The Rainmaking Podcast will help you to get more business, better business, and all the business from your clients. This podcast is for professional services firms, law firms, and professional sales people. Discover the secrets of the world's leading experts in client development, business development, sales, closing, prospecting, networking, negotiation, influence, motivation, and achievement. www.therainmakingpodcast.com
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TRP 346: The Rainmaker's Voice: How Professionals Turn Expertise into Trust with Paul Marchegiani
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 27:29
Every two weeks, the business development tactics top lawyers use are free at therainmakingmagazine.com
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You can have the best legal mind in the room and still lose the pitch. What separates the attorneys who win business from those who don't often has nothing to do with the quality of their work — and everything to do with how they show up.
Paul Marchegiani is the founder and CEO of Vox Vera®, a performance skills consultancy that trains lawyers, executives, and public figures in presence, voice, and spoken communication. A former BigLaw litigator, 15-year Hollywood dealmaker at Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, Miramax, and Amazon Studios, trained opera singer, actor, and the only U.S. lawyer to hold a P.R.A. teaching certification from Patsy Rodenburg, Emeritus Director of Voice at the Royal Shakespeare Company — Paul brings a perspective on communication that no one else in the legal world can.
What you'll learn:
Why legal training produces brilliant writers and analytical thinkers — and what it costs them in a pitch room
What clients are actually evaluating when law firms present (it's not just the law)
Why introvert vs. extrovert is the wrong frame — and what to think about instead
What Paul learned negotiating 1,000+ deals in Hollywood that applies directly to legal business development
How tensions in the body become credibility leaks — and how to spot and release them
What presence actually is (and why the Royal Shakespeare Company's approach changes everything)
Why getting in your head about how you're coming across is the worst thing you can do while speaking
The CEO nonprofit case study: one session, one board presentation, and feedback they'd never received before
Why poetry has a place in the practice of law — and how working with heightened language makes you a better communicator
3 action steps to start developing your Rainmaker's voice right now
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/XRXsJ_maA7Y
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
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This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Paul Marchegiani:
Paul Marchegiani ("mar-keh-JAH-nee") is a Los Angeles-based performance coach, former in-house entertainment lawyer and BigLaw litigator, and Founder/CEO of Vox Vera® — a premium performance skills consultancy that trains lawyers, executives, and public figures in presence, voice, and spoken communication. Prior to launching Vox Vera, Paul worked for over 15 years in Hollywood as a client-side studio executive at Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, Miramax, and Amazon Studios. He began his legal career as a litigator at Orrick and Morrison & Foerster after receiving his J.D. from U.C. Berkeley. Paul is an experienced stage performer and the only U.S. lawyer and senior business executive to hold a P.R.A. teaching certification from Patsy Rodenburg, Emeritus Director of Voice at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He teaches communication skills at Stanford Law School, Berkeley Law, and the University of Chicago Law School.
Links:
https://www.voxvera.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmarchegiani/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TRP 345: Lateral Partner Hiring & Integration with Shireen Hilal
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 • Duration 29:29
Every two weeks, the business development tactics top lawyers use are free at therainmakingmagazine.com
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Half of all lateral partner hires don't last. That's not a recruiting problem. It's a vetting, compensation, and integration problem — and most law firms are making the same mistakes at every stage.
Shireen Hilal is the CEO of Maior and a former COO of a national law firm where she drove +20% revenue and +30% profits per partner. She's also a former AmLaw 50 litigator and has led strategy for a $1B division at KPMG. In this Sometimes Tuesdays episode, Shireen joins Scott Love to break down exactly why lateral partner hiring goes wrong — and what firms and candidates can do differently.
