, and so I remember calling
her and just being like I havethis problem.
And she was like Christina,every dollar that like isn't
coming into your firm, like isbeing taken out of your
daughter's mouth, like do youunderstand?
And I was like, oh, like.
When she put it that way, I waslike, yeah, I can't just let
employees slide on whatever youknow on their KPIs and just be
(17:00):
like all right, thanks for doingme the favor Right.
Like this is a business.
You know, this is, this is mylivelihood, this is how I feed
my family.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
And it's how they feed their families too, which
is oftentimes you got to remindthem.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Correct, correct.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
And so you know, for me, I was like oh my God, like
yes, right, I can't just bethrowing money out the window on
whatever, on vendors, onemployees, on trainings,
whatever, because that is, thatis money that's really coming
out of my daughter's life, right, her college fund, you know,
whatever private school I'd liketo put her in, I mean, it's
affecting her lifestyle.
Well said, 100%, that'spowerful.
So, christina, as we're kind oflike ending here or finishing
up, I think about the personwho's just behind you, right,
the generation behind you,someone who is at either a large
firm or thinking about startingtheir own firm what piece of
(18:02):
advice could you offer to themas they're taking the next step
in their career path?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
So I think, number one, you have to believe in
yourself, even when everybody atthe table is going that's a
crazy idea.
Why would we do that?
If you feel very passionate andconvicted about that idea, then
you have to believe in yourselfand bet on yourself and believe
in that vision and hold thatvision close to your heart and
be, I guess, just likeunshakable about it, basically
(18:29):
like, hey, no, this is my vision, this is what we're going to do
.
You get on board or you don't.
Like, this is my vision, thisis what we're going to do.
You get on board or you don't.
And unfortunately, that happenswhen you're growing firms,
right, because, like in thecoaching program, they say, well
, people who are with you at500,000 or who are with you at
250,000 aren't going to be withyou at the million sometimes
Sometimes, because peoplesometimes want to hold on to
(18:50):
what was good.
And if it was good, why would wechange it?
And so for me, I can tell you,like just being headstrong about
that and just being like no,this is my idea, this is my
vision, this is how I see myfirm going.
This is what I want to do.
Um has been number one, but two, to be humble, because I think
people think this is a loteasier than it is, because it
(19:13):
looks pretty right.
Right, it looks nice onInstagram.
It looks great when you get theawards.
I'm on this podcast, right?
Oh, she's on this podcast.
But I think you do have to behumble and realize you don't
know everything.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
That's okay.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Right and I know for me, as long as I'm a lawyer, as
long as I'm an entrepreneur.
I'm going to rely on otherpeople and their advice and kind
of take from their story andalso things that they're doing.
Great, you know, I take notesof that.
I don't think that I knoweverything, and so I think
sometimes on the youngergeneration, that's a little lost
you know, just to kind of becurious and stay humble.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
We say it all the time at our firm and in our
agency that, like asking forhelp is the most underrated
skill that successful peoplehave.
They're okay and confidentenough to say hey, I don't know
this, I'm either going to gofigure it out or I'm going to
find someone who already knowsit so I can get.
Get there.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Yeah, I mean, of course you know when you're an
attorney, the mentors do tellyou hey, don't come here with a
bunch of questions.
First Make sure that youresearch the issue and then come
to me and say, hey, I've done X, y and Z and I cannot find the
answer.
Like, is there somewhere else Ishould be looking?
Do you have any ideas?
Like am I in the right place?
I think taking the initiativeis important, but you're right,
(20:32):
Like asking, asking for help,asking the questions.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
You don't know everything.
And that's yeah, I agreeTotally.
I'm so thankful for your story,for this opportunity to learn
more about you and your firm.
Tell us about the future.
You know you've been growingreally fast.
Is that is the plan to continueto see how large you can grow
your firm, or do you have kindof aspirations to slow that
(20:57):
growth down?
Speaker 2 (20:57):
No, I don't have any aspirations to slow the growth
down.
I am always, at all times, mystaff will tell you this pedal
to the metal as far as we can go, as fast as we can go, and so
you know that's, that is whatI've been doing and that's what
I continue to plan to do.
