Personal Injury Mastermind w/ Chris Dreyer

A steward of justice, John Phillips has changed the way that companies and governments operate. He is verified on three social media channels, secured a $495 Million Dollar verdict, won countless awards, and even beaten the president in trial. But john measures success not in accolades, but in the reverence he earns from those he loves. Once "best lawyer in America" John and his firm Phillips and Hunt have represented celebrities and athletes - but spend most of their time helping the injured get justice.Today, we discuss jury selection and how to tell a winning story. Why representing high-profile clients should not come with the requisite of kevlar vests. How earned media and traditional media have bolstered his nationwide presence. And how an empath can change the world for the better.What's In This Episode Who is John Phillips? How to identify and eliminate prejudice during jury selection. His perspective on physical safety and why he shouldn't have to wear a kevlar suit. How he came to help rewrite legislation after the Amahad Abury case. What role has earned media played in securing such high-profile cases? Why is networking so important? How does he leverage traditional marketing in a way that is true to his personality?

With over 2 million likes and 70,000 followers on TikToc, social media is a critical element of rainmaking for John DeGasperis. The Partner at Basch & Keegan Personal Injury Attorneys, John also sees it as a tool to build community. He pays for his robust marketing team out of pocket to maintain creative control and solidify his personal brand. Rather than create content, his crew follows him everywhere, documenting his day-to-day. A great trial attorney, John brings each case he takes on to life - often using over 50 exhibits per trial. He shares with us his wisdom from years in the courtroom.What's In This Episode Who is John DeGasperis? Why was hard work not enough to secure the position of partner at his firm at such a young age? Did rainmaking come naturally to John? After recovering millions of dollars for clients has the opposition gotten more challenging? What tech does he use in the courtroom to win cases? What is the most important component of winning a case? How does social media fit into John's business strategy? Why does he not bill marketing to the firm? How does he document everything for social content?

Building a strong referral network is a critical component to any successful firm. But where do solo attorneys and mid-sized firms begin? Joe Volta, Partner at Chandler Volta Personal Injury Lawyers, fosters connections on social media prior to conferences to help fill out a robust network of trusted referral partners. He explains how anyone can break the ice before meeting in person and how to stay top of mind. He also gets into his social media strategy that keeps followers coming back for more.What's In This Episode? Who is Joe Volta? How did he grow a substantial referral network from the ground up? Why does certain social content go viral? What is the appropriate way to go about DMing potential referral partners? What is 'mailbox money'? Once a connection is made, how does he maintain the relationship? What is a better way to think about gifts?

To unlock your growth potential through human connection - identify and tap into the "Why" of your story. Chris Vander Kaay is an expert in branding and creative marketing who teaches law firms how to connect. The former screenwriter, author, and professor currently serves as Creative Director for The Brain Trust Legal Group.Today, Chris shares how to make your brand memorable and the mechanics of identifying your "why". We also address the gap of disappointment in marketing and how to get past it. And how to know when your marketing strategy should invest in quality or quantity on social media.What's in This Episode Who is Chris Vander Kaay? How did Chris go from professor and screenwriter to marketer for law firms? What makes a good brand story great? How can firm owners identify their "why"? How can attorneys get the most awareness that translates to an emotional response? What is the "gap of disappointment" and how do you avoid it? When creating content, should firms go for quantity or quality? What is the Brain Trust Legal Group digital community?

West Coast Trial Lawyers leverages three distinct in-house marketing teams - paid, SEO, and social - to accelerate growth. They have grown to 15 offices, 20 attorneys, and over 100 staff. President at West Coast Trial Lawyers, Neama Rahmani has an impressive track record. He's handled thousands of cases resulting in seven and eight-figure settlements and judgments and has helped his clients win more than 1 billion dollars.We sat down for a second interview to dive into how each team plugs into the vision and goals of the business, how the firm has evolved, the importance of intake, and why hiring non-revenue-generating positions will accelerate your growth.What's In This Episode Who is Neama Rahmani? How does social media fit into the overall business goals? Is it possible to grow a following without doing the trends? Is it better to spend on ads or go organic on social media? How do his three marketing teams work together? How do non-revenue generating employees accelerate growth? How will the future of Google ads shape your firm?

After thirty years of practice, William "The Lawman" Umansky is well on his way to an eight-figure firm. From second chances for clients to financial stability for employees, William's "why" is crystal clear - help others.William, owner of the Florida-based Umansky Law Firm, is also host of The Lawman's Lounge podcast. Today, he digs into the power of accountability, why purpose will outlast passion, and why the people make the practice.What's in This Episode Who is William Umansky? Why is William the Second Chance Lawyer? How does he help clients transition from being victims of circumstance to masters of their own destinies? As the legal industry changes, how has the blueprint of his business evolved? How can a team be shown that they are valued and needed? As his "Why" evolves, how has his financial motivation shifted?

Content that converts needs to do four things: solve existing pain points, be understandable, tell a story, and humanize the brand. Wendy Lieber, co-founder of ContentBacon offers a content subscription service to make your copy sizzle! Today she shares how to get the most from your inbound content to generate quality leads and fill your pipeline.What's In This Episode Who is Wendy Lieber? What are the advantages of hiring dedicated copywriters? What types of content should be used at what stage of the client journey? How can inbound marketing help empower the client to take action? What should Personal Injury firms be doing to get the most out of their content? How to come up with topics for your website blog?

Relationships drive business. But how do you identify the connections that will generate more business for your firm? Enter Steve Fretzin. He works with start-up solos to attorneys at large firms - originating over $6 million in billables a year. He is also the host of the Be That Lawyer podcast and a four-time author.Business development - or connecting one-to-one - is based on soft skills that might not come to every attorney naturally. But that's okay. Steve is here to help give you insight and practical tools to help your business grow. He covers best practices for business development and how to stay accountable to your own priorities.What's in This Episode? Who is Steve Fretzin? How to define business development for law firms. What are the most important actions when developing a book of business? How to make decisions based on priorities and not the inbox? What is the best thing solo attorneys can do for business development? What secret power do introverts have? What soft skills are needed to make the sale?

When thinking of COOs for 8-figure firms - a former artist and elementary teacher is not the first thought. But Nicole Barnett is just that. She took the systems she learned in the classroom and the values honed while pursuing her interests in travel and art to build Case Barnett Law from the ground up. A firm believer in "pursuing that which is you" - her and husband, Case's values infuse every aspect of the business from client care to marketing. Today we cover how fear hinders growth and her recently launched 'done for you' content membership - Law Prophet. We also discuss how a firm's business model should inform social media strategy.What's In This Episode? Who is Nicole Barnett? How did a fine art major become the COO of an 8-figure firm? What key milestones led to the growth of the firm? How did the husband and wife duo fund the cases through trial in the early days? What is Holistic Lawyering? How can Law Prophet train assistants to tackle social content for lawyers? What is the most important measure of social media metrics?

A top Instagram specialist who learned most of what he knows on his family farm, Joe McCarthy has grown his Instagram to over 300,000 followers. His agency, JEM Social, has helped hundreds of others do the same. Getting to the top of the feed takes more than posting consistently and having a color theme. Instagram has grown into a robust marketing tool that requires A game plan. Today we cover the step-by-step actions to take for explosive growth, how to build impressions and credibility, and how to use the DM method to get the best ROI.What's in This Episode Who is Joe McCarthy? Why is social media the new business card? What is the landscape of paid versus organic growth? Should you buy followers to kickstart the growth of an account? What is the right way to increase your following? How to get engagement if you don't have a follower base? Is the blue badge verification worth the effort?