Your Profitable Law Firm

Kelley Brubaker
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Guiding law firms to overflowing profits 💰 scaled growth 🌱 and thriving lives 😎 This is your source of business insights and money mindset with a little bit of humor tossed in. Hosted by Kelley Brubaker, CPA who is a business advisor and entrepreneur. Kelley knows there is an easier way to make money as a small business owner and that's what she's here to help you do.

  1. 9h ago

    Ep 171 | They All Had Access to the Trust Account. That Was the Problem. | Stolen From Within

    They All Had Access to the Trust Account. That Was the Problem. | Stolen From Within This is episode three of four in the October series, Stolen From Within. All four episodes this month are solo — no guests, just the numbers and the stories law firm owners need to hear before they happen to you. Today's episode is about your trust account — the IOLTA account that holds client money, not firm money. The account your state bar holds you personally responsible for. And the account that has been the target of fraud by paralegals, attorneys, and partners. Three cases. Three perpetrators. One common thread: client trust funds accessible to one person, with no one else regularly verifying the money was where it was supposed to be. Case one: Jennifer Elaine Rourke, a paralegal at a North Carolina law firm who executed 190 unauthorized wire transfers from client trust accounts over six years. Total: more than $2 million. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. Case two: Benjamin Tariri, a Boston attorney who embezzled nearly $2 million from eight clients — many of them fellow Iranian immigrants who trusted him. He was arrested at Logan Airport attempting to board a one-way flight to Iran. He was disbarred, convicted on multiple counts including fiduciary embezzlement and obstruction, and sentenced to three to five years in state prison. Case three: Patrick Dolan, a Boston lawyer who stole more than $2 million he was holding in escrow, including at least $87,500 from a supplemental needs trust he set up for a client — money he used toward a down payment on his house. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison. In this episode, Kelley walks through what happened in each case, why the trust account carries unique risk, and the five specific controls that protect it — starting with the three-way reconciliation you should be doing every single month. This series is called Stolen From Within, but unofficially it's Scary October. And the inspiration came from a conversation with Delisi Friday — if you're not connected with her on LinkedIn, go find her: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delisifriday/ Next week: the final episode. Warning signs hiding in plain sight — fake vendors, expense manipulation, and what happens when no one is checking the bills. Stolen From Within — all four episodes: Episode 1 (Oct 7): She Worked There for Six Years. She Stole $839,000. Nobody Noticed. Episode 2 (Oct 14): He Signed the Partner's Name 806 Times. Episode 3 (Oct 21): They All Had Access to the Trust Account. That Was the Problem. Episode 4 (Oct 28): The Checks Were Right There. Nobody Was Looking. Sources: DOJ press releases from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina (Rourke); Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (Tariri); DOJ press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts (Dolan). All facts verified against primary sources. Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive #attorney #lawfirm #lawfirmfraud

  2. Oct 14

    Ep 170 | He Signed the Partner's Name 806 Times | Stolen From Within

    He Signed the Partner's Name 806 Times. | Stolen From Within This is episode two of four in the October series, Stolen From Within. All four episodes this month are solo — no guests, just the numbers and the stories law firm owners need to hear before they happen to you. Today's case: Jairo Tomas Santos, the office manager at a San Francisco law firm who worked there for 22 years before federal prosecutors say he spent the last seven of them stealing nearly $1.2 million. His method? He wrote 806 unauthorized checks, forged the senior partner's signature on every single one, and deposited them into his personal bank accounts. Then he manipulated the firm's general ledger to cover his tracks. 806 checks. That's roughly 10 a month, every month, for seven years. About $14,000 a month flowing out of the firm's operating account into this man's personal account. And nobody caught it. Because nobody was comparing the bank statements to the books. In this episode, Kelley walks through: - What Santos did and how he concealed it for seven years - A plain-language explanation of separation of duties (using a lemonade stand) - The difference between preventative controls and detective controls - Specific steps you can put in place in your firm this week — positive pay, bank statement review, audit trail monitoring, access revocation, and more - The four red flags present in this case — and how any one of them, caught early, could have changed the outcome - Why good internal controls protect your honest employees, not just your money Santos pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. He was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and ordered to pay back the full amount — nearly $1.2 million. This series is called Stolen From Within, but unofficially it's Scary October. And the inspiration came from a conversation with Delisi Friday — if you're not connected with her on LinkedIn, go find her: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delisifriday/ Next week: the trust account. Three cases, three perpetrators, one warning that applies to all of them. Stolen From Within — all four episodes: Episode 1 (Oct 7): She Worked There for Six Years. She Stole $839,000. Nobody Noticed. Episode 2 (Oct 14): He Signed the Partner's Name 806 Times. Episode 3 (Oct 21): They All Had Access to the Trust Account. That Was the Problem. Episode 4 (Oct 28): The Checks Were Right There. Nobody Was Looking. Source: DOJ U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California press releases: August 8, 2023; November 20, 2023; March 14, 2024. All facts verified against primary sources. Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive #attorney #lawyer #lawfirm #lawfirmfraud #embezzlement #checkfraud #stolenfromwithin #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirmGrowth #podcast #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts

