Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Are you a law firm owner looking to learn more about how to be a good leader? In this solo episode of the Guild Live Show, Tyson reflects on work-life balance, leadership, and the guilt many law firm owners feel about stepping away from the office. Sharing his own experiences, Tyson explores the psychological challenges of letting go, the importance of trusting your team, and why true leadership is measured by outcomes and freedom.

Tyson shares some insights on feelings of guilt law firm owners have when being away from the office. A lot of firm owners tend to tie their value to their presence, which is where this guilt can stem from. There can be thoughts of things going wrong in the office or fires not being put out. To move away from this mindset, it is important to ensure you can trust your team to handle things while you are away. Whether it's delegating work to specific people or asking for updates on a recurring basis, these things can help you feel more at ease and allow that guilt to disappear.

Tyson talks about visible versus meaningful effort. For leaders, being present in the office doing things does not mean anything unless you are working on the right things. You have to show up and work with intention to ensure your firm is successful. If you know there are improvements that need to be made, show up and outline steps to get that done. This shows you are serious about making sure your firm grows and succeeds.

Take a listen to learn more!

• 4:00 The Guilt of Being Away
• 6:52 The Danger of Identity Tied to Work
• 11:07 Visible vs. Meaningful Effort
• 14:42 Trusting Your Team and Letting Go
• 18:33 Leadership Is About Outcomes
• 19:25 Freedom as a Metric for Success

Tune in to today’s episode and checkout the full show notes here.

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Are you a law firm owner looking to change how you run your business? In this episode of the Maximum Lawyer Podcast, Mathew Kerbis, a lawyer and founder of Subscription Attorney discusses how AI is transforming legal work and why the traditional billable hour model is becoming obsolete.

Mathew talks about the framework for using AI effectively within the legal space. It is important to remember that AI tools, like ChatGPT, are not calculators. They have biases and are reinforced by the humans who designed them. They are also not perfect and should be used as an aid. For the legal space, AI should be used to give you all the information before giving you an answer.

Mathew delves into the topic of the billable hour model and why firms should move to subscription based models. The billable hour includes doing a bunch of tasks for a client within a set time frame for a price. If a client only pays you for one hour, you are only working for that hour. But switching to a subscription based model with AI in mind means you can scale your business better. You can develop better relationships with clients because there is predictable revenue.

Listen in to learn more!

• 4:38 The Latent Legal Market Opportunity
• 9:11 Framework for Using AI Effectively
• 13:25 Retrieval Augmented Generation & Tool Selection
• 16:07 AI in Legal Practice
• 19:10 The End of the Billable Hour & Subscription Benefits\

Tune in to today’s episode and checkout the full show notes here.

Connect with Mathew:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Youtube

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Are you looking for some insights on how to create a healthy firm culture? In this episode of the Maximum Lawyer Podcast, Tyson interviews law firm co-founder, Travis Howard about his journey from corporate life to building a firm with a strong, authentic culture rooted in shared values, transparency, and conscious leadership. They discuss practical strategies for defining and sustaining company culture, managing ego, and fostering emotional intelligence.

As a law firm owner who can control the culture of that firm, it is important for the culture to mimic that of the owners. It is important to take shared experiences of the owners and use those to design the foundations of the culture from that. You don’t want to create a culture that simply mimics that of another because you feel that is what your workers want. Using it as inspiration, you understand your own values and that of your staff and create something dynamic.

Travis shares some practices that enable growth for a firm. One practice is to be honest with each other about what the core principles are for the firm and follow them. For Travis, his firm still does formal reviews, which began at the start of the firm, to talk about things staff are displeased with and things they can do better. This really builds trust for staff and allows for open dialogue.

Listen in to learn more!

• 4:19 Building Law Firm Culture
• 8:08 Avoiding Toxic Culture
• 17:30 Unique Cultural Practices
• 31:27 Culture’s Role in Reputation and Trust

• 35:21 Practices That Enable Growth
• 44:51 Introspective and Conscious Leadership

Connect with Travis:

• Website
• LinkedIn

Tune in to today’s episode and checkout the full show notes here.

Resources:

• Join the Guild Membership
• Subscribe to the Maximum Lawyer Youtube Channel
• Follow us on Instagram
• Join the Facebook Group
• Follow the Facebook Page
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Are you a law firm owner who does not know what to do with ideas that stem from conversations from your team? In this episode of The Guild Live Show, Tyson Mutrux explores the concept of "sparks" — those small moments or ideas that ignite creativity and innovation.

Tyson shares how sparks can lead to innovation for a firm. In moments of conversation and sometimes friction, sparks can come up through realization. Maybe someone challenges a belief or some personal irritation is expressed to a group of people. They can be created in a few different ways in a team setting.

It is important to know when to execute or abandon sparks. Maybe executing a spark makes sense when you have a strong team dynamic. Maybe you need to plan in order to execute the spark, especially if you or the team don’t have the capacity. But, sometimes abandoning the spark is better when you realize it is not a possibility at all for your firm.

Listen in to learn more!

• 6:49 Reflection on Sparks
• 10:08 Creating Conditions for Sparks

• 14:03 Hypothesis vs. Commitment for Ideas
• 22:41 Capturing and Documenting Sparks

• 24:43 Knowing When to Execute or Abandon

• 25:37 Value of Pattern Interrupts

Tune in to today’s episode and checkout the full show notes here.

