The Fireproof Podcast

Riz Ali is building a personal injury firm in one of the country’s most competitive legal markets.With an eight-person team and Riz serving as the firm’s only attorney, he has grown without relying on television, radio or billboards. Instead, he shows up at community events, builds referral relationships, creates social media content and invests in learning from law firm owners who are further ahead.In this episode, Riz sits down with Mike Morse in Chicago to share why he joined the Fireproof Masterminds early in his career, what happened when he examined his firm’s numbers in detail and how that experience helped him identify his biggest priorities for growth.They also covered: → How community involvement builds trust without a massive advertising budget → Why language access matters when serving immigrant communities → How simple social media content can keep your firm top of mind → What law firm owners learn when they openly compare KPIs → Why small-firm owners cannot afford to wear every hat forever → How coaching and peer relationships can help firms avoid costly mistakes → Why investing in yourself is one of the smartest investments you can makeThe biggest takeaway: You do not need the biggest budget to build momentum. You need to know your numbers, show up consistently and learn from people who have already solved the problems in front of you.Riz, thank you for joining Mike in Chicago and sharing an honest look at what it takes to build a growing law firm early in your career!Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:28 Meet Riz Ali in Chicago 00:53 Discovering Fireproof 02:29 Building an eight-person firm as the only attorney 03:04 What sharing your numbers reveals 04:01 Why small-firm owners need support 05:03 Growing without television, radio or billboards 06:22 Building trust within your community 07:38 Digital advertising and social media 08:45 Creating social content in real time 10:34 Serving new communities authentically 12:24 Using food reviews to build community connections 14:26 The value of referrals and trusted peers 16:15 Wearing every hat in a small firm 17:16 The right time to find a coach 18:14 Comparing KPIs with other law firms 19:26 Knowing your numbers and cutting waste 20:55 The secret sauce behind faster growth 22:43 Why lawyers should not build alone 24:31 Investing in yourself and your firm 25:30 Building happy, healthy and successful lawyers ~~~This episode is powered by Fireproof PerformanceReady to fireproof your firm?https://www.fireproofperformance.com/Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4dhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184Connect with us!https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformancehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformancehttps://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/

Perry Schneider has had a front-row seat to nearly two decades of growth at the Mike Morse Law Firm.He joined when the firm had roughly 30 employees, inherited a distressed docket and was asked to lead the pre-litigation department within his first year. Today, Perry is an attorney and senior business coach at Fireproof, helping law firms build the leadership, structure and accountability needed to grow with intention.In this episode, Perry breaks down the “how” behind scaling from a small team into a 350-person organization without losing the culture at its core. He also shares why panic hiring creates bigger problems, how weekly leadership meetings reduce noise and what firms should identify before making a major investment in AI.They also covered:→ Why attorneys can successfully report to non-attorney business leaders→ How a firm’s culture moves from the founder through every level of leadership→ Why clearly defined roles become critical as a firm grows→ The hiring mistakes that set employees up to fail→ How to approach AI as a solution instead of a shiny new tool→ The two numbers every law firm should be tracking→ Why profitability and growth do not have to be competing goals→ How delegation empowers people and creates stronger leadersThe biggest takeaway: A scalable law firm is not built by throwing more people, money or technology at every problem. It is built through clear roles, intentional decisions, disciplined communication and leaders who are willing to let go.Perry, thank you for sharing your experience and so many practical lessons for building a stronger law firm!

