223: Guy DiMartino of Pejic & DiMartino, PC discusses being a Lawpreneur with us.

Duy DiMartinoGuy S. DiMartino of Pejic & DiMartino, PC and the Personal Injury Law Podcast is a Florida Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer who practices civil litigation in Northwest Indiana and Central Florida. Guy focuses his practice in the areas where law and medicine intersection which could be personal injury, nursing home abuse, healthcare regulation and insurance issues. Guy was initially trained as a chiropractic physician. A 1986 graduate of the National College of Chiropractic and practiced chiropractic for over 17 years before transitioning into the full time practice of law.

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Listen as Guy tells us that his lack of patience sometimes gets the best of him.

Tell us something good

  • Guy relates a story of helping a physician in Florida who had a claim against him from the Florida Department of Health regarding an allegedly incorrectly removed organ.  The physician was not going to give in to the Department’s demands and litigated the case for years.  Ultimately the Department of Health withdrew the claim and now the physician runs his own very large and successful practice.

What’s on your desk?

  • Guy tells us that his main focus is Personal Injury and Malpractice litigation.  He is also an expert witness in chiropractic malpractice.  Guy also extends his practice in to regulatory issues, including license defense.

Favorite Resource

  • My Case is a web-based legal practice management software built for the modern law firm. Start your free 30 days with My Case today. Tell them Lawpreneur Radio sent you!
  • WestLaw

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

222: Georg Finder of Creditworth discusses identifying the compensable credit damage sufferer at intake with us.

Georg Finder Head ShotGeorg Finder of Creditworth is an credit damage evaluator and an expert on credit reporting violations and credit damage measurement. He has more than 20 years of experience evaluating credit reports and appearing as an expert witness for both plaintiff and defense. Finder has authored numerous books including his upcoming, Credit Reputation Damage Compensation Success.

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Show Highlights

  • George tells us that he has learned three lessons in working with attorneys over the years:
    1. Attorneys often don’t read contracts… even when they are the one signing the contract
    2. Attorneys at times expect Georg to do their job.  He has to remind him that he is an expert, not an advocate.
    3. Georg has to be very explicit in what he will and won’t do as well as what he can and cannot do.  He works specifically with attorneys and will deal with consumers only under duress.

How do you support a Lawpreneur?

  • Georg primarily supports Consumer Tort Litigators in preparing for trial by determining the actual harm caused by the defendant.

Books written by Georg:

  • Divorce CREDIT RESCUE Having issues dealing with credit through a divorce? Look no further as THIS book give YOU everything you need to know to properly handle credit in a divorce situation.

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

221: Maritza Klinefelter of Law Offices of Maritza Flores Klinefelter discusses how to handle an unexpected influx of potential clients with us.

Maritza Flores HeadshotMaritza Klinefelter of Law Offices of Maritza Flores Klinefelter received her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and immediately began working for L.A. County courts. She then enlisted in the US Army, returned from training and was hired as a courtroom clerk for the next 5 years. While working full time she attended law school part time at Pacific Coast University School of Law in Long Beach, CA. She subsequently worked for OC Courts as a Courtroom Operations Supervisor. It was not until OC courts had budget cuts that she had the free time to prepare for the bar exam. She has been in solo practice for a little over one year.

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Maritza tells us that she quickly became aware that one phone line wasn’t going to cut it.  She still wonders how many clients she lost because she wasn’t ready for the influx of customers.

Tell us something good

  • Listen as Maritza tells us about discovering that she had outgrown her little office and how she just leased a new much larger office.
  • Maritza discusses the value that she has derived from her weekly live broadcast radio appearance on Univision 101.9‘s morning show El Bueno, La Mala, y El Feo.
  • Hear Maritza tell about writing a chapter in an upcoming book on the legal rights, if any, of parents with minor and adult children who are drug addicts.

Favorite Resource

  • Clio makes practice management easy with a suite of web-based tools targeted at small- to mid-sized law firms.
  • eFax Service

Favorite Books:

  • Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges In their professional lives courtroom lawyers must do these two things well: speak persuasively and write persuasively. In this noteworthy book, two of the most noted legal writers of our day Justice Antonin Scalia and Bryan A. Garner systematically present every important idea about judicial persuasion in a fresh, entertaining way. Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges is a guide for novice and experienced litigators alike. It covers the essentials of sound legal reasoning, including how to develop the syllogism that underlies any argument. From there the authors explain the art of brief-writing, especially what to include and what to omit, so that you can induce the judge to focus closely on your arguments. Finally, they show what it takes to succeed in oral argument.