But you know, however, I haveopened up another new business,
(21:20):
which is an online boutique,because I love fashion and I
have an interest in that's kindof my side hobby, and so you
know, I'd like to kind of getinto that space as well, as I'm
putting the right players intomy, in my firm, to not have to
be the one handling the cases ona day-to-day basis, and so,
yeah, I'm doing that too.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
That'll be another big entrepreneurial leap of
totally replacing yourselfwithin the business.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Yes, and that's what I'm looking to do.
So I am hiring a seniorattorney, family law experience.
I've been looking for about sixmonths now, so I'm being very
picky about who this person is,but I do want the next you know
senior family law attorney toreally be somebody that's going
to stay with me long term and,you know, help the firm grow to
(22:05):
the next level.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
That's great.
Well, if you're listening tothis and you know anyone, make
sure to reach out to Christina.
Christina, I am so thankful foryour time.
I look forward to having youback on as you continue to move
through this entrepreneurial andlaw firm owner journey, and
we'll look forward to talking toyou soon.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Thank you so much.
It's been really lovely.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to continue
to follow us as we continue ourinterview series with successful
law firm owners all across thecountry.
We did a really great interviewlast week that you're going to
want to check out right here.
It took Christina a few years to gain the confidence
to go out on her own and starther own family law firm, but
once she did, she experiencedthe success of growth and
profitability and has grown herfirm by almost 50% every year
she's been in business.
You are going to love her story.
(00:21):
Welcome back to the RevenueRoadmap.
My name is Tyler Dolph.
I am the CEO of our agency herethat works exclusively with
family law firms, called RocketClicks.
We also own and operate our ownfamily law firm called Sterling
Lawyers that has grown to over30 attorneys across 25 offices.
(00:43):
Today we are continuing our lawfirm interview series and
Christina has a great story.
She worked at a few small firms.
She partnered up with someattorneys but eventually
realized she wanted to have herown thing.
She wanted to put out her ownshingle and when she did, she
was able to leverage all thatprior experience and has grown a
very fast-growing law firm withnow three attorneys, and her
(01:07):
future is bright.
Make sure to check it out.
I hope you enjoy her story,christina.
Thank you so much for beingwith us today.
We were talking a little bitbefore the podcast started about
the fact that you are a mom.
You have two differentbusinesses that you're trying to
run all at the same time, soI'm sure life gets a little
crazy.
I'd love the opportunity tolearn more about you.
(01:29):
Would you introduce yourselfand your law firm for our
audience?
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Thank you so much for having me.
I really appreciate it.
My name is Christina Alvarez.
I am a family lawyer in CentralFlorida and my law firm is C
Alvarez Law.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Love it.
And how long have you had thelaw firm?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
It will be 11 years coming up in October.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Congratulations.
That's amazing.
So bring us back to thebeginning.
What made you want to startyour own firm?
Were you at a big firmbeforehand, or how did the
origin story start?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
So the origin story is a little non-traditional.
I actually have never been anassociate anywhere, yes.
So I had a mentor of mine whohad his own solo practice.
I was working with him as hislaw clerk for about two years
while I was in law school, andhe knew that I had an interest
in family law and so hebasically helped me gain the
(02:26):
skills to become a family lawyerwhile I was interning.
And he said listen, I you knowI can't hire you, but I know
that you really want to dofamily law and so I will help
you build your firm.
And in return, if you couldhave counsel to my family law
department and handle my familylaw cases, and basically he said
(02:47):
I'll teach you everything Iknow about business, about
trials, about depots, aboutmotion practice, handling
clients, interviewing clientsnothing in return except for you
know, help me build my practiceup and take on those cases and
those clients.
And that's what I did.
And so I did that for about twoyears and then him and I
(03:10):
actually, and a third personthat I was very good friends
with in law school, becamepartners and so each of us had
our individual practice areasthat we did, because he also did
immigration and criminaldefense, and so I kind of stayed
, you know, in that family law,that family law realm, because
that's where I felt comfortable.
And so I kind of stayed, youknow, in that family law, that
family law realm, because that'swhere I felt comfortable and I
liked it.
It was exciting, you know, itwas a different issue every day,
(03:32):
and so we did that for a littlewhile as well and then, you
know, just didn't work out.
