Life Beyond the Briefs

Hosted by Brian Glass

Business EntrepreneurshipInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

284

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

At Life Beyond the Briefs we help lawyers like you become less busy, make more money, and spend more time doing what they want instead of what they have to. Brian brings you guests from all walks of life are living a life of their own design and are ready to share actionable tips for how you can begin to live your own dream life.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 18, 202646 min

Scaling Without a CFO Is Just Creative Drowning | Kelley Brubaker

Most law firm owners do not wake up thinking, “Today is the day I ruin my finances.” But a lot of them are doing the financial version of that anyway. They are hiring. Spending. Growing. Saying yes to more cases. And hoping the numbers will somehow make sense later. That is exactly why we are bringing this episode back. It was one of our most downloaded conversations, and it still hits because the problem has not changed. If anything, it has gotten more complicated. In this episode, Brian sits down with Kelley Brubaker, a fractional CFO who helps law firm owners stop flying blind with their money and start making decisions with clarity. Kelley does not talk about finances like a textbook. She talks about them like a person who has seen too many firm owners wait too long to get help. You will hear why your P&L is not telling you the whole story, what numbers actually matter, and how to think about scaling without accidentally creating a more expensive version of chaos. The conversation gets into the stuff most lawyers avoid until it is already a problem. Hiring decisions. Benchmarks. Marketing spend. Profit planning. What it really costs to keep the lights on. And how to build a firm that pays you on purpose instead of whatever happens to be left over. If you have ever looked at your numbers and felt a little too confident, or a little too confused, this episode is worth another listen. Because scaling without understanding the money is how a lot of firms end up working harder, growing faster, and feeling more trapped than ever. Connect with Kelley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker Website: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/ Book a Curiosity Call: https://hello.profitscalethrive.com/public/appointment-scheduler/63dd4b35e18124affefa8ffa/schedule ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn

August 11, 202636 min

Why Referrals Still Beat Ads for Law Firms | Delisi Friday

You have probably heard the same advice a hundred times. Run more ads. Post more content. Buy more leads. And if you are being honest, you already know that does not always build the kind of firm you actually want. That is why we are bringing this episode back. It was one of our most downloaded conversations, and it still matters because it gives you something most marketing advice does not. A real framework you can use to build a referral engine that compounds over time. Delisi Friday walks you through two things that can change the way your firm grows. Better intake. And the CORE method, which stands for Create Once, Recycle Everywhere. That means asking the right questions when a lead comes in so trust starts right away. It means following up in a way that keeps you top of mind instead of disappearing after the first conversation. And it means turning one good idea into weeks of content without wearing your team out trying to come up with something new every day. If you have ever felt like your marketing is busy but not building anything durable, this episode is for you. Because you do not need more random marketing activity. You need a system that helps the right people remember you, trust you, and send you more of the right cases. And when you build that on purpose, referrals stop feeling lucky and start feeling repeatable. Connect with Delisi: Website: https://FirstCallFriday.com Email: delisi@firstcallfriday.com YouTube: First Call Friday Podcast: From Coffee to Cases with Delisi Friday ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn

August 4, 202657 min

Why Most Lawyer Problems Start With Bad Communication | Gyi Tsakalakis & Jared Jaskot

Picture a new client on day 17. They signed. They are still in pain. Their inbox has gone quiet. And the silence starts to do what silence always does. It fills in the blanks with worry. Did the firm forget me? That is where this episode lives. In this conversation from Kaleidoscope 2025, Brian sits down with Gyi Tsakalakis and Jared Jaskot to talk about something every law firm says matters, but not enough firms actually systemize: client communication. The idea is not complicated. Set expectations early. Keep people informed. Make sure they know what is happening and when. Use tools where they help, like chatbot intake, reminders, scheduling, and routing messages back into your system. But do not let automation replace the part that matters most, which is a real human check-in that reminds clients they are not being ignored. They also get into the practical stuff that makes a modern practice run better. Welcome kits. Closeout letters. SMS when it fits. Capturing preferences early. Evergreen videos that answer common questions without making your team repeat the same explanations all day. The bigger point is simple. Bad communication creates anxiety, frustration, and lost trust. Good communication calms people down, earns reviews, and makes the whole client experience feel more professional and more human. If you have ever wondered why a case that should have gone fine somehow still created friction, this episode will probably hit close to home. Connect with Gyi and Jared Gyi Tsakalakis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gyitsakalakis/ Website: https://www.attorneysync.com Jared Jaskot LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-jaskot-115b36152/ Website: https://jaskot.abogado/ ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn

