Starting a family law firm is easy.
Scaling it to $15 million in revenue with 25+ attorneys across two states is something else entirely.
Jeff Sterling Hughes, founder and CEO of Sterling Lawyers, built 13 businesses. Nine failed. Three were successful, including Sterling Lawyers.
In a recent video, Jeff outlines the 5-part framework that helped him grow the firm from scratch without outside investment, a strong legal network, or a big-name reputation.
“We didn’t have a methodology at first. We just had a skill in digital marketing, and we built everything on that.”
If you’re launching a firm or struggling to scale, this is the system Jeff wishes he had at the start.
1. Use What You Have Right Now
“The bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
Most founders try to build their firm based on what they hope to have. Jeff recommends doing the opposite.
When Sterling Lawyers opened in 2014, Jeff had been out of practice for nearly a decade. He had no legal reputation or professional network in place.
But he did have:
- Deep knowledge of digital marketing from a past business selling satellite TV
- Experience managing $500,000 per month in ad spend
- Enough capital to test and learn
That became the launchpad.
Apply this:
Focus on your existing strengths. Whether it’s community relationships, SEO knowledge, or your intake process, use what’s already proven in your hands. Don’t copy others.
2. Only Risk What You Can Afford to Lose
“I used to make decisions based on upside potential, and it burned me.”
Jeff admits he often skipped small pilots and went straight to scale. One costly example: hiring five non-lawyer sales reps at once. It didn’t work. He scaled it back, losing both time and capital.
Today, his partner Jeff Kurland takes the opposite approach. He starts small, tests everything, and avoids overcommitting resources too early.
Apply this in your practice:
- Test new practice areas with a limited number of cases.
- Launch new marketing strategies with a budget cap. For example, Jeff tested an AI product with just $1,500.
- Make one strategic hire, then measure before hiring more.
Related: Read Jeff’s case studies for real-world examples of both wins and missteps.
3. Turn Surprises Into Systems
“Covid exposed our weaknesses and forced us to rebuild from the inside out.”
Unexpected things happen. Clients go sideways. The market shifts. Technology fails.
Jeff calls this the “Lemonade Principle.” When a case or strategy doesn’t work, it becomes an opportunity to tighten systems.
Examples from Sterling Lawyers:
- Fixed-fee cases that ran long helped them improve client screening.
- The shift to virtual consults during Covid became a permanent hiring advantage. Now they hire intake staff from all over the country.
- Complaints are treated as data. Each one leads to incremental improvements in delivery.
Learn more: Jeff breaks down how Sterling responded to Covid in his Client Book.
4. Stop Watching Competitors and Build Your Own Quilt
“I wasted years watching competitors instead of building relationships.”
Jeff admits his biggest mistake was not networking with other law firm owners during the first six years. He thought he didn’t need to. That cost him valuable insight and momentum.
Eventually, he began joining masterminds and stopped measuring success by competitor size. Instead, the firm focused on building internal capabilities like:
- High-performance recruiting led by their HR team
- Hiring attorneys across multiple locations
- Operational efficiency through remote teammates
- Advanced financial reporting, even at the manager level
Sterling now encourages its attorneys to build their own referral networks locally, while leadership builds strategic relationships nationally.
Apply this:
- Partner with professionals who already serve your ideal clients (e.g., therapists, appraisers, mediators).
- Join a legal mastermind.
- Focus on internal skill-building, not external comparison.
5. Control What You Can, Ignore the Rest
“I used to write five-year plans. None of them ever worked.”
Jeff’s final principle is the one he applies daily.
In early 2020, phones stopped ringing for two weeks. Courts closed. Uncertainty was everywhere.
Instead of worrying about the economy or speculating about stimulus checks, Jeff focused on what the team could control:
- Daily team communication
- Training and improving internal systems
- Streamlining client flow
- Avoiding layoffs by optimizing everything
They came out stronger and grew during the pandemic.
Your action plan:
- Review and optimize your consult-to-client conversion rate.
- Look for small inefficiencies in intake, billing, or communication.
- Double down on your team’s development.
What to Do Next
“You don’t need to predict the future to grow your firm. You need to understand your strengths, manage your risks, and focus on building systems.”
These five principles helped Sterling Lawyers become a multi-location, multi-state firm with a scalable infrastructure.
If you’re in the early stages or trying to rebuild your practice, this framework can guide your next steps.
Explore Sterling’s Illinois locations or Wisconsin locations to see how they’ve scaled local delivery with centralized systems.
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