We're all still very goodfriends today and you know we
talk all the time and all that,but you know, I think it's just
different visions right of howwe saw the firm going.
So, yeah, and then I wassomewhere else for about a year,
(03:52):
a year or so, as a non nonequity partner boutique firm,
and I decided that working forme was really the best, the best
thing, best thing.
I really enjoyed having fullcontrol of what I was going to
do in my office.
I mean, I do play nice withothers in the sandbox when it
(04:14):
comes to the vision of mybusiness.
That's just what it is and I'vecome to terms with that.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
And there's nothing wrong with that.
I think that's great.
I mean, that's why a lot ofentrepreneurs start their
business right is they want tobe their own boss and make their
own hours and do what they gotto do.
It was great that you had thismentor right to help teach you
about building a firm and theentrepreneurial side of starting
your own law firm.
Were there some early lessonsthat he imparted on you that
(04:41):
really helped kind of steer yourship in the right direction
that you could share with us?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
I would say number one um to always be hustling
right, that you can get clientsreally from anywhere, um.
So you know he was big on doingthat every day and making sure
that he was maintainingconnections with people.
He was very good at listeningto the clients and being
(05:10):
compassionate with them, whichyou know I saw firsthand.
And basically, you know, makingsure that it was about the
client and not so much about thelawyer, and I think that's very
missed on a lot of lawyers justbecause the clients do tell me.
Like you know, I went to speakto this lawyer and I think
that's very missed on a lot oflawyers, just because the
clients do tell me.
Like you know, I went to speakto this lawyer but I really felt
like it was about them tellingme about all of their accolades
(05:31):
and everything they've done andall the cases they want, and not
really about what my specificissue was.
So he was very good at that,you know, making sure that the
client felt heard.
The client felt like they weregoing to get the best
representation possible.
And he's just really creative,you know, like just he would get
cases from all kinds of places.
You know we took on not justfamily law cases, but some other
(05:52):
things that I was just like,okay, I guess we're doing this.
You know, in other areas of thelaw that like small claims
cases and stuff, nothing big.
But it was just interestingbecause I always got some
interesting fact patterns andlike we would go together and he
would teach me how to kind ofmaneuver around the craziness of
the courtroom.
Right, because you're not.
You go in there thinking, ok,one thing is going to happen.
Right, you plan for that, ofcourse, but when you're a
(06:14):
litigation attorney, triallawyer, like you never know
what's going to come out thatday.
So he taught me how to be agile, how to adapt to that.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
What about on the business side?
Anything as it relates to likewell, you need to set up your
payroll this way, or you need tomake sure you have these
software systems, yeah, actually.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
So yeah, he had a system for his files.
I still continue to use thatsame system to this day in my
firm because I just love it somuch.
We did end up having at onepoint, a case management
practice, crm and I have a CRM,of course and that was very
valuable, obviously for you knowas you know for for billing and
keeping invoices and all thatUm and so on that end, you know,
(06:54):
making sure that the clientsunderstand the payment terms, um
, I think is very important too,and I'm very big on that as
well, and he, he definitelystressed that with them.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
On it?
Is there, um, you know I guessyou're thinking back and
reflecting on the experiencesyou had, both from working with
some partners and you know thatfirm eventually dissolving.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Is there anything that you go back and do a little
bit differently or that you'relike, oh, I wish I knew this had
left the first partnership withmy friends, that I would have
maybe just made the decision tostay solo and not have gone to
(07:38):
the other place.
I think, for me in particular,like that, that that kind of
environment was not suitable formy personality, and I wish you
know hindsight is 2020, right, Iwish I had just taken the bet
on me earlier, you know, becauseI think I felt like I was, you
(08:00):
know, of course, just startingout.
I think I was like four or fiveyears into practice.
You know, of course, I'm juststarting out my business and, as
all entrepreneurs know, likeit's very hard, right, those
first couple of years, causeyou're doing everything, and so
I don't think at that point, Ihad the confidence enough in
myself to believe that I coulddo it alone, and I kind of wish
I would have just taken thatleap earlier, because I feel
(08:22):
like I would be a lot furtheralong if I had.
