Ep 155 | Why Your Law Firm Needs CFO-Level Thinking (Not Just a Bookkeeper) with Natalia Zacharin

Ep 155 | Why Your Law Firm Needs CFO-Level Thinking (Not Just a Bookkeeper) with Natalia Zacharin

Why Your Law Firm Needs CFO-Level Thinking (Not Just a Bookkeeper) | Natalia Zacharin Most law firm owners assume that having a bookkeeper and a tax person means their finances are covered. Fractional CFO and bookkeeping expert Natalia Zacharin of Zacharin Consulting joins Kelley Brubaker to explain why that assumption leaves dangerous gaps. In this conversation, Natalia breaks down why bookkeeping done without financial analysis is just data entry, why nearly 90% of financials she reviews are inaccurate despite having taxes filed, and what CFO-level thinking actually looks like in a growing law firm. She also shares real stories of double-booked revenue, undetected fraud, and the cash flow blind spots that quietly derail profitable firms. Free resources for Your Profitable Law Firm listeners: Special page for Kelley's listeners with two free downloads: * Seven Ways to Find Money in Your Business Now * The Ultimate Checklist for Financial Success Visit: www.zacharinconsulting.com/yplf [http://www.zacharinconsulting.com/yplf]  Connect with Natalia: Website: www.ZacharinConsulting.com [http://www.zacharinconsulting.com]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/GrowYourBottomLine/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/GrowYourBottomLine/]  Email: Natalia@ZacharinConsulting.com [Natalia@ZacharinConsulting.com]  Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90]  Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up]  Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes] OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P [https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P]  Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio]  Curious to learn how I can help you achieve overflowing profits, scaled growth, and thriving lives? Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact]  Continue the discussion on social! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/]  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive [https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive]  #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits

Ep 154 | Is Your Law Firm IT Actually Good or Just Fine? with Joe Popper

Is Your Law Firm IT Actually Good or Just Fine? | Joe Popper Most law firm owners say the same thing when asked about their IT: "It's fine. I have a guy." But is fine actually good? IT expert Joe Popper joins Kelley Brubaker to break down the real business cost of reactive IT, why law firms are measuring IT success the wrong way, and what proactive IT support actually looks like. Joe explains the difference between paying for problems to get fixed versus paying to prevent them entirely, walks through the real math behind IT costs versus lost revenue, and shares why the threshold for needing an in-house IT person is now 500 to 1,000 employees. If your firm has ever lost billable time to a tech problem, this episode is for you. Connect with Joe: Website: https://poppertechteam.com Personal site: https://card.onetapconnect.com/joepopper LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepopper/ Email: joe@poppertechteam.com Services Joe's firm provides: Cybersecurity and compliance audits AI-First strategy consulting Onboarding and IT optimization Security posture and audit readiness Proactive IT strategy and risk reduction Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio Curious to learn how I can help you achieve overflowing profits, scaled growth, and thriving lives? Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact Continue the discussion on social! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits

Ep 153 | How AI Is Changing Law Firms Forever with Aaron Shechet

AI for Law Firms: Custom AI Agents, Flat-Fee Disruption & Secure Workflows with Aaron Shechet On the Your Profitable Law Firm podcast, host Kelley Brubaker interviews attorney and AI builder Aaron Shechet, who shares how a rare cancer diagnosis in 2023 pushed him to explore AI to keep his busy litigation practice moving, including work on a California Supreme Court case.  After building internal AI tools and a sourdough app, he began creating narrowly tailored, secure AI workflow solutions for lawyers and other professionals, emphasizing minimal data retention and human review guardrails (avoiding legal research and automatic court filings).  Aaron explains how AI can streamline transactional drafting and litigation documents by leveraging a firm’s own forms and prior work, and how faster production may accelerate a shift from hourly billing to flat fees. He also introduces his beta platform, Veilgrid, a white-label AI operations and distribution platform that charges no upfront fees and takes 20% of revenue billed through it. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:46 Aaron’s Origin Story 01:16 Cancer Diagnosis Pivot 02:57 Sourdough AI App 05:08 From Hobby to Lawyer Tools 07:41 Free Custom AI Model 08:41 Privacy and Guardrails 11:27 Building Veilgrid Platform 12:19 Two Ways to Use AI 16:32 Automation Overwhelm Wins 21:29 Law Firm Use Cases 22:06 Drafting with Private Libraries 24:05 Litigation Letters and Motions 26:28 Billing Model Disruption 27:25 Flat Fee AI Upside 28:57 Scope Milestones Pricing 29:44 Big Law Layoffs Debate 30:45 Hourly Rate Trap 31:13 AI Engines Commoditize 33:53 DIY Law Limits 36:34 Human Judgment Value 39:38 Cultural Trust Gap 42:07 Case Data Patterns 46:44 Genie Hallucinations 48:46 Fraud Friday Lessons 51:20 Contact and Wrap Connect with Aaron:  Website: https://veilgrid.ai [https://veilgrid.ai/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashechet/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashechet/] Substack: https://shechetai.substack.com [https://shechetai.substack.com] Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90]   Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up]   📖 Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes] OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P [https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P]   🙌 Check out my free resources here ➝ Resources: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio]   🎯 Curious to learn how I can help you achieve overflowing profits 💰 scaled growth 🌱 & thriving lives 😎? Schedule a meeting with me by clicking here ➝ Click To Schedule: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact]   🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!  LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/] YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive [https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive]   #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits

