Are you a family law firm owner constantly checking your competition’s website?
Do you find yourself preoccupied with what your rivals down the street are doing?
Here’s the truth: The real threat isn’t your competition. It’s you.
In this article, Jeff Hughes—founder and CEO of Sterling Lawyers—shares three powerful shifts that helped grow their practice into a 25+ attorney firm generating over $15 million in annual revenue:
- Avoiding the competition trap
- Building internal capabilities
- Adopting an abundance mindset
1. Avoid the Competition Trap
In the early days, Jeff was focused on becoming the biggest law firm in the state, the Midwest, and eventually the country. He constantly analyzed competitors’ websites and strategies.
“If we get better, we will get bigger.” —Truett Cathy, Chick-fil-A Founder (as retold by Jeff)
This quote, shared during a visit to Chick-fil-A’s headquarters, was a turning point. Jeff realized growth must come from internal improvement, not external obsession.
He also recalled a lesson from motorcycle training:
“What you look at, you will move toward.”
Constantly tracking the competition meant mimicking them—leading to what he calls competitive convergence: a race to sameness that lowers margins across the entire market.
What is Competitive Convergence?
When law firms all use the same billing structures, web design, and marketing tactics, clients can’t tell them apart. Differentiation disappears. Firms start competing on price instead of value.
Avoiding this trap means focusing on your own firm’s uniqueness.
2. Focus Internally: Build Capabilities
Real growth began when Sterling Lawyers shifted to an inward focus. Jeff and his team built operational and strategic systems from the inside out.
Key capabilities they’ve built:
- Fixed-Fee Billing System: Available across all attorneys. Years in the making.
- Recruiting Infrastructure: Sterling has no issues attracting legal talent. See their open positions and team profiles in Wisconsin and Illinois.
- Global Efficiency: They’ve built smooth systems using both U.S.-based and international team members.
- Firm-Wide Financial Acumen: Team members understand the business and how their roles impact the bottom line.
- Client Experience Tracking: They measure satisfaction continuously and have seen major improvements over the last three years.
- AI Development: The firm is actively developing AI-based capabilities to improve service delivery.
These weren’t quick wins. They were long-term projects requiring focus, systems, and leadership.
Want a deeper look? Jeff shares real-world firm-building stories in these case studies
3. Look Forward with an Abundance Mindset
Jeff shared a striking statistic:
65% of family law litigants don’t hire an attorney.
- Around half can’t afford one.
- The rest don’t believe it’s worth it.
Instead of fighting over the 35% of people who already hire attorneys, Sterling Lawyers is developing services for the underserved.
Two core strategies:
- Create services that clearly show value to those who can afford legal help.
- Build new offerings to reach those currently priced out of legal support.
That’s the abundance mindset in action.
This shift opens the door to new markets, which Jeff believes will yield higher profits and a stronger impact long term.
Start Building the Practice You Actually Want
If you’re still focused on what other firms are doing, it’s time to stop.
Start building instead.
Jeff Hughes has assembled a powerful collection of resources to help other firm owners grow:
This is tested advice from a real law firm doing real work.
Let Sterling Lawyers be your proof that growth comes from within. Explore how we’ve built a scalable, differentiated practice at SterlingLawyers.com.