What you'll learn:
Why the LPQ (lateral partner questionnaire) is not enough — and what you need to do instead
How to assess the real portability of a book of business (hint: headline revenue is the last thing to look at)
Why cultural fit isn't a soft factor — and how to assess it with the same rigor as financials
The "coloring in the lines vs. entrepreneurial" framework for diagnosing cultural misalignment before it happens
What actually comes out at dinner vs. a 45-minute Zoom — and why in-person matters for expensive hires
Why confirmation bias derails lateral hiring decisions — and a simple fix that adds real data
What the onboarding vs. integration distinction means — and why giving someone a password is not integration
The trend Shireen is hoping becomes standard: tying a sponsoring partner's year-end metrics to the success of their lateral hire
What candidates should ask that no one thinks to ask — including talking to a recently acclimated lateral partner
3 action steps across vetting, comp, and integration to immediately improve your lateral hiring outcomes
Free resource: Shireen's one-sheet of the right late-stage questions to ask — reach out to her directly via the show notes
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/z5ZdvcjrdA8
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
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This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Shireen Hilal:
Shireen Hilal is the CEO of Maior, where she helps law firms build better strategies and improve operations. Shireen founded Maior after two decades in law and professional services, including practicing as a litigator in AmLaw 50 firms, serving as the COO of a national law firm (+20% revenue and +30% profits per partner during her tenure), leading strategy for a $1B division of KPMG, and building change programs at BDO. Shireen also writes columns for Law360 and Today's Managing Partner.
Links:
Maior's website: https://www.maiorconsultants.com/
Shireen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shireenhilal/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TRP 344: Cross-Selling in Professional Services Firms with Rebecca Hnatowski
Thursday, September 24, 2026 • Duration 28:03
Most law firms say they want to cross-sell. Few have the internal foundation to actually make it happen.
Rebecca Hnatowski is the founder of Edwards Advisory and a specialist in cross-selling strategy and lateral integration for law firms and professional services organizations. In this episode, she joins Scott Love to break down why cross-selling initiatives stall — and exactly what has to be in place before the first client conversation ever happens.
What you'll learn:
Why "let's cross-sell" without internal groundwork almost always fails
The trust problem at the root of most cross-selling breakdowns — and how to fix it
Why partners refuse to share clients (and how origination credit structures make it worse)
How to build a manageable cross-sell target list from data your firm already has
A gap analysis framework: how to identify which clients have unmet legal needs in other practice areas
How to use AI (including Claude and ChatGPT) to research target clients and identify opportunities in minutes
When to bring in an external consultant vs. handle cross-selling initiatives internally
How a post-merger integration timeline affects cross-selling readiness — and when to wait
How to turn a target list into actual client strategy conversations (including the perfect year-end ask)
Why leaderboards and internal competition keep cross-selling initiatives alive past the first six months
3 action steps to start building a real cross-selling program at your firm today
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/7dBb6ypgRvU
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
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🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
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This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Rebecca Hnatowski:
Rebecca Hnatowski is the founder of Edwards Advisory, LLC, where she helps law firms and lawyers turn relationships into opportunities for growth. Drawing on nearly 20 years of in-house legal marketing and business development experience, she helps firms put cross-selling into practice by strengthening internal relationships, identifying client needs, and connecting colleagues' capabilities to those opportunities. Through tailored strategies, interactive workshops, and coaching and accountability, Rebecca helps attorneys follow through — and helps firms make more of the talent and relationships they already have.
Links:
Learn more at: edwardsadvisory.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccahnatowski/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TRP 343: Can Trust be Measured? with Kim Bohr
Thursday, September 17, 2026 • Duration 26:20
Everyone says trust matters. Kim Bohr can prove it — with data.
Kim Bohr is President and CEO of SparkEffect and the researcher behind the State of Organizational Trust™ — a national study that shows trust directly impacts revenue, reputation, and retention. In this episode, Kim joins Scott Love to answer the question most leaders never think to ask: can trust actually be measured? And if so, what do you do with the answer?
