117: The New Succession Planning Part 02 | Sushi on an Airplane: Spotting the Red Flags in Law Firm Succession Planning
Release Date: 08/28/2025
138: How Coaching, Accountability, and Business Discipline Build Scalable Law Firms with Patrick Wilson
Lead Counsel
This episode of the Lead Counsel Podcast builds directly on the previous full length conversation with Patrick Wilson of Atticus, offering additional insights, reflections, and high impact takeaways for law firm owners who want to scale without losing control of their lives or their values. Host Tom Tona continues the conversation with longtime friend and trusted law firm business coach Patrick Wilson, one of the longest standing coaches at Atticus. Together, they dive deeper into the real difference between coaching and consulting, why accountability is the missing ingredient for most...
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137: From Referrals to Rainmaker: Rilee Harrison on Authentic Lawyer Branding and Building a Modern PI Practice
Lead Counsel
In this high-impact episode of the Lead Counsel Podcast, host Tom Tona sits down with Oklahoma City personal injury lawyer Rilee Harrison—also known as "Barred and Bearded" on social media—to unpack the real formula behind modern legal marketing. From growing a loyal online following to generating over 250 cases organically without a single dollar spent on ads, Rilee shares a playbook for young lawyers, firm owners, and rainmakers alike. Together, Tom and Rilee explore how authenticity, values, and consistency are the cornerstones of lasting success in today’s competitive legal...
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136: The Ticking Time Bomb in Settlements: Protecting Firms and Clients Post-Verdict
Lead Counsel
In this powerhouse episode of the Lead Counsel Podcast, host Tom Tona, founder and managing attorney of TonaLaw, sits down with nationally recognized settlement planning expert Michelle Fuller, founder of the Michigan Law Center. Michelle unpacks the critical yet often overlooked dangers that law firms face at the end of litigation—when settlement funds are distributed. Known for her expertise in special needs settlement planning, qualified settlement funds (QSFs), and public benefits protection, Michelle reveals how a poorly handled distribution can lead to liability landmines, client...
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135: The Lawyer’s Path to Wealth: Financial Freedom, Succession, and Smart Investments with Darren Wurz
Lead Counsel
In this power-packed episode of the Lead Counsel Podcast, host Tom Tona sits down with Darren Wurz, certified financial planner, author of The Lawyer Millionaire, and founder of Lawyer Millionaire® Wealth Advisors. Together, they dive deep into financial strategies specifically designed for law firm owners, offering a roadmap to build lasting wealth, exit strategically, and secure long-term freedom. Episode Highlights: Why law firm owners must think like CEOs to truly scale and grow wealth The truth about insurance: risk mitigation vs. wealth-building myths Index funds, tax-loss...
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134: Scaling with Substance: Monty Cain on Growth, Brain Injuries, and Building a High-Impact PI Firm
Lead Counsel
In this powerhouse episode of Lead Counsel, host Tom Tona, founder and managing attorney at TonaLaw, sits down with Monty Cain, founder of Cain Law Office in Oklahoma, for a deep dive into what it really takes to scale a personal injury law firm in today's hyper-competitive legal landscape. Monty Cain’s journey is anything but ordinary. Starting his legal career at age 36 and launching his own firm at 52, Monty has grown Cane Law from a one-assistant outfit to a thriving PI powerhouse with 12 attorneys and over 50 staff across three offices. He shares the pivotal moments and strategies that...
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133: Bank on Green: How Rachel Green is Redefining Law, Life, and Limitless Travel
Lead Counsel
In this powerful episode of Lead Counsel, host Tom Tona sits down with Atlanta-based personal injury attorney Rachel Green of Rachel Green Injury Law to explore how she's rewriting the rules of modern legal practice—while globe-trotting across 35 countries by the age of 35. From hiking erupting volcanoes to closing cases across continents, Rachel's life and law firm philosophy challenge the outdated norms of what it means to be a lawyer in today’s fast-evolving world. You’ll hear how Rachel seamlessly integrates travel with her client-centered firm operations using tools like Case...
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132:Mergers, Marketing, and the AI Revolution: Jason Hennessey on the Future of Legal SEO
Lead Counsel
In this high-impact episode of Lead Counsel, host Tom Tona welcomes digital marketing powerhouse Jason Hennessey, founder of Hennessey Digital. This episode is essential listening for law firm owners, marketers, and legal entrepreneurs navigating the seismic shifts in legal SEO, digital marketing, and AI integration. Jason shares his journey from his first SEO presentation in 2008 to scaling Hennessey Digital into one of the top marketing agencies in the legal space and ultimately selling it to private equity. He and Tom explore the current wave of mergers and acquisitions sweeping the legal...
