Great Practice. Great Life. Podcast

05/25/2026

What if your law firm’s growth no longer depended on you doing everything yourself? 🎯

On this week’s episode of Great Practice, Great Life, Steve Riley sits down with attorney Marc Schneider to talk about the leadership shifts required to scale a law firm without burning out.

Marc shares how he transformed his practice from a general law firm into a highly focused community association firm with 17 attorneys by learning to think like a business owner instead of just a lawyer.

What made the difference?

✅ Niching down and building a clear market position
✅ Delegating intake, recruiting, and decision making
✅ Creating accountability across the team
✅ Building systems that reduce owner dependence
✅ Shifting from “working harder” to leading differently

The takeaway: law firm growth becomes sustainable when the firm stops depending on the owner for everything.

🎧 Listen now: https://atticusadvantage.com/podcast/leadership-shift-marc-schneider/

04/27/2026

Making money moves.

Can’t find good talent for your law firm? You’re not alone.

Most law firm owners have said some version of this. But what if that’s not the real problem?

In this episode of Great Practice. Great Life. Podcast, Steve Riley talks with Aaron Rothert and Chris Murphy about why so many law firm owners struggle to hire great people and what to do differently.

More often than not, it comes down to how firms hire:
⚠️ Waiting too long.
⚠️ Vague roles.
⚠️ Reactive decisions.

Aaron and Chris share six practical strategies to help you hire with more clarity, structure, and confidence so you can actually find the right people.

This is part one of a two-part series.

🎧 Listen now: https://atticusadvantage.com/podcast/building-a-great-law-firm-team-part-1/

03/09/2026

What if the strategy that made you successful is now holding your firm back?

Many attorneys solve problems the same way:

Work harder.

More hours.
More effort.
More pressure.

But in this episode of Great Practice. Great Life. Podcast episode, Dre Baldwin and Steve Riley explain why that approach eventually stops working.

Because often, the real problem isn’t effort.

It’s misdiagnosis.

And the breakthrough usually doesn’t come from doing more.
It comes from finding leverage.

🎧 Listen now https://atticusadvantage.com/podcast/wrong-problem-dre-baldwin/

03/02/2026

Why do some attorneys feel fulfilled and focused… while others burn out chasing someone else’s version of success?

Steve Riley welcomes back Jake Thompson, Keynote Speaker, Chief Encouragement Officer at Compete Every Day and an Atticus community favorite, for an insightful conversation about why competing to be “the best” can quietly derail your energy, your growth, and your life.

They unpack the traps high-achieving lawyers fall into:

✅ Toxic comparison that breeds either complacency or discouragement
✅ Ego that turns feedback into a threat instead of an advantage
✅ Chasing bigger numbers and external trophies that never truly satisfy
✅ Borrowing goals that don’t actually fit your vision of a great life

What changes when you shift the game?

Jake shares tangible insights to:
✔ Define the race you actually want to win
✔ Compete with yesterday’s version of yourself
✔ Use small daily disciplines to create massive separation
✔ Turn uncomfortable feedback into forward momentum

The takeaway: Real attorney success isn’t about outrunning everyone else. It’s about building a practice that fuels, and fiercely protects, the life you want.

🎧 Listen now: https://atticusadvantage.com/podcast/beat-yesterday-jake-thompson/

02/23/2026

We’ve been recommending David Jenyns’ book SYSTEMology to our members for a long time, so we are thrilled to have him on Great Practice. Great Life. Podcast 🎙️

If your firm “works” but only because you catch every ball (every question, approval, client issue, and last-minute decision), this episode is your wake-up call.

Because being the go-to for everything feels responsible, but it quietly creates a firm that cannot grow without you.

Steve and David unpack:

✅ The “hero” trap and how it keeps you stuck in technician mode
✅ Why documenting what you do now has to happen before you try to improve it
✅ The 7-step SYSTEMology framework, including mapping your Critical Client Flow
✅ How to create repeatable systems your team can actually follow
✅ The Systems Champion role that turns systemizing into something that sticks
✅ Why process-first firms are going to win as AI becomes more common in law firms

If you want a firm that runs because of your leadership, not because of your constant availability, don’t miss this one.

🎧 Listen now https://atticusadvantage.com/podcast/systemology-for-law-firms-david-jenyns/

02/16/2026

Why do some law firm owners break through while others stay stuck?

Steve Riley sits down with Aaron Rothert and Chris Murphy for a candid conversation about why law firm group coaching delivers the breakthrough that solo effort can't. They reveal how isolation keeps you spinning, why accountability to yourself rarely works, and what changes when you commit alongside peers facing your exact challenges.

What makes group coaching different?

✅ Dedicated time physically away from the office to work ON your practice, not IN it
✅ The "if they can do it, so can I" moment that shatters self-imposed limitations
✅ Breaking isolation to discover your problems aren't unique, and neither are the solutions
✅ Peer accountability that actually sticks because you're committing to people who get it
✅ ROI that far exceeds the investment when you show up authentically

The takeaway: If you want to accelerate firm growth and enjoy the journey, stop going at it alone. The right peer environment creates momentum, accountability, and belief you can't replicate in isolation.

🎧 Listen now: https://atticusadvantage.com/podcast/law-firm-group-coaching-for-growth/

02/09/2026

On this week’s episode of Great Practice, Great Life, law firm growth stalled. Here’s why it finally broke through. 🎯

Steve Riley sits down with Christopher Earley for a candid conversation about the hidden ceilings that cap law firm growth long before marketing or systems ever do. Chris shares how unresolved anger, past trauma, and limiting beliefs quietly shaped his leadership, delegation, and firm performance and what changed when he finally did the inner work.

What made the difference?

✅ Confronting emotional triggers instead of managing around them
✅ Therapy and deep self-reflection to remove reactive leadership patterns
✅ Clarifying values to guide decisions, delegation, and growth
✅ Authentic visibility and community driven habits that attract aligned clients
✅ Letting impact lead and allowing profitability to follow

The takeaway: Law firm growth accelerates when the inner work comes first. When you remove the emotional ceilings, strategies finally work, teams thrive, and growth becomes sustainable.

🎧 Listen now: https://atticusadvantage.com/podcast/heal-leader-grow-firm-chris-earley/

01/26/2026

Considering a law firm merger? This episode could save you from a costly mistake.

Steve Riley and Daniel Struna break down why many law firm mergers fail (hint: it's not about legal skill), and what you need to evaluate before signing anything.

In this episode, we cover:

✅ The 3 most common merger mistakes (and how to avoid them)
✅ Why mutual respect and rapport aren't enough
✅ The difference between a true merger and being "roommates"
✅ Critical financial conversations most partners skip until it's too late
✅ How to align on vision before combining practices

Whether you are actively considering a merger or simply curious about future growth options, this conversation will help you ask better questions and spot warning signs earlier.

Go here to listen → https://atticusadvantage.com/podcast/should-we-merge-part-1/

01/07/2026

You can only carry so many priorities at once. If your goals aren’t clear, they aren’t priorities, they’re distractions. The real question is what you’re doing each day to protect your focus and stay on the right path.

For a deeper dive into how to do this in real life, check out the latest Great Practice, Great Life.podcast episode here: https://atticusadvantage.com/podcast/2026-goal-setting-why-your-plan-gets-hijacked/

01/06/2026

“In preparing for battle I found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Goals matter because they give you direction. Planning matters because it prepares you for reality. The destination may stay the same, but life will test your route. The lawyers who make progress aren’t the ones with rigid plans. They’re the ones who plan well enough to adapt when things change.