What you'll learn:
Why trust is a measurable, tangible asset — and how SparkEffect's Trust Performance Index proves it
The 5 domains of organizational trust: strategic clarity, psychological safety, relational continuity, technology trust, and fairness
Why 85% of organizations experienced a significant disruption in the last 24 months — and why most leaders aren't equipped to handle it
The finding that will reframe how you think about change: disruption handled well can actually increase trust above baseline
What micro-disruptions are — and why ignoring them is silently fracturing your team
The difference between engagement surveys and real trust measurement (and why most surveys get it wrong)
What "doing nothing" costs organizations in customer trust vs. those who respond well (91% vs. 30%)
How one leadership team went from consistently low trust scores to an upswing — and what had to change first
The 5 everyday practices that build trust on the ground, starting tomorrow
3 action steps for leaders who want to turn trust into a competitive differentiator
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/MRdQ5gmgzpU
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
----------------------------------------
🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
----------------------------------------
This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Kim Bohr:
Kim Bohr is President and CEO of SparkEffect, where she leads the firm in helping Fortune 1000 companies and emerging enterprises navigate disruption without fracturing trust. With over 25 years of executive experience, Kim and her team partner with leaders, Boards, and CEOs on strategy, talent, and organizational performance. Kim is a published author, host of the Courage to Advance podcast, and a sought-after keynote speaker whose talks draw directly from SparkEffect's proprietary research on the State of Organizational Trust™.
https://sparkeffect.com/rainmaking
2026 State of Organizational Trust report: https://info.sparkeffect.com/trust
Kim's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimbohr/
Kim's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimbohr_sparkeffect/
SparkEffect LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sparkeffect/
SparkEffect Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555355996682
SparkEffect Instagram: https://instagram.com/@sparkeffect_
SparkEffect YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WeAreSparkEffect
Courage to Advance podcast: https://sparkeffect.com/sparkeffect-podcast-courage-to-advance/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TRP 342: [Legal] What Would Private Equity Do? With Brad Blickstein
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 • Duration 26:03
Most law firm leaders reject private equity on principle. But what if you could use the PE playbook to grow your firm — without taking a single dollar of outside money?
Brad Blickstein is a legal industry futurist, founder of Blickstein Group, and author of What Would Private Equity Do? Unlocking Value in the Law Firm You Already Own. In this episode, Brad joins Scott Love to break down exactly what private equity would do to professionalize business development, pricing, and accountability at a law firm — and why every managing partner should be asking this question whether or not they ever plan to sell.
What you'll learn:
Why you don't need a PE fund to apply the PE playbook — and what that playbook actually looks like
Why pricing is the lowest-hanging fruit at most firms (and why too many decisions are made by instinct)
What "eminence marketing" is — and why it's not the same as pipeline management
Why law firm business development is still largely episodic and partner-dependent — and how to systematize it
The heresy that will make some partners hit pause: "Clients are firm assets, not partner-owned"
Why the origination credit model is the #1 structural barrier to cross-selling — and what to do about it
How PE-backed portfolio companies manage their sales pipeline — and what law firms can learn from it
Why "sales" is a capability, not a dirty word — and how one mentor reframed it forever
What AI-native spin-off firms and firms like Pearson Ferdinand signal about where the market is heading
3 action steps for law firm leaders ready to start thinking like a PE-backed firm
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/_cYCbz0U1TU
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
----------------------------------------
🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
----------------------------------------
This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Brad Blickstein:
Brad Blickstein is a legal industry futurist – he has developed a national reputation for his insight into the changing ways that legal services are being consumed and delivered in the modern marketplace. As the founder and principal of Blickstein Group, Brad focuses on helping legal service providers better understand and serve their clients while providing information about law departments and legal operations. Brad also helps clients see the future – educating them on the industry's evolution of legal services and their consumption, and helps position them for success by developing novel products, systems and solutions, which make the delivery of legal services more modern and efficient. A highly respected legal industry strategist and futurist, Brad has been responsible for multiple initiatives that have created a deeper understanding of—and driven change in—the market for legal services. Before most corporations even had legal operations departments, he launched his Annual Law Department Operations Survey, which remains the most comprehensive survey on the topic. He also conceived the long-running Annual Legal Spend Survey, the Legal AI Efficacy Report, and in 2020, the Annual Legal Pricing & Project Management Survey. Brad is a frequent speaker and writer who has contributed regularly to Above the Law and Legaltech News. He is a fellow in the College of Law Practice Management. He received his A.B. from the University of Chicago.
Links:
https://blicksteingroup.com/team/brad-blickstein/
Order Brad’s book:
https://blicksteingroup.com/wwped/
linkedin.com/in/bradblickstein
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TRP 341: Expanding Trust in Your Niche with Scott Love
Thursday, September 10, 2026 • Duration 14:04
Most professionals believe you have to know someone, like them, and trust them before you do business. Scott Love says only one of those is non-negotiable — and it's trust.