But you know, of course, youknow, everything is a learned
lesson, right.
So it did show me that likeokay, I, I can do this right.
Like I don't need anybody tocome in here and validate me,
right, like I can do this on myown.
I'm creative.
You know I'm always learningright, always learning how to be
(08:44):
better, whether that's to be abetter lawyer, better
entrepreneur or better boss, andI think that's suited me very
well, you know.
And so since 2019, I've beenback just on my law firm and
I've grown almost almost 50%every year since 2019.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
It's amazing.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Right, and so I'm like dang.
I wish I would have just liketaken the leap of faith on
myself right earlier, but I haveto do.
I have to credit most of thatto a business coaching program
that I've been in also since2019.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
And which one's that?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
So it's how to manage a small law firm.
Um, it's a pretty bigorganization.
It's got, I think, over 600lawyers now across the country,
most of them small or solo lawfirms, um, and so that's just
been a really amazing communityfor me.
Number one, because we're allthere supporting each other
through things that I think onlyentrepreneurs can understand.
(09:40):
And number two, you know I havevaluable access and insight and
advice right on a daily basis.
I'm not just here by myselffiguring things out.
I mean, you know we go to lawschool to be lawyers, right, I
mean, no one wants, unless youhave the MBA when you get there,
or you do the MBA after right.
But none of us are trainedbusiness owners in law school,
and so that's a whole differentgame, and so I've had the
(10:02):
benefit of having them guide me,you know, through some of these
really challenging businessdecisions.
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
And do they?
Do they focus more on thebusiness side of things, or is
it holistic?
Speaker 2 (10:15):
So well holistic in terms of like the mindset stuff,
which it's so interesting onceyou start getting into the
mindset work and you realize,like how much it really does
affect like every area of yourlife.
And so they always say, likepersonal growth precedes
professional growth, and I haveto tell you that's been very
true for me and so I like thataspect of it.
(10:38):
It's not just about like thenumbers and the KPIs and the
hiring and the systems.
It really is also about likewhat you're doing to feed your
mind in a positive way, and alsothings that maybe you've been
doing for years and years andyears, just because maybe there
were things you were taught,things you did just like survive
right, that necessarily aren'thelping you anymore, and things
(11:02):
you have to shed in order tobecome, you know, the better
lawyer, you want to be thebetter business owner, you want
to be my case.
You know I want to be the bestmom I can be, I want to be the
best wife I can be, and so forme that's really given me so
much in terms of just growth andconfidence, so that for me has
been invaluable 100%.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
I mean the fact that you were able to gain the
confidence to go out on your ownand then have a support
resource like this community tolean on, because I think as
entrepreneurs you know, we livein highs and lows and we think
we can conquer the world one dayand then it's all crumbling
down the next and having thatsupport is really important.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah, it gets lonely, right, they say like it's
lonely on the top right.
So I think it's nice to justhave, especially in that
community of other lawyers, justpeople I can call or text, you
know whenever, and say, hey, I'mhaving this problem.
And some of them are a lotfurther along than I am, you
know.
And so I'm like, hey, I'mhaving this problem.
They're like oh, I had thisproblem three years ago, Like,
(12:02):
here's what you need to do.
And I'm like, oh, thank God,Like, because I could go through
the problem by myself.
Right, I would learn somethingfrom it, of course, but if I can
prevent stress and I canprevent disaster, then that's
what I want to do.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Oh yeah, If you can get the answer in five minutes
versus five hours.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Right, yeah, or like years of just torturing myself
right and like banging my headup against the wall, you know.
So that's been really reallycool.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So you took this chance on yourself.
You know you, you gained theconfidence to do it and now
you're growing 50% every singleyear.
What do you attribute to thatgrowth?
Like what?
What are you doing that isallowing you to continue to grow
?
Cause, I think, as a solo umattorney, or a solo practice or
a solopreneur in any, anybusiness, um, oftentimes it's
(12:51):
that person that becomes thebottleneck right.
They can't let go, they can'tdelegate, they can't build
process, and that actuallyprevents them from growing.
You know, it sounds like you'vebeen able to make that leap.
What do you attribute that to?