July 28, 202632 min

How Small Law Firms Grow Without Paying for Leads

Most small law firms do not have a lead problem. They have a relationship problem. It sounds simple, but it changes everything. This is one of the most downloaded episodes of Life Beyond the Briefs , and we are bringing it back because the ideas in it still hold up in 2026, even in the era of AI, automation, and endless digital noise. Brian breaks down a different way to think about growth for small firms. Instead of chasing paid ads and hoping the numbers work, the conversation focuses on the things that actually compound over time. Real relationships. Better conversion. Strong referral partnerships. Community connection. And the kind of marketing that people remember because it feels human. You will hear why so many firms blame lead generation when the real issue is what happens after the lead comes in. You will hear how the Dream 100 strategy can help you build a stronger referral network. And you will hear why local, direct, meaningful communication still matters, even now, when everyone is being told to automate everything. This episode is not about old school for the sake of nostalgia. It is about what still works when the hype fades. If you are a small firm owner trying to grow without throwing money at every new shiny thing, this conversation is still worth your time. Because in 2026, the firms that win are not always the loudest. They are the ones that know how to build trust, stay visible, and turn relationships into real business. ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn

July 21, 202635 min

Most Law Firm Marketing Talks to the Wrong People

Most law firm marketing is aimed at one person: The prospect who is ready to hire right now. But that is only a tiny slice of the market. Most future clients are somewhere else entirely. They are confused. Curious. Avoiding the problem. Googling at midnight. Asking the wrong questions. Or not even realizing yet that they have a legal issue worth taking seriously. That is why we are bringing this episode back. This was one of the most downloaded episodes of Life Beyond the Briefs , and it makes sense why. It tackles one of the biggest blind spots in law firm marketing: Your prospects are not all in the same place. Some people need to understand the problem. Some need to understand their options. Some need to understand why your firm is different. And some are finally ready to sign. If your marketing only speaks to that last group, you are missing almost everyone else. In this episode, Brian walks through the prospect pipeline and how lawyers can create content for every stage of client awareness. You will hear how Gene Schwartz’s five levels of market awareness apply to law firm marketing, why most legal content sounds the same, and how to stop relying on “we care” and “we fight hard” as your only differentiators. Brian also gets practical with video, follow-up systems, content tools, and why consistent lead follow-up can dramatically change your case signings. If your marketing feels scattered, generic, or too focused on people who are already ready to buy, this episode is a useful reset. Because great marketing does not just chase ready-now clients. It helps the right people move from confused to confident, one step at a time. To learn more about the GLM Tribe, visit theglmtribe.com ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn

July 14, 202646 min

The Firm-Building Lessons Behind a $100M Verdict | Ryan McKeen

Most lawyers see a $100 million verdict and think about the trial. Ryan McKeen thinks about everything that had to exist before the trial ever started. The team. The systems. The cash flow. The experts. The patience to carry a case for eight years without letting it break the firm. That is why we are bringing this episode back. In one of our most popular conversations on Life Beyond the Briefs , Brian sits down with Ryan McKeen to talk about what it actually takes to build a law firm that can handle serious cases. Not the Instagram version. The real version. Ryan shares how he set an eight-figure goal before he even had a six-figure case, and what had to change inside his firm to make that goal possible. He talks about learning trial work, building a stronger team, investing in the right support, and creating a business that could survive the pressure of big litigation. And the wild part? Even after the $100M verdict, the case was not really over. There was still the appellate process. Still uncertainty. Still the reality that big cases require stamina long after the headlines fade. This episode is not just about winning a massive verdict. It is about building the kind of firm that can take big swings without falling apart. Ryan also gets into hiring, leadership, private equity, and why the middle of the legal market may get squeezed hard in the years ahead. If you want bigger cases, better systems, and a firm that can handle real pressure, this conversation is worth revisiting. Because big verdicts are not built in the courtroom alone. They are built years before anyone stands up for opening statement. Connect with Ryan Best Era: https://bestera.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmckeen ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn

July 7, 202646 min

Your Best Leads Are Already in Your Database | David Vicknair

Most law firm owners are obsessed with getting more leads. More clicks. More calls. More traffic. More ad spend. But David Vicknair has a reminder that sounds simple, and maybe a little annoying because it is true: Your best leads are probably already in your database. We are bringing this episode back because it hit a nerve the first time around. And it makes sense. In a world where everyone is chasing the next platform, David is talking about something much less flashy and much more durable. Staying in touch. In this episode, Brian sits down with David to talk about how his firm thinks about marketing in one of the most competitive personal injury markets in the country. They get into TV, long-term brand building, and why dabbling in big marketing channels is usually just an expensive way to lose money. But the heart of the conversation is the simple tool most firms ignore: A real newsletter. Not because it is trendy. Not because it is easy. But because it keeps you in front of the people who already know you, trust you, and might send the next great case your way. David also talks about attribution disease, why perfect tracking is mostly a fantasy, and how to think about marketing without driving yourself insane trying to measure every single touchpoint. If your marketing feels like a treadmill, this episode is a good reset. Because sometimes the smartest growth move is not finding more strangers. It is doing a better job staying connected to the people already in your world. Connect with David: Website: https://scottvicknair.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-vicknair-b7454321 Podcast: Overruled Podcast ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn

