The Sterling Family Law Show
The Sterling Family Law Show is where successful family law attorneys share the exact systems they used to build million-dollar practices. Host Jeff Hughes scaled Sterling Lawyers from zero to $17M with 27 attorneys. Co-host Tyler Dolph runs Rocket Clicks, the agency in charge of supercharging Sterling and other family law practices to success using revenue-first marketing strategies. Together, they share the playbook for building the law firm of your dreams. If you're looking to grow exponentially, generate revenue, and get good at business, this podcast is for you.
Episodes
Law firm intake systems kill growth when paralegals handle calls while juggling case prep, collections, and trial work.
Most law firms fail because they treat intake as an afterthought. At Sterling Lawyers, we learned the hard way that paralegals can't be fully present on intake calls when they're managing trial prep and collections. That's why we built a systematic approach to law firm sales training an...
Law firm culture isn't soft stuff - it's the business driver that took Sterling from struggling to $17M. Here's the system.
Most family law firms struggle with turnover, low profitability, and team dysfunction because they treat culture as an afterthought. After 11 years of trial and error, we've cracked the code on building law firm culture that actually moves the business needle. This isn't a...
Law firm mentorship isn't what you think it is – a 35-year veteran shares why most firms get it wrong and associates leave anyway.
Here's what's wild: Lori made partner in 3 years while most associates struggle for a decade. She breaks down attorney career development mistakes and law firm succession planning realities.
Discover how she uses her 20+ years of experience as a law firm partner to scale from ...
Website redirect errors are silently killing your family law firm's organic traffic and converting fewer leads into consults.
Learn the 5-step systematic process that eliminated redirect chains at Sterling Lawyers, protecting $17MM in organic revenue growth.
Most family law firms lose 30-50% of their organic traffic after website redesigns because agencies don't properly handle internal redirect chains. This s...
Build a successful law firm with strategies that actually work—I’m sharing the gritty details of growing Sterling from zero to $17M and 27 attorneys.
No fluff - just the systems, pivots, and hard lessons that built our $17M firm.
This isn't another highlight reel story. I'm sharing the raw details of how we nearly failed at 18 months, made the painful pivot to focus and fixed fees, and built the law firm syste...
Law firm partnerships can destroy your practice - or build an empire. Here's how Michelle O'Neil turned her biggest courtroom rival into her business partner and grew to 15+ attorneys.
Michelle reveals how she escaped solo practice burnout by partnering with her former courtroom enemy to build OW Lawyers into a statewide firm.
Here's the brutal truth: Michelle felt like Atlas carrying the world on her sho...
Sterling Family Law Show is getting a major upgrade that'll double your value - here's why we made this move and what it means for your practice.
Running separate podcasts with Rocket Clicks, the marketing agency that built our $17M practice, was splitting our focus.
After growing Sterling Lawyers to 27 attorneys, I'm teaming up with Tyler Dolph from Rocket Clicks to deliver twice the insights, twice the...
High income, low net worth—it's the dirty secret plaguing many successful family law attorneys. In this J Sterling Hughes Insider episode, Darren Wurz, founder of the Lawyer Millionaire Founders Network, reveals why attorneys making $500K+ annually still struggle to build wealth and his proven three-step system that's transformed hundreds of law firm owners into true millionaires.
Drawing from over 20 years o...
What's your family law firm actually worth if you decided to sell tomorrow? Most attorneys are shocked by the answer. In this J Sterling Insider episode, Richard James—founder of Your Practice Mastered, who's helped over 900 attorneys build scalable practices—reveals the brutal truth about law firm valuations and what drives them.
Drawing from real valuation worksheets and market data, Richard breaks down:
Want to see the exact communication system that scaled our law firm, Sterling Lawyers, to 25+ attorneys and $15+ million in revenue? In this exclusive behind-the-scenes J Sterling Hughes Insider episode, I take you inside an actual daily huddle—the 15-20 minute discipline that transformed their firm's growth and culture.
Drawing from their real morning meeting, we unlock the framework that delivers:
- Accurate p...
From struggling solo to breakthrough month—Tom Hartin just hit $24,000 in revenue with 4 new clients after 9 months of building his Long Island practice. In this episode, we witness the dramatic turnaround that every startup attorney dreams about.
We dive into his explosive May success:
- Why his lead-to-consult conversion rate hit nearly 100% and what that reveals about his market positioning
- The strategic office move...
Want to know the secret tool that transformed Sterling Lawyers from chaos to a coordinated 25+ attorney firm doing $15+ million in revenue? In this interview, I interviewed our CFO, Todd Clauer, who revealed our game-changing daily management huddle—a 30-minute meeting that revolutionized how they operate.
Drawing from 30+ years across manufacturing and professional services, Todd breaks down their proven system:
- Th...
Tired of the feast or famine cycle that plagues most family law practices? In this video, I reveal why consistent marketing is the only way to break free from the devastating ups and downs that keep attorneys trapped in survival mode.
We tackle:
- The three psychological traps that kill marketing momentum when you get busy
- Why redefining marketing as simply "getting attention" changes everything about how yo...
Wondering if mastermind programs are worth the investment? In this episode, I sit down with Richard James, founder of Your Practice Mastered, who helped transform our practice after I discovered his work during my niece's graduation ceremony.
This discussion reveals:
- My biggest 10-year mistake was avoiding industry-specific masterminds (despite being in other groups for 20+ years)
- The "third mind" con...
What happens when a promising family law practice hits a plateau after nine months of steady growth? In this interview, Tom Hartin opens up about the sobering reality of building a practice on Long Island—where April brought just 5 leads, 2 consults, and 1 hire despite $6,800 in monthly expenses.
We dive deep into his current challenges:
- How his strategic Massapequa location reached #1 in map rankings within two mon...
How does a small-town family lawyer build a $3 million practice after 19 years of struggle and heartache? In this candid Masters of Family Law interview, Jonathan Breeden shares the raw truth behind his rollercoaster journey from struggling solo practitioner to thriving multi-attorney firm in North Carolina.
We explore his strategic evolution:
- How choosing an underserved suburb with fewer competing attorneys proved ...
Struggling to scale your family law practice? In this interview, I sit down with Deidra Haynes, who transformed her Indianapolis firm from $129,000 to $2.1 million in just three years—with projections of $3.7 million in 2025.
We tackled her incredible growth about:
- How a single Facebook ad and a $1 investment changed everything when she had no clients
- The counterintuitive "Mentor Mindset" that led her to s...
Stuck on what to name your law firm? In this video, I share eight practical tips for choosing a name that enhances your marketing without becoming an unnecessary obsession.
Drawing from both my successes and painful mistakes building Sterling Lawyers, I reveal:
- Why choosing a name that personally inspires you matters more than you might think
- The importance of making your name "portable" — easy to remember...
We're back with Tom Hartin for month seven of his family law startup journey on Long Island. March brought his second-highest revenue month at $10,242 — crossing that significant $10K threshold, though his bottom line is temporarily down due to increased marketing investment.
In this episode, Tom shares:
- His detailed roadmap: $16K monthly revenue in 3 months, $30K in 6 months
- Why he's exploring a PI attorn...
Drowning in tasks that keep you from growing your family law practice? In this episode, I share why mastering delegation was essential to growing Sterling Lawyers to 25+ attorneys and $15M in revenue.
Drawing from personal experience, I reveal:
- The 8 reasons we often resist delegating (and which ones are costing you the most)
- My five-part delegation framework that transformed our firm's growth trajectory
- Practic...
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