In this solo cast, Scott Love — legal recruiter, host of The Rainmaking Podcast, and co-author of Rainmaker Confidential — breaks down what trust actually is, how to build it at scale, and why reframing your business as a "trust-earning business" changes everything about how you develop clients.
What you'll learn:
Why "know, like, and trust" is misleading — and the only attribute that's truly non-negotiable
How trust can be borrowed instantly through a referral (and what that means for your strategy)
The three dimensions of trust: skill & competence, intention to serve, and execution & follow-through
How to use thought leadership, testimonials, and professional involvement to signal trustworthiness before you ever meet someone
Why small missed commitments quietly destroy client relationships — and how to protect against it
How to build a strategic referral partner campaign from data you already have
What a "trust funnel" looks like — and how Scott built one for his own recruiting practice
Why speaking on panels and writing white papers should be seen as trust-building, not marketing
How to scale trust from one-to-one to one-to-many through intentional generosity
3 action steps to expand trust in your niche starting this week
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/YWOJs4m2CUg
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
----------------------------------------
🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
----------------------------------------
This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Scott Love:
Scott Love is a legal recruiter solely focused on recruiting corporate and finance partners for global law firms in major markets. He is the host of The Rainmaking Podcast, co-author of Rainmaker Confidential, and speaks professionally at conferences on sales, client development, and recruiting.
📘 Book: Rainmaker Confidential — RainmakerConfidential.com
📖 Rainmaking Magazine: free complimentary subscription at TheRainmakingMagazine.com
🎓 Free Webinars: RainmakingSeminars.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TRP 340: The Trust Economy: Turning Credibility into Steady Deal Flow Without Pushing Harder with Chris Papin
Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 24:53
Most professionals hate the idea of selling. What if you didn't have to? Chris Papin has built a thriving multi-discipline practice as a JD, CPA, and insurance producer — without ever feeling like he's pitching. The secret is the trust economy: a system of intentionality, authenticity, and regularity that builds steady deal flow without pushing harder.
Chris Papin is a licensed attorney, certified public accountant, and insurance producer who works with small business owners and entrepreneurs across every stage of their business lifecycle. He's also the author of 168 Hours: A Startup Business Guide That Respects Your Time. In this episode, Chris joins Scott Love to break down exactly how professional services providers can stop relying on hustle and start building the kind of credibility that brings clients to them.
You'll learn:
Why deals are driven by emotion — and what that means for how you build trust with prospects
How to use a 90-second anecdote to open doors at any networking event without pitching
The "step zero" mindset shift that separates professionals who get results at conferences from those who just survive them
Why showing up with a QR code instead of a business card is a trust signal — not just a tech flex
How to use AI to data mine a conference attendee list and identify your top 10 targets in 30 minutes
The two biggest pitfalls that destroy deal flow — and how to avoid both
What a client "funnel" actually looks like for transactional professionals (lawyers, CPAs, consultants)
Why regularity matters more than intensity — and how to build consistency into your BD rhythm even during busy seasons
The "Think, Document, Do" framework: the three-step system that turns good intentions into actual pipeline
3 action steps to start building steady deal flow through trust — starting today
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/CNP3rUgqQSo
----------------------------------------
If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
----------------------------------------
🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
----------------------------------------
This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Chris Papin:
Chris Papin is a multi-talented professional with an impressive array of qualifications that give him a unique, holistic perspective as an advisor – a licensed attorney, a certified public accountant, and a life, accident, and health insurance producer.
Chris holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in accounting from the University of Oklahoma. He earned his Certified Public Accountant designation in 2007, followed by a Juris Doctor degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2008. Admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court in 2010, Chris has garnered recognition for his
achievements, including being chosen for the 2009-2010 Leadership Academy Class by the Oklahoma Bar Association and receiving the 2010 Trailblazer honor from the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants. In 2017 Chris' firm received the Recipient Thomson Reuters Innovation Award, a customer superstar award in the Thomson Reuters community, for doing the most to innovate, invigorate, and grow its practice for the benefit of its clients.