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

220: Pamela Kelly of Pamela Kelly Communications discusses working through the Fear of Public Speaking with us.

Pamela Kelly Head ShotPamela Kelly of Pamela Kelly Communications has helped professionals overcome their fear of public speaking for nearly 30 years. As a corporate trainer and speech coach, her clients have come from many industries – law, finance, defense, healthcare, architecture, design, marketing – to name a few. Pam has also worked with many government agencies – like the So Cal Assoc. of Governments, the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services, Metropolitan Transportation Assoc. and Water District. She is a popular instructor at UCLA Extension and the author of “SPEAK WITH PASSION, SPEAK WITH POWER!” a workbook that grew out of her years of working with students to transform inexperience and the fear of public speaking into energy, know-how and results!

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • After Pam graduated from Northwestern University she was hired as a comedienne and was working on a film.  She was fired from the comedy review out of the blue.  It turned out that allowed her, just a few months later, to audition and get a spot at the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut.

Tell us something good

  • Pam believes that having a teaching position fall in to her life was one of her greatest successes.  At UCLA Extension, Pam was able to teach every class she created, many of them for long runs.

How do you support a Lawpreneur?

  • Pam explains that overcoming your fears is really more about changing your relationship to the fear.
  • Listen as Pam tells us that procrastination leads to fear; you have to be in action.
  • Perfectionism also leads to fear, you can over come this if you create a counter offer to the internal critic and speak empowering statements.

Pam’s Book:

  • Speak with Passion, Speak with Power! Are you ready to break through your fear of public speaking, establish yourself as a promote-able professional and move your presentations from okay to “Wow!” “Speak with Passion, Speak with Power!” gets you on your feet and in action, taking the steps necessary for bringing all the passion and power that’s in your soul to your speaking – and for having the results you want! Regardless of your industry or whether you’re giving a presentation, teaching a class or interviewing for a job – through focused exercises, inspiring case studies and humorous cartoons, “Speak with Passion, Speak with Power!” guides you along a proven path, out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary!

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

219: Bill Ellermeyer of Ellermeyer Connect discusses how your network is your net worth with us.

Bill Ellermeyer HeadshotBill Ellermeyer of Ellermeyer Connect is known as one of the most connected Career Coaches in Southern California. Bill has long preached that your Network is you Net Worth.

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Bill shares with us that being fired was a “failure” after his advancement up the ladder but ended up being the catalyst to moving forward and creating his true calling, Ellermeyer Connect.

Tell us something good

  • Listen as Bill tells us that he helps people see that they do have a business inside of them.  He also helps bring that business out in to the real world.  Bill does a full assessment to find out what his clients strengths are along with their hidden talents and desires.

How do you support a Lawpreneur?

  • Bill hosts a monthly breakfast for business people, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and others to connect and look at the future, business and health.
  • Hear Bill advocate the idea of having a portfolio career by using your core skills over multiple streams of income.
  • Bill reminds us the importance of branding.  Bill suggests that you need to have a short statement of about four words to describe you as a brand based on the work of Tom Peters

Favorite Books:

  • No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Global Forces Breaking All the Trends Our intuition on how the world works could well be wrong. We are surprised when new competitors burst on the scene, or businesses protected by large and deep moats find their defenses easily breached, or vast new markets are conjured from nothing. Trend lines resemble saw-tooth mountain ridges. The world not only feels different. The data tell us it is different. Based on years of research by the directors of the McKinsey Global Institute, No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Forces Breaking all the Trends is a timely and important analysis of how we need to reset our intuition as a result of four forces colliding and transforming the global economy: the rise of emerging markets, the accelerating impact of technology on the natural forces of market competition, an aging world population, and accelerating flows of trade, capital and people.
  • Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future What are the jobs of the future? How many will there be? And who will have them? We might imagine—and hope—that today’s industrial revolution will unfold like the last: even as some jobs are eliminated, more will be created to deal with the new innovations of a new era. In Rise of the Robots, Silicon Valley entrepreneur Martin Ford argues that this is absolutely not the case. As technology continues to accelerate and machines begin taking care of themselves, fewer people will be necessary. Artificial intelligence is already well on its way to making “good jobs” obsolete: many paralegals, journalists, office workers, and even computer programmers are poised to be replaced by robots and smart software. As progress continues, blue and white collar jobs alike will evaporate, squeezing working- and middle-class families ever further. At the same time, households are under assault from exploding costs, especially from the two major industries—education and health care—that, so far, have not been transformed by information technology. The result could well be massive unemployment and inequality as well as the implosion of the consumer economy itself.
  • The Brand You 50 : Or : Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an ‘Employee’ into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion! Michael Goldhaber, writing in Wired, said, “If there is nothing very special about your work, no matter how hard you apply yourself you won’t get noticed and that increasingly means you won’t get paid much either. In times past you could be obscure yet secure — now that’s much harder.” Again: the white collar job as now configured is doomed. Soon. (“Downsizing” in the nineties will look like small change.) So what’s the trick? There’s only one: distinction. Or as we call it, turning yourself into a brand . . . Brand You.

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

218: Janet Larsen Palmer of Communication Excellence Institute discusses The Power of Nonverbal Communication in Testimony with us.

Jan PalmerDr. Janet Palmer of Communication Excellence Institute (CEI) is a specialist in communication who consults with attorneys to prepare clients and witnesses for testimony, especially when appearance and demeanor are critical to the case. She also works with expert witnesses to increase their clarity and credibility. Janet and her husband, Dr. Neal Palmer, are frequent speakers for law firms on business development and presentation skills for attorneys. Janet is the Principal of Communication Excellence Institute, a communication consulting firm now in its 30th year of continuous operation. CEI has grown to be one of the Top 50 woman-owned businesses in California’s Inland Empire.

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Jan tells us the story of a dispute between brothers over an inheritance.  The oldest brother was following his cultural custom in taking over the business and the younger brothers were interested in keeping their share of the business.  Jan helped the oldest brother polish his story and presentation, however at the end of the trial he lost.

Tell us something good

  • Jan tells the story about an attorney who called her to ask, “Can you do anything about arrogance?”  Jan worked with the the client and showed him how to act with poise and politeness.  At the end of the mediation, the opposing counsel decided that they couldn’t have this man on their list of defendants because he would ruin their case.  They did remove him from the case on the promise that the attorney not prepare any of the other defendants.

How do you support a Lawpreneur?

  • Jan is currently working on a very sensitive, high profile wrongful death case coaching the plaintiff to stir compassion in the jury.
  • CEI is also giving a series of presentations with a Orange County attorney Paul Evan Greenwald on “The Effective Use of Video and How to Successfully Read the Body Language of Deponents.”

Favorite Resource

  • Jan tells us that she keeps up on all of the academic research on nonverbal communication and persuasion.
  • Jan reads everything by Paul Ekman
  • Jan’s favorite blog is the Jury Room BLAWG from Keen Trial Consultants.

Favorite Books:

  • Spy the Lie: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception Three former CIA officers–among the world’s foremost authorities on recognizing deceptive behavior–share their proven techniques for uncovering a lie. Imagine how different your life would be if you could tell whether someone was lying or telling you the truth. Be it hiring a new employee, investing in a financial interest, speaking with your child about drugs, confronting your significant other about suspected infidelity, or even dating someone new, having the ability to unmask a lie can have far-reaching and even life-altering consequences.
  • Get the Truth: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Persuade Anyone to Tell All Getting someone to tell the truth is an essential skill that very few people possess. In the boardroom, classroom, or our own homes, every day we interact with others and try to get the truth from them. This book will show you how to do it, and do it well! People are often untruthful out of fear of negative consequences associated with divulging information, or they are untruthful to attempt to gain an advantage. But, if they are made to forget the long-term outcomes of lying, he or she can be influenced to disclose the information that’s being withheld. The aim is to encourage the person to remain in short-term thinking mode, shifting focus away from the long-term ramifications of telling the truth.
  • What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People Read this book and send your nonverbal intelligence soaring. Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to “speed-read” people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You’ll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you.
  • The Palmer’s very popular DVD “BEYOND WORDS: Building Your Personal Credibility Through Nonverbal Communication”

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

217: Walt Hampton of Summit Success, LLC discusses creating the work and the life you love.