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Do you want to improve client communication for your firm? In this episode of the Maximum Lawyer Podcast, Devon Slovensky, founder of a Southwestern Virginia Family Law Firm, shares how her team maintains high standards of client communication amid rapid growth. Speaking at a MaxLawCon 2025, Devon introduces the “client happiness call” initiative—which has improved client communication for her firm.

A firm’s client communication can really make or break its success. Devon shares how her firm’s client happiness calls have been used to determine gaps in communication. Doing this ensures that attorneys are held accountable to what they say they will do. Having these calls also ensures clients are prioritized and attorneys are doing their jobs. Creating a system for this can include having a client happiness coordinator and some sort of CRM to manage these calls and input and retain information.

Devon speaks to unhappy clients and how to unearth this and understand this as a lawyer. Most of her clients are satisfied, but it can be tough to admit when you as a lawyer can’t deliver something 100% because of whatever issue that presents itself. Understanding this can create confidence in a lawyer in having better communication with clients on realistic expectations. Avoiding unhappy clients includes keeping them up to date on their case, explaining things that they don’t understand and being honest about next steps.

Listen in to learn more!

• 3:10 Client Communication Gaps and Accountability
• 4:08 Building the Client Happiness Call System
• 7:58 Metrics and Board Visualization
• 10:01 Attorney Confidence and Common Issues
• 12:06 Unearthing Quietly Frustrated Clients

  
  

Connect with Devon:

• Website

Tune in to today’s episode and checkout the full show notes here.

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Are you an attorney looking to learn some things from a seasoned attorney? In this episode of the Maximum Lawyer Podcast, Tyson chats with William Reid. who shares insights from his career fighting institutional “bullies,” the challenges and rewards of plaintiff-side practice, and the importance of work-life balance and being present as a parent.

William shares some insights on the challenges of practicing criminal law. One challenge is leveling the playing field for those who don’t have access to justice. This can lead to many people not getting the conclusions they deserve because they can’t afford a lawyer who will fight for them. Many lawyers are only in it to make their money and not fight for their clients. For William and his colleagues, they work to ensure their clients are the main priority.

William and Tyson talk about using AI in the legal space. William used AI when he has jury trials. He will read his opening or closing statements into the AI machine and it pops out some good snippets that he will use in court. AI tools can be used as time saving devices in an environment where time is not on your side. For William, trial prep time dropped significantly and this can give you more time to focus on other things.

Listen in to learn more!

• 2:25 Motivation for Fighting Giants in Law
• 5:20 Challenges in Criminal Defense and Big Law
• 8:09 AI’s Impact on Legal Fees and Law Practice
• 17:54 Practical Uses of AI in Legal Work
• 27:21 Starting a Law Firm and Defining Success
• 39:15 Building and Hiring a Great Legal Team
• 48:26 Empowering Young Lawyers and Team Success

Tune in to today’s episode and checkout the full show notes here.

Connect with William:

• Website
• Linkedin

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Are you a firm owner struggling with hiring top talent? In this episode, Tyson shares a personal story about hiring and professionalism. Tyson encourages listeners to look beyond surface-level traits and trust their intuition, highlighting that true professionalism is revealed in small, everyday actions.

After buying a new car, Tyson provides some insights on first impressions for the hiring process. When Tyson called the dealership, he encountered an individual who had amazing phone training. This individual asked him all the right questions, anticipated his answers and overall showed Tyson what smooth, client interactions can look like. After receiving a text from this person asking about a job at his firm, Tyson reflects on professionalism and what to look for when hiring good talent.

When it comes to hiring for a firm, it is important to assess fit and look at certain qualities in a candidate. When looking to hire, sometimes you might find someone that checks all of your boxes and might actually be a really good fit. But, it is important to find someone that takes it to the next level. To determine this, you look at those deeper qualities. Do they have the character needed to do well and represent your firm well? This might be the most important quality, so if someone does not have it, you need to re-evaluate.

Take a listen!

• 4:12 Reflection on First Impressions and Hiring Process
• 5:42 Cialdini’s Principle and Breach of Professionalism
• 10:21 Employer-Employee Relationship and Professional Courtesy
• 12:29 Timing and Judgment in Professional Interactions
• 15:43 Assessing Fit and Deeper Qualities in Hiring

  
  

Tune in to today’s episode and checkout the full show notes here.

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Are you a law firm owner looking for ways to build team culture? In this episode, Kevin Cheney, a law firm owner and co-founder, shares how intentional culture-building can be for a firm’s growth. He explains why culture—more than marketing or processes—drives retention, recruitment, client experience, and resilience. He offers a practical three-step framework for leaders to assess, envision, and build their ideal culture.

Kevin shares some steps to building culture for a firm. The first is what your culture is today. Be brutally honest with yourself and admit what you are doing right and wrong. Another thing is to think about the future of this culture. Map out a five year plan - what needs to change and how can you change it. From there, decide what is important for your firm to have in order to be successful. At the end of the day, a positive team culture drives retention and improves employee experience.

It is important to ensure your employees bond so they can work better together. Create opportunities for your staff to connect. For Kevin, he organizes happy hours and potlucks as ways for employees to have some fun and disconnect. Another option is to organize team bonding activities that build confidence and trust. Ensure to make these optional so staff are not forced but encouraged to participate.

Listen in to learn more!

• 1:07 Intentionality in Marketing, Processes, and Culture
• 2:27 Defining Culture in a Law Firm
• 6:51 Three Steps to Building Culture
• 10:40 Facilitating Employee Bonding
• 13:29 Employee Ownership Mentality

Tune in to today’s episode and checkout the full show notes here.

Connect with Kevin:

• Website
• Facebook
• Linkedin