  3. Oct 7

    Ep 169 | She Worked There for Six Years. She Stole $839,000. Nobody Noticed. | Stolen From Within

    She Worked There for Six Years. She Stole $839,000. Nobody Noticed. | Stolen From Within Welcome to Stolen From Within — a four-episode October series on Your Profitable Law Firm dedicated to real cases of financial fraud inside law firms. This series was inspired by a conversation with Delisi Friday (linkedin.com/in/delisifriday), whose work in the legal operations space pushed Kelley from thinking about this topic to actually dedicating a month to it. Episode one walks through the case of a Pennsylvania bookkeeper who spent six years stealing $839,000 from the law firm that trusted her — through 71 unauthorized checks and 90 electronic transfers disguised as court filing fees — before a bounced check finally exposed her. Every fact in this episode comes from the Bucks County District Attorney's Office. The case was fully adjudicated in June 2025. This episode covers: how the scheme ran in two phases across six years, what she used the money for, the red flags that should have caught it far earlier, and the three controls that would have stopped it in year one. The message of this entire series: trust but verify. Stolen From Within — all four episodes: Episode 1 (Oct 7): She Worked There for Six Years. She Stole $839,000. Nobody Noticed. Episode 2 (Oct 14): He Signed the Partner's Name 806 Times. Episode 3 (Oct 21): They All Had Access to the Trust Account. That Was the Problem. Episode 4 (Oct 28): The Checks Were Right There. Nobody Was Looking. Source: Bucks County District Attorney's Office press release, June 27, 2025.  Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive #attorney #lawyer #lawfirm #lawfirmfraud #embezzlement #trustbutverify #stolenfromwithin #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirmGrowth #podcast #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts

  4. Sep 30

    Ep 168 | Why Most Small Business Owners Never Understand Their Numbers (And What to Do About It) | Danielle Hayden

    Why Most Small Business Owners Never Understand Their Numbers (And What to Do About It) | Danielle Hayden Danielle Hayden is a CPA, former corporate CFO, and the CEO of Kickstart Accounting Inc., where her team of nearly 50 serves thousands of small business owners through bookkeeping, CFO services, and tax preparation. She also hosts the CEO Numbers Network podcast. In this episode, Danielle joins Kelley Brubaker to talk about why so many business owners avoid their finances, what childhood money stories have to do with how you run your business today, real difference between bookkeeping and accounting and why most owners blur the two, what clean books actually look like and why they matter beyond tax season, and how to start paying yourself what you are actually worth. Connect with Danielle: Website: https://www.kickstartaccountinginc.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-hayden-kickstartaccounting/ Instagram: @kickstartacct YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CEONumbersNetwork Podcast: CEO Numbers Network Email: danielle@kickstartaccountinginc.com Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging- the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple- ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits #Bookkeeping #SmallBusinessFinance

  5. Sep 23

    Ep 167 | Why Law Firms Are Flying Blind on KPIs and What to Do About It | Sachin Bakhai

    Why Law Firms Are Flying Blind on KPIs and What to Do About It | Sachin Bakhai Sachin Bakhai is the CEO and founder of LawKPIs, a platform that integrates with Clio and MyCase to deliver AI-powered KPI dashboards built specifically for law firms. In this episode, Sachin joins Kelley Brubaker to talk about why most law firm owners are making critical business decisions without reliable data, which KPIs actually matter versus which ones are just noise, how to set targets that reflect your firm's specific financial model, and what happens when law firm owners finally see their numbers clearly for the first time. They also cover the overlap between financial clarity and operational performance, and how dashboards built on practice management software data can replace the spreadsheet chaos most firms are living with right now. Free resource for Your Profitable Law Firm listeners: Law Firm: Profit and Performance Playbook (free download): https://go.lawkpis.com/profit-performance-playbook/ Schedule a discovery call with LawKPIs: Use Kelley's referral link for 10% off: https://referrals.lawkpis.com/r/profitscal-yladp0 LawKPIs dashboards by platform: Clio: https://www.lawkpis.com/clio-dashboards/ MyCase: https://www.lawkpis.com/mycase-dashboards/ Connect with Sachin: Website: https://www.lawkpis.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbakhai/ Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits #LawFirmKPIs #LegalTech

  6. Sep 16

    Ep 166 | How Law Firm Owners Can Scale Without Becoming the Bottleneck | Matt Symes