June 30, 202638 min

Dan Kennedy’s Second Rule of Marketing: Build Your Moat Before Consolidation Hits | pt. 2

If Part 1 made you rethink your marketing, Part 2 is where Dan Kennedy gets practical. And maybe a little uncomfortable. We are bringing this conversation back because it was one of the episodes listeners loved most, and the timing feels even more relevant now. This episode picks up live from the Great Legal Marketing Summit, where Dan and Ben Glass go deeper into the marketing moves most lawyers dismiss too quickly. Direct mail. Personal follow-up. Real client engagement. Offers that do not sound like every other law firm. Systems that keep working after the first click, call, or consultation. In a market where everyone is chasing the same digital tactics, Dan makes the case for doing the work your competitors are too lazy, too distracted, or too “modern” to do. Then the conversation turns to something bigger. Consolidation. More money is moving into legal. Bigger players are buying attention, distribution, and market share. And for small and mid-sized firms, that changes the game. You can either compete in the same noisy arena as everyone else, or you can build a moat. A real one. Dan talks about what makes a firm harder to copy, why borrowed trust matters, and why mastermind groups are not just networking events. Done right, they are places where smart firm owners trade tested ideas, avoid expensive mistakes, and keep moving while the market shifts around them. If your marketing feels decent but fragile, this episode will make you think differently about what you are really building. This is Part 2 of Dan Kennedy’s marketing reset. Want the notes from this conversation and the rest of the Summit sessions? Grab them at glmsummitnotes.com ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn

June 23, 202644 min

Dan Kennedy’s First Rule of Marketing: Stop Copying Your Competition | pt. 1

Most lawyers do marketing the same way. They look at what every other firm is doing, copy the message, copy the offer, copy the ads, and then wonder why nobody notices them. Dan Kennedy would tell you that is exactly the problem. We are bringing this episode back because it was one of the conversations listeners loved most. And honestly, it is not hard to see why. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation from the Great Legal Marketing Summit, where Ben Glass and Dan Kennedy unpack one of the simplest and most uncomfortable rules in marketing: Stop copying your competition. Ben starts with the story of how he went from being a good lawyer with no real business training to discovering Magnetic Marketing through a long sales letter he almost threw away. He tested the ideas anyway. That decision changed the way he built his firm, attracted clients, and created a business that did not depend on blending in. From there, Dan does what Dan does best. He cuts through the noise. He explains why “all digital everything” can turn law firms into commodities, why the biggest advertisers are not always your biggest threat, and why intake is not just an administrative function. It is a sales conversation with someone who is overwhelmed, skeptical, and probably wishes they did not need a lawyer at all. You will hear practical ideas around lead magnets, follow-up, positioning, and the “invited guest” concept. In other words, how to stop chasing prospects and start building a marketing asset that brings the right people toward you over time. If your marketing feels expensive, noisy, and too similar to everyone else’s, this episode is worth revisiting. And this is only Part 1. In Part 2, Dan and Ben go deeper into building a moat before consolidation changes the game. Want the full summit notes? Grab them at glmsummitnotes.com ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn

June 16, 202642 min

Your Vacation Should Not Require a Laptop | Conrad Saam

Most law firm owners say they want freedom. Then vacation starts. The laptop comes out. Slack gets checked. A “quick email” turns into an hour. And suddenly the business you built to create freedom is sitting right there at the hotel breakfast table with you. That is why we are bringing this episode back. In this conversation, Brian sits down with Conrad Saam of Mockingbird Marketing to talk about a simple test every firm owner should take: Can your business run without you for four days? Not forever. Not for a month. Just four days. And if the honest answer is no, that tells you something. Conrad walks through what had to change inside his own company so he could step away without everything falling apart. It was not about working harder. It was about building better structure, giving people real ownership, and learning to accept that someone else’s 80 percent might be better for the business than your 100 percent bottleneck. They also get into legal marketing, AI, directories, and how law firm owners should think about shiny new trends without getting distracted by every headline. But the real heart of this episode is simple. Your firm should support your life. It should not need you every hour of every day just to keep moving. If your vacation still requires a laptop, this episode is worth another listen. Connect with Conrad: Mockingbird Marketing: https://mockingbirdmarketing.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conradsaam/ ____________________________________ Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax , Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others. Want to connect with Brian? Follow Brian on Instagram: @ thebrianglass Connect on LinkedIn