Ep 152 | Why Great Service Doesn't Automatically Generate Referrals with Stacey Brown Randall

How Law Firm Owners Can Build a Referral System (Without Asking) | Stacey Brown Randall Kelley Brubaker interviews referral expert Stacey Brown Randall about how law firm owners can generate consistent, high-quality referrals without asking, paying, or relying on constant networking. Stacey explains why great work alone doesn’t create predictable referrals and outlines a system-based approach that treats referrals as an ecosystem: processes that run when referrals arrive (intake, tracking, thank-you, follow-up), three plans for existing referral sources, potential referral sources, and the client experience, plus language to handle issues like poor-fit referrals. She shares practical guidance on categorizing contacts correctly in a CRM, using small “running” lists to cultivate relationships, and typical touchpoint frequency (about five to seven times per year). Connect with Stacey:  Website: www.StaceyBrownRandall.com [http://www.staceybrownrandall.com]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceybrandall/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceybrandall/]  Roadmap to Referrals Podcast: https://staceybrownrandall.com/category/podcast/ [https://staceybrownrandall.com/category/podcast/]  Free Monthly Training: www.StaceyBrownRandall.com/teaching [http://www.staceybrownrandall.com/teaching] Books: * Generating Business Referrals Without Asking https://www.amazon.com/dp/1683509269/ [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1683509269/]  * The Referrable Client Experience https://www.amazon.com/dp/1774585936 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1774585936]  Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90]   Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up]   📖 Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes] OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P [https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P]   🫠 Are you stuck in your law firm? Click here to check out the details about the Your Profitable Law Firm Community today ➝ The first month is FREE (and no credit card required!). Click To Learn More: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/your-profitable-law-firm [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/your-profitable-law-firm]   🙌 Check out my free resources here ➝ Resources: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio]   🎯 Curious to learn how I can help you achieve overflowing profits 💰 scaled growth 🌱 & thriving lives 😎? Schedule a meeting with me by clicking here ➝ Click To Schedule: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact]   🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!  LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/] YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive [https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive]   #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits

Ep 151 | Eric Ritter Explains Why Your Law Firm Marketing Isn’t Working

Most law firm owners think the solution to growth is simple… spend more on marketing. But what if that’s not the real problem? In this episode, I sit down with Eric Ritter, founder of Digital Neighbor and self-proclaimed “SEO sommelier,” to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes in law firm marketing. We talk about why more leads don’t always mean more clients, how firms are wasting thousands on ads that don’t convert, and the overlooked systems that actually determine whether your marketing works. If you’ve ever felt like you’re spending money on marketing but not seeing results… this conversation will change how you think about growth. Connect with Eric Ritter, The SEO Sommelier®: Website: https://digitalneighbor.com/ [https://digitalneighbor.com/]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helloericritter/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/helloericritter/]  Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90]   Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up]   📖 Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes] OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P [https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P]   🫠 Are you stuck in your law firm? Click here to check out the details about the Your Profitable Law Firm Community today ➝ The first month is FREE (and no credit card required!). Click To Learn More: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/your-profitable-law-firm [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/your-profitable-law-firm]   🙌 Check out my free resources here ➝ Resources: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio]   🎯 Curious to learn how I can help you achieve overflowing profits 💰 scaled growth 🌱 & thriving lives 😎? Schedule a meeting with me by clicking here ➝ Click To Schedule: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact [https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact]   🗣️ Continue the discussion on social!  LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/] YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive [https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive]   #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits #LawFirmGrowth #LegalMarketing #LawFirmOwners #SEOforLawyers #DigitalMarketing #LawFirmSuccess #LegalBusiness #EntrepreneurLawyer #LawFirmProfitability #YourProfitableLawFirm