The J. Sterling Hughes Show

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This is part one of four of "How to Move a Law Firm from Hourly to Fixed Fee."
Way back in 2016 we white-knuckled our way through a significant business model transition. Today, our fixed fee practice has grown into a major success. We are a 100% fixed fee firm with 26 family law attorneys spread out over two states and serving almost 3,000 clients a year.
In this first episode, I explore how and why we made the move to Fixed Fee.
It starts with understanding the arguments for Hourly Billing:
1. Lawyer Preference: hourly has the support from law firm partners who prefer the traditional billing method.
2. Massive Inertia for Hourly: The deep-rooted prevalence of hourly billing in the legal industry.
3. Predictability for Forecasting: Hourly billing provides a more predictable revenue stream from a business perspective.
4. Protection Against Time-Draining Clients: Lawyers can safeguard themselves from clients who demand constant attention and communication.
5. Unpredictable Nature of Cases: Hourly billing accounts for the uncertainty that comes with dealing with various elements in legal cases.
Arguments for Fixed Fee Billing:
1. Client Preference: The vast majority of clients prefer the transparency and certainty of fixed fee billing.
2. Aligned Incentives: Both lawyers and clients have aligned interests, fostering a more productive and fruitful relationship.
3. Enhanced Communication: Fixed fee billing encourages open and effective communication between lawyers and clients.
4. Efficiency Incentive: Lawyers are rewarded for efficiency and results rather than just billing hours.
5. Value-Centric Approach: Fixed fee billing emphasizes delivering tangible results, not just counting billable hours.
6. Division of Labor Opportunities: Lawyers can optimize their teams and resources to deliver higher value services.
7. Ease of Tracking and Collections: Fixed fee billing simplifies time tracking and makes collections smoother.
8. Opportunity to Create More Value: Fixed fee opens the door for lawyers to make more by rewarding them for creating more value for the client.

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.
My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.
I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.
When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.
Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

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Want to innovate your family law practice but don't know where to start? In this episode, I share how our firm has grown to $15M in revenue through small, practical innovations that compound over time.

Drawing from both our successes and failures, I reveal:

• The most successful innovations are the small, systematic improvements anyone can implement
• The surprising areas where innovation helped us achieve a 63 NPS score (higher than Disney and Apple)
• Our biggest innovation failures
• A simple, practical blueprint for innovation you can start using today regardless of firm size

Listen in for a realistic approach to innovation that doesn't require being a natural "creative" or sacrificing your existing caseload. Hope this helps you grow your practice!

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.
My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.
I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.
When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.
Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

A tsunami of AI disruption is on its way to the legal space. It will affect my firm, and yours.

The threats are dramatic. We have somewhere between 3 and 24 months to change before we are forced to.

Our firm is preparing for:
1 - A seismic shift away from hourly rates as a business model
2 - Mass layoffs among in the associates in BigLaw
3 - Rise in Pro-Se rates
4 - Deregulation of law firm ownership
5 - Concentration of high-value work into soft skills
The time to take these changes seriously is now. There are great opportunities at hand. They will be obvious when they are here.

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Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.
My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.
I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.
When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.
Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

James Joseph's journey is inspiring and incredible. He is a deeply respected family lawyer who he has built a thriving practice on Long Island, New York.
In the midst of building his firm and starting a family, he received life-altering medical news. The prospects looked dim. The doctors advised him to wait it out. So, James privately endured four years of slow progression of his disease.
Then, the day came for his ultimate battle.
In this podcast, James opens up about:

• The fascinating story of his successful family law firm starting from a solo practice to five attorneys.
• His career shift from Manhattan’s cutthroat legal scene to serving a broader community in suburban New York.
• The personal highs and lows intertwined with his professional life.
• Battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and undergoing a life-changing stem cell transplant.
• Preparing his firm and family for life after James.
• How he maintained a positive outlook despite chronic illness.
• His balance of work, health, and personal growth.

You won't want to miss this powerful episode packed with wisdom, inspiration, and heartfelt moments.
Connect with James Joseph:
Website: https://josephlawpc.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamespjoseph/

-------------------------
Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.
My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.
I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.
When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.
Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok

Send us a text

Jennifer Gore-Cuthbert's journey is wildly inspiring. Our conversation is loaded with valuable insights on how to build a firm from nothing to a flourishing practice.
Jennifer's path wasn't smooth. She faced the daunting challenge of failing the bar exam while pregnant and then managing a startup firm with a newborn.
Immediately after passing the bar exam, Jennifer started her law firm from her spare bedroom. The firm has grown exponentially over the years and is an Atlanta powerhouse today--led by an absolute force in the legal community!
In this conversation, Jennifer shares her insights on how she:
- Started the firm with a tenacious mindset
- Used her networking skills to get her first clients
- Managed cash flow with contingency cases in the early days
- Focuses on personal growth leveraging coaching and mastermind groups
- Deals with the complexities of hiring and managing a team
- Transitioned the firm away from her personal brand to one more scalable
- Optimizes her time by only doing tasks in her sweet spot and outsourcing the rest
and so much more . . .
Enjoy!

-------------------------
Go to: www.JSterlingHughes.com for tons of Family Law Practice resources.
My purpose is to Empower Family Law Attorneys so they can build a beautiful family law practice and have the practice of their dreams.
I share my family law firm’s secrets, tactics, and strategies of how we have grown from 0 to 25 attorneys and over $15m in revenue in our first ten years.
When I am not podcasting, I am the CEO and Co-Founder of SterlingLawyers.com.
Follow me on: LinkedIn - YouTube - X - Instagram - TikTok