Fireproof Performance

Building a strong leadership team isn’t just a choice—it’s essential. FIREPROOF business coaches can guide you in assembling a team of leaders and connecting with a community of accomplished attorneys who are driven to grow their practices, build meaningful connections, and transform their firms. If you’re looking for tangible results, accountability from like-minded industry leaders, and a detailed road map forward, our FIREPROOF Summits are an experience you can’t miss. 🔥🔥 #summit #fireproof #community #growth

If you want to double your law firm in 2 years, how much revenue growth do you need each year? The number popping into your head might be 50% (100% growth / 2 years = 50% annual growth).  But actually, no. To double your firm’s revenue in 2 years, you only need 41.41% annual growth. For example, if a firm generates $1 million in fees in 2024 and grows by 41.41 %, the firm's fees in 2025 will be $1,414,100.  If that firm grows at 41.41% again ($1,414,000 x 41.41%), they will bring in $2 million in 2026. Does that growth sound too crazy fast for you?  No worries, you can select your pace from the menu below. And once you commit to a growth goal, you can reverse engineer how to achieve that choice by answering some fundamental questions.  • How long do cases take to resolve, on average?  • What is your average case value? Then, based on those numbers:  • How many cases do you need to sign by when to double revenue by your chosen timeline?  • How many people do you need to work those cases?  • How many phone calls need to come in each month to generate that many cases? Doubling your business is not easy. Growth is challenging, and aggressive growth is both challenging and expensive. But the math is straightforward.   How fast do you choose to grow?

Just yesterday, Mike wrapped up a whirlwind speaking tour: five speeches across the country in five weeks It was a grueling but ultimately incredibly rewarding journey, because Mike thrives on sharing our Fireproof Performance methods and helping other law firms scale their businesses. More than anything, he loves being around growth-minded people who are always learning and always striving to get better. Way to go, Mike — you’re a beast! #speaker #keynotespeaker #lawfirms #business #travel

I got my first job at 15, making $2.52 an hour + tips as a bus boy at a greasy spoon called The Ram's Horn. While most other kids in Detroit were out playing sports or hanging out, I was biking to the Ram's Horn after school. I got hooked on working. For part of my senior year, I waited tables at 3 different restaurants at the same time. Several decades later, here are 3 lessons from restaurants that have stuck with me. 1. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿. As a busboy, my earnings depended on the waitstaff tipping me out at the end of the shift. So I tried to make life easier for them. The more service I offered, the more tips they gave me. Other bussers might get $5 at end of a shift. I'd walk out with $20.  2. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲.     When I graduated to waiting tables, I knew that a table of businessmen typically tipped better than a couple with 5 kids. Since hostesses decided which waiters got which tables, I learned to be helpful to the hostesses so that they'd want to put good tippers in my section. But no matter who was in my section, I gave the best service I could. I wanted every customer to have such a great experience that they wanted to tell my manager about it, and ask for me specifically when they returned. 3. 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲. I talk to law firm owners about delegating and elevating all the time. I first learned the power of delegating as a waiter. I always tried to help the bussers make more money, since they helped me get more tips and made my life easier. If I was tired at the end of a shift, I would give them extra money to do my side work for me. It was a win win.   I've attributed my ability to win trials and relate to my clients to what I learned in restaurants,  things like communicating with strangers, reading a table, and selling. If I ever write another book, it might be about how waiting tables taught me everything I needed to know to succeed as a lawyer. What do you think, would you read that book?

Too many law firm owners erroneously believe that either: 1. Data doesn't matter; or 2. Their firm is too small for tracking data. For more than a decade after starting my own firm in the mid 1990s, I don't think it ever occurred to me to track data. But every law firm owner needs learn the firm's numbers. When John Nachazel joined the firm as COO in 2008. Once he got in, we started using our numbers to: • make accurate cash-flow projections; • track all referrals and perfect acquisition numbers; • inspire employees with tangible performance metrics (and bonuses); • determine the origination of cases and clients for advertising purposes; and • emphasize the strengths and weaknesses of attorneys. Today, we want the Mike Morse Law Firm to make as many data-driven decisions as possible. I want that for your firm too, and learning your numbers is one of the first things we focus on when a client joins Fireproof Performance. You can start by tracking some simple measurements: 1. your time 2. your revenue 3. your expenses 4. your phone calls. As tracking these numbers becomes habit, you'll start to see the patterns. Decisions you once agonized over will come into sharp relief. You'll get a better grasp on:   • when to hire an assistant, find a partner, or hire your COO; • when you need to start seeking more referrals from bigger firms; • whether you're getting more efficient resolving cases; • what percentage of the revenue are you bringing home each year; and • how you are doing compared to the national benchmarks.   As you see the benefits, you'll want to track more numbers. As you track more numbers, you'll get better data. Better data leads to better decisions. Better decisions lead to growth. Data can help with every decision. But only if you collect it.  Accurately.