In 2022, Chris won the Top Emerging Firms of the Year, an award that celebrates innovative and forward-thinking companies that have made a significant impact in their respective industries. This prestigious award recognizes emerging firms that have demonstrated exceptional growth,
financial performance, and a commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. It serves as a testament to the recipient's dedication to innovation, customer satisfaction, and business excellence.
Links:
https://papinspeaks.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispapin/
Order Chris Papin’s book here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GL8P2PJD
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TRP 339: [Legal] Artificial Intelligence, Legal Tech and the Future of Law with Eric Thurston
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 • Duration 24:36
Most law firms know AI is changing their industry. Fewer know exactly where to start, what to avoid, or how to build a technology strategy that doesn't blow up mid-implementation.
Eric Thurston is Executive Chairman of SurePoint Technologies — one of the most widely used legal technology platforms in the country — and a veteran software executive with more than 20 years of experience building and scaling technology companies. He's seen thousands of law firms navigate technology change from the inside. In this episode, Eric joins Scott Love to share a clear-eyed, practical view of where the legal industry stands right now on AI and technology, and what firm leaders need to do to stay ahead of it.
You'll learn:
How AI has evolved from "just ask ChatGPT" to a genuine business strategy — and what that shift means for law firms right now
The two sides of legal technology: practice of law vs. business of law — and why the business side is where most firms are leaving money on the table
Why change management is the most underestimated part of any technology implementation
The #1 mistake law firm leaders make when buying new tech tools (hint: it's not the tool itself)
Why older, monolithic systems can't interact with modern AI — and what to do about it
How one firm identified $70,000–$100,000 per attorney per year in recoverable revenue through process improvement alone
Why attorneys aren't going away — but the nature of associate work is already changing
How forward-thinking firms are rebranding, restructuring, and positioning themselves to be acquisition targets or platform buyers
Why data cleanup is the most overlooked prerequisite for any AI initiative
3 action steps law firm leaders can take right now to build a technology strategy that actually works
Eric also shares details on SurePoint's annual Ignite Conference — September 14–16 in Savannah, Georgia — and the firm's suite of practice management, business development, and legal intelligence solutions.
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ozGhSb72pTE
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
----------------------------------------
🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
----------------------------------------
This show is sponsored by Leopard Solutions Legal Intelligence Suite of products, Firmscape, and Leopard BI. Push ahead of the pack with the power of Leopard. For a free demo, visit this link: https://www.leopardsolutions.com/index.php/request-a-demo/
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About Eric Thurston:
Eric Thurston is Executive Chairman of the Board at SurePoint Technologies and a veteran software executive with more than 20 years of experience building and scaling technology companies. Having led organizations across legal technology, workforce management, and enterprise software, Eric specializes in driving growth, innovation, and customer success.
Before becoming Executive Chairman, Eric served as President and CEO of SurePoint and previously held CEO and executive leadership roles at TCP
Software, Personify, and Mitratech. His track record of building high-performing teams and growing technology businesses earned him recognition as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® finalist.
Link to Ignite:
Ignite2026 - SurePoint Technologies
https://surepoint.com/ignite2026/?utm_source=rainmakingpod&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=me1215a1
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TRP 338: Earning Client Trust with Thought Leadership with Bill Sherman
Thursday, August 27, 2026 • Duration 28:41
Posting on LinkedIn once isn't thought leadership. Speaking on one panel isn't thought leadership. Real thought leadership is a strategy — and most professionals have never been given a clear framework to build one.
Bill Sherman is COO of Thought Leadership Leverage, co-host of the Leveraging Thought Leadership podcast, and lead co-author of The Thought Leadership Handbook — the book Scott calls the most intellectually rigorous, practically useful resource on thought leadership he's ever read. In this episode, Bill shares the framework he and his colleagues developed over 20 years of consulting with Fortune 500 executives, professional services providers, and emerging experts who want their ideas to travel further and earn more trust.
