A show about Consumer Law Firm M&A and Big Picture Strategy-- all from family law firm builder's perspective.
Consumer law firms serve people, not companies. They are Personal Injury firms, Family Law, Immigration, Estate Planning, etc.
We are not Big Law, which serves companies.
My team and I have built our family law firm, Sterling Lawyers, to 40+ lawyers and $26M+ in revenue. I stepped down as CEO so I could focus on our firm's M&A and Big Picture Strategy.
This show attempts to document that journey and share what I am seeing, who I am meeting, and what I am learning.
My hope is that you can use this information to grow your law practice and expand your options.
Why Investors Are Paying a Premium for Family Law Firms: Seth Deutsch - Ep 9
Why are family law firms with strong marketing engines attracting valuations of 10 to 12 times earnings? On this episode of The J. Sterling Hughes Show, Jeff sits down with Seth Deutsch, founder and CEO of Samson Advisors, to explore the rapidly evolving law firm M&A market. With five business exits and experience acquiring more than 80 founder-led companies, Seth brings an operator’s perspective to what investors are looking for. They discuss why marketing-driven growth, limited founder ...
26 Oct 2026
The Five Types of MSOs in Consumer Law Firm M&A with Frederick Shelton - EP 8
Should you sell your law firm, take some money off the table, or keep building on your own? In this episode of The J. Sterling Hughes Show, Jeff Hughes sits down with Frederick Shelton, principal at Shelton & Steele, to break down the growing role of management services organizations (MSOs) in law firm M&A. Frederick explains the five types of MSOs, from private equity-backed and corporate-backed models to lawyer-owned and internal structures. They discuss how these deals work, why ti...
19 Oct 2026
Chris Batz on the State of Consumer Law Firm M&A and What’s Ahead - Ep 7
What makes a consumer law firm attractive to outside capital—and what separates a true platform from just a profitable practice? Jeff sits down with Chris Batz of Columbus Street Consultancy and MergerWatch to unpack the rapidly evolving market for law firm M&A. Chris explains how private equity, family offices, and other investors are approaching consumer law firms, why MSO structures are opening new possibilities, and which practice areas are drawing attention. They also dig into the me...
13 Oct 2026
Tom Shipley on Law Firm Deal Structure, Seller Trust, and the Power of Acquisitions - Ep 6
What does it take to grow a law firm through acquisitions instead of building everything from scratch? In this episode of The J. Sterling Hughes Show, Jeff sits down with Tom Shipley, co-founder of DealCon and the Advisory Board, to explore a practical approach to law firm mergers and acquisitions. Tom shares lessons from building acquisition platforms, including how to find motivated sellers, structure creative deals, and use acquisitions to increase business value. Jeff also discusses how T...
9 Oct 2026
Tim Francis on Using an MSO to Acquire and Grow Estate Planning Law Firms - Ep 5
What does it look like when a non-lawyer entrepreneur partners with an attorney to build an MSO around an estate planning firm? In this episode, Jeff talks with Tim about how the structure works, why the business logic is so strong, and why he expects to see many more of these deals. Tim shares the story behind the deal, including the 12-plus months it took to paper, the moment it nearly fell apart over ownership percentages, and how he turned it around. He also walks through the AI ope...
6 Oct 2026
From Zero to $2M in 18 Months: How Anthony Cooper Scaled a Family Law Firm - Ep 4
How do you build a law firm from scratch and reach a $2.0 million run rate in just 18 months? On The J. Sterling Hughes Show, Jeff Hughes sits down with Anthony Cooper to unpack how Anthony and his wife, Charlean, approached rapid growth with clear roles, disciplined hiring, and a focus on scalable systems. Anthony walks through their early client acquisition strategy, the decision to invest in marketing, refining intake to focus on qualified leads, and the challenges of adding attorney...
5 Oct 2026
Buyer’s POV on Acquiring a Family Law Firm - Ep 3
What does a law firm acquisition look like from the buyer’s side? This week, Alex Peterson turns the tables and interviews Jeff Hughes about Sterling Lawyers’ acquisition of Family First Legal Group—from their first conversation through financing, closing, and the early stages of integration. Jeff explains what Sterling looks for in an acquisition, why culture and credibility can make or break a deal, and how a firm’s systems and independence from its founder affect value. He walks thro...
21 Sept 2026
Alex Peterson on Selling his $5.5M Family Law Firm - Ep 2
What's it actually like to sell a $5.5 million family law firm? In this episode, Jeff Hughes sits down with Alex Peterson, who, alongside his wife Katie, built Family First Legal Group in Naples, Florida — and ultimately sold it to Sterling Lawyers. Alex walks through the entire journey from the seller's side: an unexpected inbound listing, the first meeting that built trust, negotiating the letter of intent, choosing not to accept an earn-out, a grueling due diligence process, keeping ...
18 Sept 2026
A Show on Consumer Law Firm M&A and Big Picture Strategy - Ep 1
Welcome to The J. Sterling Hughes Show, a podcast about People Law Firm M&A and big-picture strategy from an operator’s perspective. In this introductory episode, Jeff shares why he stepped away from the day-to-day CEO role at Sterling Lawyers to focus on M&A and long-term strategy, what he’s learning as consolidation begins to take shape across consumer law firms, and lessons from Sterling’s recent acquisition of Family First Legal Group. This show isn’t about theory. Jeff will share...
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