When I joined this firm, my first assignment was getting an insurance claim approved. Our building burned down in 2008, and the insurance company wanted proof that the fire had disrupted our business. They wanted the numbers showing how the fire had adversely impacted the firm's revenue. When I asked Mike what our revenue would be, he responded the way most lawyers would, saying it couldn't be done. How could he predict his law firm's revenue when he didn't know: • how long it would take to resolve a given case; or • how much a given case might settle for? After 20+ years working with immense amounts of data in the auto industry, I told Michael that even though each case was different, we could use the case data from previous years to identify patterns in the timing and amount of settlements. I used that data to build a model projecting how much the firm was on track to make that year before the fire and how far we fell short due to the fire. The model showed a shortfall of about $270,000. The insurance company approved and paid our claim. That was the first time the Mike Morse Law Firm used data to solve an important problem. I then used that same core model to create a revenue forecast for the following year. Now, I send out projections every January predicting how much revenue the firm will collect from settlements and verdicts over the next 12 months. For 15 of my 16 years with the firm, our projections have been within 1% of that year's revenue. Michael quickly became a believer in data-driven decision-making. As we say, it's not magic. It's math. I love talking about this stuff, even when it's on stage like at the Fireproof Summit last week. If you have any questions about how to predict revenue or use data better in your law firm, drop them in the comments or message me. I'll do my best to answer. Does your business struggle with using data?

Straight from our clients' mouths: the FIREPROOF difference is more than a methodology—it's a transformation. 💥 Our focus on accountability, growth, and collaborative learning has sparked new levels of performance and game-changing success. 🔥 Interested in learning more? Visit: https://lnkd.in/dMMDBF2 #fireproof #testimonial #community #lawfirms

At The National Trial Lawyers’ Business of Law conference, Mike Morse led a session alongside creative powerhouse Ross Lerner! Lerner Advertising has been instrumental in helping our firm break away from “vanilla” marketing and stand out with unique, impactful campaigns that resonate. Together, they’re redefining what’s possible in legal marketing. #nationaltriallawyers #NTL #marketing #conference

Mike was accompanied by a very special guest onstage at the The National Trial Lawyers Business of Law conference… 🐾 🔥 #BOL #nationaltriallawyers #NTL #conference #lawfirms

I cringe when I see a law firm training new intake people on live calls. Why cringe? Let’s say your firm’s average case fee is $10,000. That means the calls your intake team receives from people needing a lawyer's help are often worth $10,000 (or more) to your business.  Whether someone is new to a job or not, people make mistakes. That’s fine. It’s part of training and learning. But do you want people learning how to take calls when a beginner’s mistake is a $10,000 mistake? I don’t. One of those mistakes just once a week can end up costing you around $500k! That's why Intake is arguably our most important group at the Mike Morse Law Firm, and it's why we invest heavily in training every new Intake team member. Hundreds of people call our law firm every day needing help. I want great, experienced people answering every one of those calls So before somebody gets approved to take any live calls, they: • spend weeks shadowing other team members; • role play with our Intake Team Director; and • must demonstrate proficiency on all assigned subjects in our Fireproof Training Academy.  Our training is expensive and thorough, but I'm certain it's less expensive than a series of $10,000 mistakes! Too many personal injury law firms place too little time, energy, and focus on their intake teams, believing that Intake (how the firm brings new cases in) is somehow less important than litigation. When we have somebody really good on our intake team, we don't look to quickly move them into another role on another team. We treat and pay those people great. Most of our intake team members stay in Intake for many years. Intake is an area we focus on with our Fireproof Performance clients. Feel free to message me with questions about how to improve your firm's team and process. Many of you spend a fortune to generate those calls.  Make them count.