Fireproof: A Five-Step Model to Take Your Law Firm from Unpredictable to Wildly Profitable

by Mike Morse, John Nachazel

Skilled lawyers who open their own firms can quickly find their dream career turning into a nightmare. When the firm doesn’t grow as fast as you expected, the money doesn’t come like you’d hoped despite working long hours, and your less-capable peers are passing you by, it can be demoralizing and deeply frustrating. Mike Morse has been there. The change he made that transformed both his personal life and his professional future was running his law firm like a business. Now, along with John Nachazel, Mike has written the book he wishes he had twenty years ago. In Fireproof, the duo lay out a roadmap of business principles to help you sort out what’s missing from your firm. By running your firm like a business, you are free to work in your sweet spot, doing what you love to do every day. You’ll attract more clients, make more money, and enjoy newfound freedom. As your firm grows, you’ll enjoy peace of mind knowing it’ll bring more profitability—not more problems.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Shawn McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many "How to run your business" books fall far short of expectations and are usually nothing more than exaggerated war stories that do little to teach how to run a successful business. In Fireproof, Mr. Morse lays out a detailed plan with no bragging and no phony war stories. Instead, he focuses on real business principals and applies them in the context of managing his law firm. The author notes that most law firms never run their firm like a business and often suffer the consequences. This book is a big step forward in law firm management and a master-class on how to run an ultra successful law firm.

[Jordan Faust · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for any industry

I have known Mike Morse personally so a few years. I am not an attorney but decided to read the book and took away so many lessons that I will now get to incorporate into my business.

I have worked with hundreds of law firms across the country and know they will all benefit from reading Fireproof.

[Julie Rashid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the real deal in law firm management and a master-class on how to run an ultra-successful law firm. A must read and then...must implement!

[Deborah Bletl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, packed with everything you need to know to run a great law firm!

[James DeMates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful insight into the inner-workings of a wildly successful Michigan law firm. Well written and easy to understand and follow.

[Renecia Lowery-Jeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of the principles in this book can be successfully transferred to other businesses. Well worth the read for anyone building a business.

[Christian Peehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great info! Definitely real advice in here that I will apply to my own business moving forward.

[Ryan Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well done approach to creating a transparent playbook of legitimate law firm growth. The main takeaways which I appreciated are broken down in a meaningful way and make sense (without the excessive aggrandization you see in most biz dev books).

- Understanding the key tenants of creating a great team, from incentivizing to hiring/firing to camaraderie and an emphasis on actual useful internal processes
- Have the right mentality for firm growth, from setting goals to empowering personnel to understanding that advertising and building networks aren't just for the sake of doing so and "I guess this works", but how it can be scaleable and measurable
- Rearranging your employees (and employees' time) in a way where dynamics always work to their advantage and the advantage of the firm, ensuring you have people that are happily doing what they're best at, and taking another look at (semi) common business threads like Pareto's 80/20 rule (which is already very important) and a very detailed, comprehensive understanding of EOS and how it looks when applied to a law firm (which is immensely important).

Solid anecdotes, actionable info, and digestible, memorable takeaways. Nice work Mike.

[Ed Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Fireproof” is a great read for owners/partners of small businesses who are feeling overwhelmed by the challenge of being great at what they do and being a great business leader. Mike Morse is the owner of what has become the largest personal injury law firm in Michigan. The problems Morse encountered,- like losing 75% of his revenue in a single day or his offices being destroyed in a fire are not restricted to law firms. Mike Morse not only made his firm “fireproof”; he came to realize that even though he was the owner, he didn’t have to run the business day-to-day and, in fact, he wasn’t living his best life when he felt that he was obliged to do so. I recommended this book to a law firm client of mine and she found it very valuable in seeing how using an operating system like EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System) was applicable to law firms. It turns out that Mike Morse was an early client of Gino Wickman, the creator of EOS. “Fireproof” is a case study in how to live your your best life: doing what you love to do, doing so with people you enjoy, making a huge difference in the lives of those you serve, being compensated fairly and having time left for other passions. If you are feeling stressed out by your business, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this book.

[Hans Luttmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perseverance, Hard work and Profit

A fantastic and insightful guide to maximizing business potential through teamwork, transparency, hustle and agility. Great book and inspiring read.

[Glenn Stenquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable insight for law practice or any buisness.

[James Poindexter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great, easy read that I recommend to all lawyers, whether you own your own firm or not. I can’t wait to implement some of these ideas in our practice!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another 4.5 stars. C’mon Goodreads, give us that 1/2 star. Very helpful reminder/motivator for law firm owners to treat the practice as a business (rather than think about it as an attorney).

[Evaldas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Morse knyga apie tai, kaip jis užkūrė savo teisinės kontoros verslą. Pradėjęs nuo sole attorney firmos, išaugo į kaliasdešimt milijonų dolerių pelno per metus generuojančią ir daugiau nei šimtą darbuotojų turinčią advokatų kontorą. Labiausiai rezonuojančios knygos dalys apie efektyvų darbo užduočių dedikavimą bei finansų planavimą.

Buvo įdomu skaityti apie identiškas problemas, su kuriomis susidūrė knygos autorius ir pats susiduriu darbe. Apie tai, kad bandydamas multitaskinti negali skirti kiekvienam darbui šimto procentų, o dar ir sudegini laiką kurį galėjai skirti sau ar artimam. Knygoje įdomiai aprašyti finansų valdymo aspektai, kurie aktualūs ne tik gamybos ar prekių pardavimo verslui, tačiau ir tokiam konsultacijų verslui, kaip teisinės paslaugos. M. Morse knygoje labai paprastai ir įtaigiai atskleidžia, kodėl finansiniai tikslai ir finansinis planas yra nemažiau svarbūs už patį verslą. Jeigu nori pasiekti išsikeltus tikslus papraščiau ir gauti DIDESNĮ rezultatą: svajok, dedikuok ir planuok, šį moto apibendrina sena ir turbūt ne tik lietuviška patarlė, reikia dirbti ne sunkiau, o protingiau.

Įdomus faktas, kad Mike Morse vis dar aktyviai praktikuojantis advokatas, turi savo LinkedIn profili ir karts nuo karto įsimeta kokiu įdomių case.

[John Risvold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book for All Lawyers

You can’t grow what you don’t measure. Mike’s systematic methods for growing your firm and for tracking data are game changing. Looking forward to implementing them in my practice.

[Ty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smooth Read!

Loved the book and read it fast! I practice a different area of law but it applies across the board. Highly recommend and thanks for sharing the wisdom.

[Jeffrey A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good information and an easy read

I really enjoyed the book. There is a lot of sound advice and relevant examples. Definitely worth the investment in time.