    How Law Firm Owners Can Scale Without Becoming the Bottleneck | Matt Symes Matt Symes is a transformation strategist, AI-first architect, and founder of Levership, where he has worked with more than 500 organizations and contributed to over $1 billion in profitable growth. In this episode, Matt joins Kelley Brubaker to talk about the constraint that stops most founder-led law firms from scaling: the owner. Matt breaks down his 10-80-10 framework for using AI without losing control, explains why not all revenue is good revenue, walks through how to identify what is actually breaking under scale versus what just feels urgent, and shares why the goal is to shift from operator to architect before growth demands it. Connect with Matt: Website: https://levership.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-symes-8328a765/ Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits #LawFirmScaling #AI

  7. Sep 2

    Ep 165 | The Hidden Friction Tax: How Operational Inefficiencies Are Costing Your Law Firm Money | Tricia Warren

    The Hidden Friction Tax: How Operational Inefficiencies Are Costing Your Law Firm Money | Tricia Warren Tricia Warren is the CEO and founder of TLW Integrated Solutions and the Operations Friction Fixer. She works with law firms and professional service businesses as a fractional COO to eliminate the operational drag that quietly costs money, burns out staff, and frustrates clients. In this episode, Tricia joins Kelley Brubaker to break down what the friction tax is, how to find it in your own firm, why most law firm owners mistake an operations problem for a people problem, and how to use standard operating procedures and automation to build a firm that does not depend entirely on the owner showing up every day. Connect with Tricia: Website: https://www.thefrictionfixer.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciawarrenmba/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOperationsFrictionFixer Book - The Intelligent Firm: https://a.co/d/0dTVOxoL Upcoming events featuring Tricia: Take Charge! Conference — State Bar of Georgia, Atlanta Session: The Intelligent Firm: From Overwhelmed to Optimized Date: September 17-18, 2026 Register: https://www.gabarsolo.org Future Crafters AI Symposium — Atlanta Session: From Intention to Intelligence — Finance, Operations & Supply Chain Date: September 17, 2026 Register: https://www.thefuturecrafters.org Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits #LawFirmOperations #FractionalCOO

  8. Aug 26

    Ep 164 | How Attorneys Can Build a Book of Business Without Feeling Like a Salesperson | Dena Lefkowitz

    How Attorneys Can Build a Book of Business Without Feeling Like a Salesperson | Dena Lefkowitz Dena Lefkowitz is an attorney turned executive coach who works with lawyers to build books of business on their own terms. In this episode, Dena joins Kelley Brubaker to talk about why most attorneys hate the idea of rainmaking, why that resistance is costing them more than they realize, and what a sustainable business development approach actually looks like for someone who went to law school specifically to practice law, not sell it. Dena walks through her Rainmaker Pyramid framework, the difference between transactional networking and genuine relationship building, why introverts can be exceptional rainmakers, and the mindset shift that separates attorneys who consistently grow their book of business from those who wait and hope. Free resource for Your Profitable Law Firm listeners: Rainmaking Self-Check — a free assessment to identify your rainmaking strengths and gaps: https://achievementbydesign.com/rainmaking-self/ Connect with Dena: Website: https://achievementbydesign.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denalefkowitz/ Email: dena@achievementbydesign.com Book - Winning Your Own Court: A Guide for Successful Women Attorneys: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Your-Own-Court-Successful-ebook/dp/B0CGN643MK/ Sign up for my free 90-day challenge designed to improve your law firm with one baby step every day for 90 days: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/profitstrong-90 Do you receive my newsletter? Sign up and enjoy access to free templates and checklists that support each podcast episode. Only those who are on the newsletter distribution list will receive this bonus content. Sign up now: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/newsletter-sign-up Grab my newest book for free (PDF format) here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/plugging-the-leaks-10-ways-lawyers-waste-money-and-simple-fixes OR buy the Kindle or paperback format here: https://www.amazon.com/Plugging-Leaks-Lawyers-Waste-Simple-ebook/dp/B0FHGCPB6P Check out my free resources here: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/link-in-bio Schedule a meeting with me: https://www.profitscalethrive.com/contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleybrubaker/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@profit.scale.thrive #attorney #lawyer #profit #scale #thrive #howtogrowalawfirm #CPA #CFO #FractionalCFO #LawFirm #fyp #spotifypodcast #applepodcasts #googlepodcasts #podcast #LawFirmGrowth #LawFirmProfits #Rainmaking #BookOfBusiness #LegalMarketing

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5
out of 5
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About

Guiding law firms to overflowing profits 💰 scaled growth 🌱 and thriving lives 😎 This is your source of business insights and money mindset with a little bit of humor tossed in. Hosted by Kelley Brubaker, CPA who is a business advisor and entrepreneur. Kelley knows there is an easier way to make money as a small business owner and that's what she's here to help you do.

Information

  • Creator
    Kelley Brubaker
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    171
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Kelley Brubaker
  • Show Website
    Your Profitable Law Firm

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