{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2F27647dfa-90d9-445a-a8d7-d43178b7390b","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"32 \u2013 Jim Adler \u2013 Building a Firm on Reputation","description":"In this Trial Lawyer Nation podcast, Michael Cowen sits down with prominent Texas attorney, Jim Adler, AKA \u201cThe Texas Hammer,\u201d for a discussion on building a law practice on a solid reputation.\nRunning an efficient law firm that has allowed him the ability to spend quality time with his large family (4 kids and 9 grandkids) didn\u2019t happen overnight. Having started his practice doing everything by himself, learning to delegate and understanding the business and marketing side of running a firm are two areas where Adler has focused on the most to build the successful law firm he has today.\nAdler recalls back in \u201cthose days,\u201d when he was starting out, thinking that it would have been ridiculous to believe he would ever make $100,000. When he started, he was struggling to support his family and manage to do everything himself. He initially started advertising in the \u201cgreen sheets\u201d and got a little business. But it was when he started using a company called \u201cLawyers Marketing Services,\u201d that he saw more success. He was told to \u201ctry it, you\u2019ll like it,\u201d and went into TV advertising which quickly had his phone ringing off the hook. Of course, it didn\u2019t come without its fair share of social pressures not to advertise to the public back then, due to the stigma that other attorneys attached to the tactic. Adler has also found himself bearing the brunt of parodies on TV, even being referenced on Beavis and Butthead as \u201cJoe Adler.\u201d To which Michael points out, \u201cyou know you\u2019ve made it when a national tv show is referencing you.\u201d\nNow going on his 5th generation of TV viewers, The Texas Hammer has found himself up against finding the attention of younger people who don\u2019t want to pay for TV, AKA \u201ccord cutters.\u201d These are the individuals who are watching entertainment on their Slingbox, Roku, PlayStation, Netflix, and YouTube, which makes it especially hard to reach them. People don\u2019t have \u201cTV\u201d anymore, so you have to find them elsewhere, which is why Adler has a saying in his firm, \u201cif we\u2019re not changing, we\u2019re dying.\u201d It is this mindset and desire to continue to learn and adapt (more on that later in the episode), which continues to keep his name and brand so strong.\nThe conversation then turns to when Adler became partners with a well-known U.S. District Judge, Robert O\u2019Connor, who wanted to get back into practice. Judge O\u2019Connor knew that Adler was wasting his time doing divorces, bankruptcy, and real estate and this was \u201cthe age of the specialization.\u201d Taking that advice and focusing on personal injury cases has grown his firm to a staggering 30 attorneys and roughly 300 staff! Michael and Adler both agree that having so many people working for the firm is a lot of moving parts. But as Michael points out, it can be \u201ca lot harder to run a business than to be a lawyer.\u201d\nAdler goes on to describe the way his firm has created a departmentalized system to take care of clients every step of the way. His intake department has specialists that only take new client calls and are separated from an operator who accepts all calls. His case management department with case managers who are assigned to each case and are supervised by a lawyer essentially works like a mini law practice within his law firm. The packaging department with specialists in preparing settlements and gathering all the hospital records, are all just the tip of the iceberg when you look at the organization he\u2019s built.\nIn fact, evolution has been long and everchanging with the times. Adler recalls how all of these departments work well, but he received feedback that clients hated being passed around. Since then he has utilized his case managers to tee up the transition better and give the client a clear sense of what each step in their case is going to be. He goes on to describe their closing department, as well as their administrative departments and accounting departments, a strong litigation department, and an internet department,","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/80de4db6-da18-41b8-9643-156c5d06db25/tln-logo-itunes-1400.jpg"}