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131: Scaling Unreasonable Hospitality in Family Law: How Elise Buie’s Team Transforms Client Care
Lead Counsel
In this impactful episode of the Lead Counsel Podcast, host Tom Tona speaks with Elise Buie, founder of the Elise Buie Family Law Group in Washington, and her Client Hospitality Coordinator, Mackenzie Corbin. Together, they unpack how a family law firm can deliver a white-glove, client-first experience in one of the most emotionally challenging legal fields. From Remote Firm to Legal Spa Elise shares her journey of growing a fully remote law firm over the past decade and how she embedded “unreasonable hospitality” into the firm’s DNA. Inspired by Will Guidara’s book of the same name,...
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130: Popcorn Wisdom: Healing Trauma and Building a Law Firm That Thrives with Chris Earley
Lead Counsel
This special popcorn episode of the Lead Counsel Podcast features highlights from two previous powerhouse conversations with Chris Earley, a leading personal injury attorney and founder of the Earley Law Group in Massachusetts. Hosted by Tom Tona, founder and Managing Attorney at TonaLaw, this condensed episode captures the rawest, most inspiring moments from Chris’s deeply personal story — one that reveals how trauma, risk-taking, and purposeful leadership can radically reshape your life and your law firm. Chris shares how growing up in a challenging environment gave him what he now...
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129: From Litigator to Legal Empire: Craig Goldenfarb’s Journey to Eight Figures
Lead Counsel
This popcorn episode is a curated highlight reel from our earlier full-length conversation with Craig Goldenfarb, the founder and CEO of Gold Law and the visionary behind the Seven Figure Attorney Summit. In this rapid-fire format, we revisit Craig’s most powerful insights on law firm growth, leadership, marketing, and mindset — condensed for maximum impact. Host Tom Tona of Tonalaw guides listeners through some of the most valuable takeaways from Craig’s journey to building an eight-figure legal business. If you’re a law firm owner looking to grow, systematize, and lead with purpose,...
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In this insightful second episode of The New Succession Planning Series on the Lead Counsel Podcast, host Tom Tona dives into the high-stakes world of law firm succession planning with renowned legal industry experts Ed Alexander, Daniel Feiman, and Jonathan Hawkins. Titled “Sushi on an Airplane” after a hilariously cautionary tale, the episode explores how seemingly small missteps—like serving sushi on a plane—mirror the blind spots that can derail a law firm’s future.
Together, Tom and his guests dissect the critical signs of a fractured firm, including the absence of a “missing middle” in leadership, failed recruiting efforts, and broken internal promises. They emphasize the importance of building a bench, developing leadership pipelines, and having candid succession conversations early and often.
Key Highlights:
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What law firms get wrong about succession and how to fix it
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Why a “missing middle” in firm leadership is a silent killer
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The importance of scalable leadership and middle management
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How poor communication derails succession efforts
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Why succession planning must be prioritized over short-term fires
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When to recruit your successor and whether they need to be a lawyer
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How strategic hiring, such as bringing on a COO or fractional CEO, can transform firm scalability
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Real-life horror stories of half-baked succession plans and how to avoid becoming one
This episode is essential listening for law firm owners and partners thinking about long-term growth, operational scalability, and protecting their legacy. If you’ve ever said “we’ll get to that later,” this is your wake-up call.
Featured Guests:
Jonathan Hawkins
Website: Law Firm GC
LinkedIn: Jonathan Hawkins
Daniel Feiman
Website: Build It Backwards
LinkedIn: Daniel Feiman
Books on Amazon: Daniel Feiman
Ed Alexander
Website: Alexander Business Law
LinkedIn: Ed Alexander
Books on Amazon: Ed Alexander
Your Host:
Tom Tona
Founder & Managing Attorney, Tonalaw
Website: https://www.tonalaw.com
LinkedIn: Tom Tona
X: @NYPITrialGuy
This podcast is sponsored by TonaLaw.
Attorneys, are you looking for a trusted partner for your New York personal injury referrals? Since 2001, TonaLaw has been the go-to New York personal injury law firm for attorneys and law firms across the United States.
At Tonalaw, we pay legal fee participation to referring attorneys in all jurisdictions where it's permitted. Refer us a case today and experience the TonaLaw difference.
Call us now to discuss how we can work together at 833-TONALAW or visit us at tonalaw.com. Mention Lead Counsel and you’ll speak directly with Tom.