Speaker 2 (13:04):
I think number one getting the right people in the
right seats at the right time,and not being and like not
saying I haven't done this, Ihave, and it was a mistake that
I made.
You know, I I think I didn'tinvest enough into, like
onboarding new employees.
I didn't invest enough intotraining them.
I just thought, oh well,they're experienced, they'll
know what to do.
Um, and so I do take that veryseriously now.
(13:26):
You know, when I bring newemployees on, sort like again
sourcing the right talent,because I think sometimes what
happens with us is we're like,okay, we have 150 cases.
Oh man, now I need help.
And then you just kind of takethe first or second person that
looks like they're going tothrow you a lifeline, not
knowing and vetting themcorrectly and knowing, okay, are
(13:47):
they going to be here for thelong before it happens?
Is is ideal, right.
So staffing before you actuallyneed it you know if it's where
it's going to be profitable foryou but not being so desperate
and freaking out in that momentlike, oh my God, I don't have
enough staff to handle this,these 150 cases, like let me
(14:08):
just go find whoever.
So I've been very strategicabout that as well and I'm going
to be just really transparent,putting my dreams and my goals
and myself and my family first,because I'm a very, very
compassionate person.
I might my staff will tell youyou know I do a lot for them.
(14:29):
They do a lot for me in return,right, and I am like very, you
know, very, um, humanitarian, Iguess is the word Right, and I
love people and I have a heartfor people.
That's why I practice familylaw.
You know, I don't think you canpractice family law and not
have a heart for people.
Um, but you know, I think forme I did that a lot to my
detriment, especially mybusiness.
(14:51):
You know I would put otherpeople and other ideas or what
they wanted to do or how theysaw the firm going right before
my myself and my comfort and mystress level right, Like trying
to bring my stress level down.
So that has been something thatI think about on the daily.
You know, when I make decisionsI'm like, okay, I got to do
(15:12):
this for me and my family firstand foremost.
Right, I got to make sure thatthis benefits myself, my family
and then the firm as a whole.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
So having your priorities in order.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Yeah, yeah.
And especially, I became a mom.
I mean that shot right up tothe top list of the list, right.
And so you know the attention Iwas giving to people training
with me, right.
I couldn't do that anymorebecause now I have a little girl
, you know, depending on me foreverything.
(15:47):
You know I'm staying up allhours of the night, you know,
trying to be a mom, and thenworking in the morning and
dealing with my clients, and soI had to really prioritize my
life and I had to prioritize myfamily first, and I wasn't doing
that before.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Good for you?
Yeah, Was it?
Was your having your daughterthat kind of catalyst moment
that made you kind of reflect?
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Yes, I have a friend who's actually an HTM with me.
She's very successful familylawyer in South Florida.
She's a mom, wife, the wholething too.
And I remember calling her,just like freaking out, you know
, so tired and you know monthsif you have kids, months and
months of like staying up atnight and you're like when is
this ever gonna end?
And you don't know, and it'sjust you know growing the firm
right really quickly, wasn'tlike I was doing it little by
(16:33):
little.
No, I was like on the treadmillgoing, and so I remember calling
her and just being like I havethis problem.
And she was like Christina,every dollar that like isn't
coming into your firm, like isbeing taken out of your
daughter's mouth, like do youunderstand?
And I was like, oh, like.
When she put it that way, I waslike, yeah, I can't just let
employees slide on whatever youknow on their KPIs and just be
(17:00):
like all right, thanks for doingme the favor Right.
Like this is a business.
You know, this is, this is mylivelihood, this is how I feed
my family.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
And it's how they feed their families too, which
is oftentimes you got to remindthem.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Correct, correct.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
And so you know, for me, I was like oh my God, like
yes, right, I can't just bethrowing money out the window on
whatever, on vendors, onemployees, on trainings,
whatever, because that is, thatis money that's really coming
out of my daughter's life, right, her college fund, you know,
whatever private school I'd liketo put her in, I mean, it's
affecting her lifestyle.
Well said, 100%, that'spowerful.
So, christina, as we're kind oflike ending here or finishing
up, I think about the personwho's just behind you, right,
the generation behind you,someone who is at either a large
firm or thinking about startingtheir own firm what piece of
(18:02):
advice could you offer to themas they're taking the next step
in their career path?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
So I think, number one, you have to believe in
yourself, even when everybody atthe table is going that's a
crazy idea.
