Building Raving Fans of Your Law Firm with Stephanie Everett

Stephanie Everett says she is still a lawyer and recently tried her first case in 10 years. Her housekeeper was sued in what Stephanie considered a frivolous dog-bite case, so she volunteered to help despite having previously practiced real-estate litigation rather than dog-bite law. Using AI, she got current on Georgia dog-bite law and the evidentiary issues in about an hour, tried the case, and won. She now helps lawyers run their businesses, use technology and AI, and make legal practice “suck less.”

At 8am’s Kaleidoscope Conference in Las Vegas, Stephanie says Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole arrived in bright banana clothing and had lawyers dance during the keynote. Cole explained that he began changing baseball after finding it boring even from the dugout, then focused on entertaining the paying fans and removing friction. Stephanie connects that idea to law firms: clients can become enthusiastic advocates when lawyers create a better experience. Her housekeeper still brings food months after Stephanie’s successful defense and would likely refer other people, despite Stephanie never asking.

The hosts say lawyers often have satisfied clients but do not know how to share those experiences because of confidentiality, ethics concerns, and discomfort with self-promotion. Stephanie’s answer is to ask directly for a testimonial or referral, rather than assuming the request belongs only at the end of a matter. She also suggests asking after a positive onboarding experience, when a client feels they have found the right person. The testimonial should center on the client’s story and feelings, not merely say that the lawyer “fought hard.”

Stephanie argues that clients pay for results, reputation, connections, and experience—not the number of .4-hour increments recorded. She recalls hiring a lawyer to obtain a delayed State Department of Revenue permit; she believed getting it pushed through was worth $2,500, but the lawyer made a few calls and billed only $758. Although she liked the lower bill, she says the lawyer left money on the table by never asking what the result was worth. The hosts add that unclear hourly retainers create collection problems because clients do not understand what they are buying.

Stephanie compares small firms to speedboats and large firms to barges: a large firm told her it would spend eight to 12 months evaluating AI, while a small firm can test an idea and implement it the same day. She would not sign a three-year AI contract because tools keep changing; she moved from ChatGPT to Claude and back as capabilities shifted. She recommends pilot groups instead of buying licenses for everyone. The hosts acknowledge that rapid technology change is exhausting for owners already practicing law, running businesses, marketing, and managing client intake.

The hosts caution that calling a firm “AI-enabled” can repel potential clients who want a human, particularly younger people skeptical of AI. Stephanie describes her 15-year-old’s hostility to AI and says firms must address employees’ fear that the technology will eliminate jobs. Unlike Word training, AI use will differ by person and role, so she favors small pilots and concrete use cases. They endorse hybrid intake—AI with human assistance—and letting callers opt out. As drafting becomes automated, lawyers may need to emphasize advising, editing, empathy, relationships, and trust.

Stephanie closes by promoting her book, “Be a Next Level Leader: The Four Cornerstones of Law Firm Leadership,” written for legal professionals and focused on the kind of leader a person wants to be. She says trust is not merely something that develops naturally over years: leaders can use specific tactics to build it with teams, clients, and potential clients. She directs listeners to BeANextLevelLeader.com and Lawyerist.com for more information and says Lawyerist helps firms navigate business, marketing, technology, and AI decisions.