You'll learn:
The difference between being an expert and becoming a thought leader — and why the skills don't automatically transfer
Bill's 20-word test: what every core idea must do to earn a "tell me more"
The 4 elements of thought leadership: Core Idea, Content Library, Market Offerings, and Platform Identity — explained in full
What a content library actually is (and why sticky notes on a wall is a perfectly legitimate starting point)
Platform identity: how people talk about your ideas when you're not in the room — and why that matters more than personal brand
Why most professionals suffer from "content insecurity" (imposter syndrome's cousin) — and how to push past it
The paradox of knowledge-sharing: why giving away your best ideas makes more people come back to you
Why the "keep it behind the paywall" instinct is the #1 thing holding thought leaders back
How AI is absorbing generic expertise — and what makes your voice irreplaceable
3 action steps to shift from expert to thought leader and start building your platform today
Bill also shares how The Thought Leadership Handbook came to exist — from 2.6 million words of podcast transcripts and two co-authors who said they'd never write a book.
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/jCFNedZciu4
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
----------------------------------------
🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
----------------------------------------
This show is sponsored by Leopard Solutions Legal Intelligence Suite of products, Firmscape, and Leopard BI. Push ahead of the pack with the power of Leopard. For a free demo, visit this link: https://www.leopardsolutions.com/index.php/request-a-demo/
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About Bill Sherman:
Bill Sherman stumbled into thought leadership when a Fortune 500 executive asked: "How do I scale the ideas in my book?" That was twenty years ago. Today he's COO of Thought Leadership Leverage and co-host of the Leveraging Thought Leadership podcast.
After exploring why experts share their best ideas with strangers, he thinks more of them should. That's why he put his frameworks and tools into The Thought Leadership Handbook. Bill lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Links:
Bill's site: https://aha-moments.com/
Book: https://thoughtleadershiphandbook.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-sherman-aha-moments/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TRP 337: [Legal] Law Firm Mergers: Private Equity/MSO Activity with TJ Henry
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 • Duration 28:49
Private equity has moved through healthcare, dental, and accounting. Law firms are next — and the deals are already happening. But most law firm leaders don't fully understand the structure, the math, or the risks involved.
TJ Henry is the co-founder and managing partner of Federate, a management services organization that launches, operates, and scales law firms. He's also one of the most knowledgeable people in the country on how MSO structures work, what investors are actually looking for, and what law firm founders need to know before they sit down at the table.
In this episode — part of the Sometimes Tuesdays legal-specific series — TJ joins Scott Love for one of the most detailed, practical conversations the Rainmaking Podcast has ever had on law firm M&A, private equity, and the MSO model.
You'll learn:
What an MSO actually is — and why it's the legal workaround that makes third-party investment in law firms possible
How 20-year contracts, EBITDA calculations, and per-timekeeper fees actually work in these deals
Why a $100M revenue firm doesn't generate $100M in EBITDA — and how to find the real number
What realistic deal multiples look like right now (and why low-to-mid teens should make you nervous)
Why the lawyers most likely to get a deal done are the ones willing to stay and grow — not the ones looking to cash out and leave
The three levers every PE investor needs to pull to run a profitable MSO deal: EBITDA arbitrage, law firm growth, and cost reduction
What investors get wrong when they try to buy into law firms without law firm operators on their team
The difference between a roll-up model and a multi-firm MSO — and the conflicts-of-interest issue that makes one harder than the other
Why small to mid-sized firms are actually better deal targets than AmLaw 200 firms
What "law firm in a box" looks like — and how Federate can get a new firm up and running in 60 days
If you're a law firm founder, managing partner, equity partner, or investor evaluating the legal services market — this episode is required listening.
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/lGP1mVGOMzE
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com
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This show is sponsored by Leopard Solutions Legal Intelligence Suite of products, Firmscape, and Leopard BI. Push ahead of the pack with the power of Leopard. For a free demo, visit this link: https://www.leopardsolutions.com/index.php/request-a-demo/
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About TJ Henry:
T.J. Henry is a seasoned legal operations and law firm executive with a track record of helping law firms and legal businesses launch, grow, and scale. He specializes in strategic transformation, operational design, and growth, with a focus on building the infrastructure, teams, technology, and systems that allow legal organizations to operate more effectively. T.J. is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Federate, where he works with law firms and investors across the legal industry.
Links:
https://federatelegal.com/contact/?utm_source=rainmaking_podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rainmaking_podcast
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