Why would we do that?
If you feel very passionate andconvicted about that idea, then
you have to believe in yourselfand bet on yourself and believe
in that vision and hold thatvision close to your heart and
be, I guess, just likeunshakable about it, basically
(18:29):
like, hey, no, this is my vision, this is what we're going to do
.
You get on board or you don't.
Like, this is my vision, thisis what we're going to do.
You get on board or you don't.
And unfortunately, that happenswhen you're growing firms,
right, because, like in thecoaching program, they say, well
, people who are with you at500,000 or who are with you at
250,000 aren't going to be withyou at the million sometimes
Sometimes, because peoplesometimes want to hold on to
(18:50):
what was good.
And if it was good, why would wechange it?
And so for me, I can tell you,like just being headstrong about
that and just being like no,this is my idea, this is my
vision, this is how I see myfirm going.
This is what I want to do.
Um has been number one, but two, to be humble, because I think
people think this is a loteasier than it is, because it
(19:13):
looks pretty right.
Right, it looks nice onInstagram.
It looks great when you get theawards.
I'm on this podcast, right?
Oh, she's on this podcast.
But I think you do have to behumble and realize you don't
know everything.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
That's okay.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Right and I know for me, as long as I'm a lawyer, as
long as I'm an entrepreneur.
I'm going to rely on otherpeople and their advice and kind
of take from their story andalso things that they're doing.
Great, you know, I take notesof that.
I don't think that I knoweverything, and so I think
sometimes on the youngergeneration, that's a little lost
you know, just to kind of becurious and stay humble.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
We say it all the time at our firm and in our
agency that, like asking forhelp is the most underrated
skill that successful peoplehave.
They're okay and confidentenough to say hey, I don't know
this, I'm either going to gofigure it out or I'm going to
find someone who already knowsit so I can get.
Get there.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Yeah, I mean, of course you know when you're an
attorney, the mentors do tellyou hey, don't come here with a
bunch of questions.
First Make sure that youresearch the issue and then come
to me and say, hey, I've done X, y and Z and I cannot find the
answer.
Like, is there somewhere else Ishould be looking?
Do you have any ideas?
Like am I in the right place?
I think taking the initiativeis important, but you're right,
(20:32):
Like asking, asking for help,asking the questions.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
You don't know everything.
And that's yeah, I agreeTotally.
I'm so thankful for your story,for this opportunity to learn
more about you and your firm.
Tell us about the future.
You know you've been growingreally fast.
Is that is the plan to continueto see how large you can grow
your firm, or do you have kindof aspirations to slow that
(20:57):
growth down?
Speaker 2 (20:57):
No, I don't have any aspirations to slow the growth
down.
I am always, at all times, mystaff will tell you this pedal
to the metal as far as we can go, as fast as we can go, and so
you know that's, that is whatI've been doing and that's what
I continue to plan to do.
But you know, however, I haveopened up another new business,
(21:20):
which is an online boutique,because I love fashion and I
have an interest in that's kindof my side hobby, and so you
know, I'd like to kind of getinto that space as well, as I'm
putting the right players intomy, in my firm, to not have to
be the one handling the cases ona day-to-day basis, and so,
yeah, I'm doing that too.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
That'll be another big entrepreneurial leap of
totally replacing yourselfwithin the business.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Yes, and that's what I'm looking to do.
So I am hiring a seniorattorney, family law experience.
I've been looking for about sixmonths now, so I'm being very
picky about who this person is,but I do want the next you know
senior family law attorney toreally be somebody that's going
to stay with me long term and,you know, help the firm grow to
(22:05):
the next level.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
That's great.
Well, if you're listening tothis and you know anyone, make
sure to reach out to Christina.
Christina, I am so thankful foryour time.
I look forward to having youback on as you continue to move
through this entrepreneurial andlaw firm owner journey, and
we'll look forward to talking toyou soon.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Thank you so much.
It's been really lovely.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to continue
to follow us as we continue ourinterview series with successful
law firm owners all across thecountry.
We did a really great interviewlast week that you're going to
want to check out right here.
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