Jen Harvala has spent more than two decades growing alongside the Mike Morse Law Firm.Starting as a receptionist after working as a hairdresser, she built her career one opportunity at a time—becoming a paralegal, joining the leadership team and eventually overseeing nearly 60 domestic and offshore employees in pre-litigation.In this episode, Jen breaks down the “how” behind two major department restructures, including why the firm moved from a traditional generalist model to specialized, centralized services. She also shares how her team built employee buy-in, hired ahead of growth and created clearer career paths without automatically pushing great producers into management.They also covered:→ Why the traditional case manager model stopped supporting the firm’s growth→ How specialization helps cases move faster while improving the client experience→ Why growing firms need to hire proactively instead of waiting for a backlog→ The mistake firms make when integrating offshore team members→ Why promoting your best producer can create the wrong manager→ How servant leadership helps people grow without holding the firm backThe biggest takeaway: The strongest leaders are not the ones who pretend to have every answer. They are the ones willing to say, “I don’t know,” use their resources and help their people move forward.Jen, thank you for sharing your story, leadership experience and practical lessons for growing law firms!Chapters00:00 Intro00:53 Meet Jen Harvala and her role in pre-litigation02:16 Why the traditional case manager model stopped working05:51 Moving to specialized, centralized services07:15 Restructuring the department and building team buy-in12:35 Managing capacity and hiring ahead of growth19:00 Strategic workforce and succession planning21:05 Managing a major “Disruption Day”23:38 Treating offshore employees like team members27:59 Building career paths inside a growing firm35:07 Resource hoarding and putting the firm first38:59 The Peter Principle and servant leadership41:07 From hairdresser to law firm leader45:30 Advice for new and aspiring leaders48:24 The wisdom in saying “I don’t know”50:13 Why leadership requires emotional intelligence ~~~This episode is powered by Fireproof PerformanceReady to fireproof your firm?https://www.fireproofperformance.com/Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4dhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184Connect with us!https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformancehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformancehttps://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/

For years Mike Morse hired on gut alone, but he was burned more than once. So he built a system. Now interviews carry 40% of the decision, testing and resumes split the rest. He reads people the way he used to read tables as a waiter, watching for small tells: a jumpy resume, a typo on a cover letter, a candidate who's five minutes late.After implementing this system, Mike Morse has built one of the largest personal injury firms in the country.On this episode of The Fireproof Podcast, Mike and Kate covered: → Hiring for traits and training for skills, even for candidates with zero legal background → How much weight to actually give resumes, tests, and interviews → The offbeat questions Mike uses to see how someone really thinks → Why he ends interviews early for tardiness, gum chewing, or a sloppy resume → The difference between onboarding and training, and why the firm treats them as two completely separate systemsThe big takeaway: the best hiring decisions are built on a process you trust to follow, even when you really want to like the person across the table.Chapters00:00 Intro01:00 Hiring for traits, training for skills04:34 How much weight tests, resumes, and interviews should carry08:27 Reading nervous candidates and what their tells actually mean10:50 The salad question and other ways to make candidates squirm17:00 Why five minutes late means no interview20:19 Balancing speed with a thorough hiring process22:08 The onboarding philosophy behind a great first day25:35 Onboarding versus training, and why they're not the same thing27:09 Building the Mike Morse Law Firm training academy Connect with Mikehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljmorse https://www.instagram.com/855mikewins/?hl=en ~~~This episode is powered by Fireproof PerformanceReady to fireproof your firm?https://www.fireproofperformance.com/Prefer to listen?https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4dhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184Connect with us!https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformancehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformancehttps://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/

Paul Faust runs RingBoost, the country's largest marketplace for custom phone numbers, and he's spent 20 years inside the legal industry building relationships instead of selling to them.Early on, his job was simple. Sell to a lawyer. But a few years in, he figured out that wasn't actually his job anymore.When Paul switched his approach from selling to connecting, it changed everything about the work and the results.In this episode of The Fireproof Podcast, they covered: → Why Paul stopped selling and started connecting people instead → What actually makes Fireproof different from other coaching programs → How to pick a vendor you can trust, and the questions most people skip → Why a strong foundation matters more than any new technology → The moment Paul stopped suffering aloneChapters00:00 Intro and meeting Paul Faust00:50 From selling phone numbers to connecting people02:46 What makes Fireproof different04:06 "I'm bringing these guys with me"06:09 There's enough business for everyone09:19 How to actually pick a trustworthy vendor11:21 Bring your team, not just yourself15:59 A tree with strong roots doesn't fear the storm18:10 I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of not living.21:08 Don't suffer alone Connect with Paulhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/pfaust/ https://www.instagram.com/coolguypaulfaust/https://www.linkedin.com/company/ringboost/https://www.instagram.com/ringboost/ https://www.facebook.com/ringboost/ ~~~This episode is powered by Fireproof PerformanceReady to fireproof your firm?https://www.fireproofperformance.com/Prefer to listen?https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4dhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184Connect with us!https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformancehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformancehttps://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/