WaltHamptonWalt Hampton of Summit Success, LLC is an executive coach and consultant who helps lawyers increase their productivity, master their time, get more clients and have more fun. Walt is a leading authority on the application of positive psychology and wellness in the workplace, he is the best-selling author of Journeys on the Edge: Living a Life That Matters, and The Power Principles of Time Mastery: Do Less, Make More, Have Fun. He is also an attorney.

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • When Walt left law to begin his coaching business, he forgot all of the fundamentals of business.  When he remembered them and used them in his coaching practice his business quickly took off to become a multinational coaching and consulting firm.

Tell us something good

  • Walt tells us that one of his greatest recent experiences was standing on top of Mt McKinley in Alaska with his wife and one of his sons.  Fulfilling a quest that had begun more than thirty years before.
  • Listen as Walt speaks with pride of raising four children, three of them on his own as a single dad.
  • Walt is also very proud of his marriage to his wife and business partner.

How do you support a Lawpreneur?

  • Walt has two frameworks that he uses in his practice both of which apply to attorneys:
    1. For Solopreneurs and mid-sized firms to walk them through a six month program which leads to large revenue growth.
    2. For attorneys looking to transition out of the practice of law, Walt works to evaluate strengths and options to make the transition as easy as possible.

Favorite Resource

  • Evernote makes it easy to remember things big and small from your everyday life using your computer, phone, tablet and the web.

Walt’s Books:

  • Journeys On The Edge: Living A Life That Matters Squeezed by time and snared in self-imposed entanglements, many fail to live the lives they once imagined, but there is another way. Journeys on the Edge shows you easy ways to drop excuses and break out of the “survival mode” rut. Adventurer, attorney, and photographer Walt Hampton shares a series of inspiring stories that illustrate how to live a life on purpose and with passion while experiencing fun, freedom, and fulfillment. This dream-inspiring, spirit-awakening book tells us it is possible to have it all, so take a journey to the edge.
  • The Power Principles of Time Mastery: Do Less, Make More, Have Fun This thing called time: Everyone wants to manage it; everyone wants more of it! The problem is that we ve got all the time there is; and in the end, time simply can t be managed. Time just is. We can, though, become masters of our time. Drawing on his stories and experiences as a single parent, success coach, entrepreneur, trial lawyer, athlete and international adventurer, Walt teaches you the essential tools, tips and strategies – and the mindset – that will empower you to finally take charge of your time so that you can achieve your most cherished goals and dreams and enjoy unparalleled success. Read this book but only if you want to: Do less Make more And have a lot more fun Become a Master of your time today!

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

216: Christopher Small of The Art of Lawyering and Emerald City Law Group will be discussing how to start a profitable law firm fast with us.

Christopher Small Head ShotChristopher Small of The Art of Lawyering and Emerald City Law Group started his law firm in 2009 with no contacts, no list, and no network after moving to Seattle from Kansas. He couldn’t find any good resources for starting a law firm so he started his own, The Art of Lawyering, where he talks about how to start and run a profitable law firm.

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Chris tells us that he has daily failures.  He has new ideas and sees everything as an experiment.  A recent example he gave was hanging an “Attorney” sign in a farmers market booth and answering questions.  It didn’t necessarily result in business but it was an interesting experiment none the less.

Tell us something good

  • Chris says that he loves seeing other people break out of the fear-cycle and move in their life.
  • Listen as Chris describes Emerald City Law Group as his “dream-realization” machine.

What’s on your desk?

  • Chris’ role in the firm is focused more on the client experience and the firm experience.  He works with other attorneys who are focused on the law.
  • Chris tells us his weekly process based on Pete Carroll’s process:
    • Marketing Mondays
    • Networking Tuesdays
    • Content Wednesdays
    • Process Thursdays
    • Financial Fridays
  • Chris discusses his Podcast the Art of Lawyering and the membership group Law Firm Confidential that he founded.
  • Chris tells us about his morning ritual and how it sets the tone for his day.

