Send us Fan Mail Episode 79 of the "Everything Except The Law" podcast has arrived! This time we’re speaking with Ben Glass, the founder of Great Legal Marketing, LLC. Ben Glass has been practicing law for over three decades — and for 21 of those years, he's also been running Great Legal Marketing, one of the most trusted organizations in the legal industry for helping attorneys build firms that actually work for their lives. In this episode of Everything Except the Law, host Nick Werker sits down with Ben to talk about how GLM started, why the fundamentals of marketing haven't changed, and what the most important topics are inside GLM's mastermind rooms right now: people, AI, and digital marketing. But this conversation goes deeper than marketing. Ben and Nick trade stories about CrossFit, triple bypass surgery, refereeing youth soccer, and the personal journaling practice that helped Nick transform his own life. Ben opens up about what it really means to build a law firm around happiness, and why the client isn't actually at the top of the priority list. If you've ever wondered whether it's possible to enjoy running a law firm, this episode is for you. Chapters: 0:00 Intro & Nick's CrossFit Origin Story 2:05 Ben's Triple Bypass & CrossFit Comeback 3:37 Soccer Refereeing, Running 4 Miles a Game & Protecting Young Refs 5:23 How Great Legal Marketing Got Started 21 Years Ago 8:33 Why Law Firms Are an Easy Target for Vendors 11:08 How GLM Helps Lawyers Evaluate & Hold Vendors Accountable 13:44 The Right Question to Ask Before Spending on Google Ads 15:22 The Top 3 Topics at GLM: People, AI & Digital Marketing 19:58 Data Quality, Call Tracking & The 83% Referral Rule 21:38 The Best First Step for a New Law Firm: Build Your Relationships 22:01 Direct Mail, Newsletters & Putting Others First 27:31 "Is Someone Wandering Into Someone Else's Office Right Now?" 31:36 The Fish Rots at the Head: Culture Starts With the Owner 33:12 How to Increase Your Happiness as a Law Firm Owner 36:28 Nick's Journaling Journey & Personal Transformation 39:06 Mastermind Groups, Accountability & Bragging Rights 42:32 How to Join Great Legal Marketing + Renegade Lawyer Marketing Book Guest Ben Glass — Founder, Great Legal Marketing | Managing Attorney, Ben Glass Law greatlegalmarketing.com | glmsummit.com | benglasslaw.com Topics Covered -How Great Legal Marketing started 21 years ago — and why the appetite was already there -Why the fundamentals of marketing haven't changed and never will (it's all human psychology) -GLM's model: vendor-agnostic education, not a product pitch -The top three mastermind topics right now: people/culture, AI, and digital marketing -Why 83% of Ben Glass Law's revenue comes from human referrals — and what that means for your firm -The best first move for a new lawyer: direct mail, newsletters, and genuine curiosity about others -Why the right question isn't 'how much should I spend on Google Ads?' -Ben's framework for building a firm that fits your life: vision, permission, and people -The four-quadrant exercise for eliminating the things you hate -Why the client is third on Ben's priority list — not first -Mastermind groups: accountability, bragging rights, and seeing that everyone's a little broken -Ben's soccer referee work and his fight to restore sanity to youth sports -Ben's triple bypass surgery and his return to CrossFit -Nick's personal transformation story and the TikTok journal that started it all People & Resources Mentioned Ben Glass — Ben Glass Law (benglasslaw.com) / Great Legal Marketing (greatlegalmarketing.com) Brian Glass — Ben's son and co-leader at Ben Glass Law and Great Legal Marketing Gyi Tsakalakis — AttorneySync; presenter at GLM's upcoming boot camp Conrad Saam — Mockingbird Marketing; presenter at GLM's upcoming boot camp Dan Kennedy — marketing legend; coined "the money is in the list" Samy Chong — mindset coach (Toronto); Ben's coach for ~12 years Nick Werker — host, Everything Except the Law Podcast Resources: Renegade Lawyer Marketing — Ben Glass's book (available on Amazon) greatlegalmarketing.com — join the email list, find upcoming events glmsummit.com — Great Legal Marketing Summit (annual, October) Ben Glass Law — benglasslaw.com (ERISA long-term disability & personal injury, Northern Virginia) Everything Except The Law is a part of the Answering Legal Podcast Network. Learn more about the show here: https://tinyurl.com/4xjerw3w Interested in learning more about Answering Legal? Book an appointment to speak with us here: https://tinyurl.com/4c9h8xb8 You can also give us a call at 631-212-1899. This podcast is produced and edited by Joe Galotti. You can reach Joe via email at joe@answeringlegal.com.