Favorite Resource

Favorite Books:

  • The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and HappinessThe Slight Edge is a way of thinking, a way of processing information that enables you to make the daily choices that will lead you to the success and happiness you desire. Learn why some people make dream after dream come true, while others just continue dreaming and spend their lives building dreams for someone else. It’s not just another self-help motivation tool of methods you must learn in order to travel the path to success. It shows you how to create powerful results from the simple daily activities of your life, by using tools that are already within you.

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

215: Cheryl Nielsen, Certified Real Estate Divorce Specialist® of Meritage Divorce discusses Divorce and Real Estate with us.

Cheryl Nielsen PhotoCheryl Nielsen of Meritage Divorce recently started her third career as a Forensic Real Estate Divorce Strategist™. In her previous careers she worked as a Cost Accountant, and Human Resources Manager. Cheryl is a Certified Real Estate Divorce Specialist, Divorce Coach, and Author of the book entitled “Meritage Divorce” which is a divorce guide for the wine lover. Cheryl works with divorcing spouses to build housing transition plans that utilize appropriate legal, tax, and market timing. Empowering clients to make informed decisions with clarity versus emotion are what she considers the keys to success. Cheryl is also a California Licensed Real Estate Broker with Meritage Realty. Cheryl says, “Life is too short to drink bad wine, sometimes you have to know when to spit it out and dump the bottle.”

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Cheryl tells us that she started marketing herself as a Forensic Real Estate Divorce Specialist directly to people who were getting divorced.  From that, she learned that most people didn’t know what they didn’t know about divorce.  She quickly learned to market to divorce-oriented services.

Tell us something good

  • Listen as Cheryl relates how she helped a couple who had been trying to get divorced for eight years and couldn’t come to an agreement on the valuation and equity split on the family home because they had each put in money that was sole and separate as well as community property dollars.  She worked with the couple over a few sessions to explain what would be involved in litigating the split in terms of time, resources and money; she then helped them come to an agreement on the equity split.

How do you support a Lawpreneur?

  • Cheryl supports Lawpreneurs, especially family law attorneys where she helps to reduce the liability for the attorney.
  • Cheryl also works with individuals and other financial professionals.

Favorite Books:

  • Meritage Divorce: A Blend of Financial, Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Guidance…Through Wine Colored Glasses (Volume 1) In Meritage Divorce, Cheryl Nielsen shares her advice for picking a divorce support system, caring for yourself, and using this time to re-align with your authentic self. In this humorous and sexually charged memoir, she serves a generous pour of her personal wisdom to support you through the financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges you may face. She shares her struggles, spiritual lessons, and chance at love again. Written in wine metaphors, from her vineyard experience, Cheryl delivers a divorce guide for the wine lover.

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio

214: John Sabourin of Tenant Guardian discusses the value of a Real Estate Broker on the tenant side of a negotiation.

John Sabourin Head ShotJohn Sabourin of Tenant Guardian is a 25 year commercial real estate veteran who advocates strongly for his clients, who are primarily tenants in class A office buildings. Tenant Guardian is a boutique commercial real estate firm focused on tenant representation. They are committed to negotiating the best deals in the marketplace for their clients. Over 25 years of specialized experience in tenant representation ensures that their clients are protected and valued during these increasingly complex transactions. They regularly save their clients money by restructuring their current leases, recovering overbillings by landlords and leveraging the market to maximize concessions when negotiating lease renewals or relocations. Their process is based on three simple things: sound strategy, tenacious negotiation and rigorous execution.

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Fail fast to succeed faster

  • Listen as John tells us his biggest mistake was taking a listing early on in his career.  Taking the listing had him working for a landlord which highlighted his love of tenant representation.

Tell us something good

  • John says that his clients are his success.  He has started out with small transactions and has grown the business with them.

How do you support a Lawpreneur?

  • Tenant Guardian serves Lawpreneurs in the negotiation and execution of the lease.  They bring on specialized leasing attorneys, architects and designers to make sure that the space is exactly what the client needs.

Favorite Resource

  • Co-Star (Real Estate information subscription service)
  • Financial analysts

Thanks for Listening

This information is coming to you to inspire you and drive you forward. Be bigger than you know yourself to be! If you haven’t already done so, please take a minute to leave a quick 5-star review rating and honest review on iTunes by clicking here.
Miranda McCroskey – host of Lawpreneur Radio