Welcome to Law Labs — the podcast where law firm life gets a glow-up.
Hosted by entrepreneur, attorney, Modern Law founder, and optimistic disrupter, Billie Tarascio, this show is your backstage pass to the business of law. We’re not talking billable hours and black-letter law — we’re talking AI-powered operations, next-gen leadership, smart growth, and real strategy.
Billie digs into the systems, stories, and shifts shaping modern legal practice—alongside law firm owners, legal technologists, and bold thinkers who are rewriting the rules.
Expect real talk about:
Scaling law firms without burning out
Leading with clarity, culture, and data
Using AI and automation without losing the human touch
Building sustainable businesses that serve your life—not just your clients
Valuation, VC, and the art of getting acquired (or acquiring others)
This is your lab for testing what’s possible—then building it.
If you're ready to lead smarter, scale faster, and think bigger—welcome to the future of law. Let’s jump in.
What Is Your Law Firm Actually Worth? A Buyer's Perspective on Private Equity Deals
Law firms are selling for real money, and private equity is now part of the buyer pool. In this Law Labs edition, Billie Tarascio digs into what law firms sell for, how deals get structured, and why more owners treat a sale as a growth move instead of a retirement plan. Tom Lenfestey is the founder and CEO of The Law Practice Exchange, a marketplace and advisory firm for law firm sales, acquisitions, and succession planning. A practicing attorney, CPA, and law firm owner himself, Tom launched...
27 Aug 2026
How to Get AI to Recommend Your Law Firm
Clients are no longer starting their search for a lawyer on Google. They are asking AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude for recommendations, and the rules for law firm marketing have changed with them. In this Law Labs edition, Billie Tarascio and legal marketing expert Amanda Sexton break down how AI search works, why your website alone no longer carries the weight it once did, and what firms need to do now to be the name AI recommends. Amanda Sexton is the founder of FocusWorks Marketing, an ...
14 Aug 2026
Private Equity Is Buying Law Firms: What Every Partner Needs to Know Before Signing
Private equity money is moving into law firms, and legal MSOs sit at the center of the shift. Frederick Shelton advises law firm owners through these deals and explains what separates a strong offer from one that costs a partner their leverage, their income, or their license. Billie Tarascio walks through valuations, EBITDA multiples, Rule 5.4 exposure, and the questions every firm owner should ask before the first meeting. Frederick Shelton serves as CEO and Firm Side Advisor at Shelton &...
30 Jul 2026
Trafficking, Title IX, and Platform Liability: Building a Civil Rights Practice with Caitlin Engstrand
Caitlin Engstrand spent years as a public defender before moving into private practice with National Injury Attorneys, where she now handles civil rights, sexual assault, and trafficking victim cases across Arizona. In this Law Labs episode she walks through the practical mechanics of building a practice in an area with no established playbook, and what the ABS structure changed about how she selects and funds cases. Topics covered: - The Backpage victim compensation fund and the documentatio...
25 Jun 2026
Ditch the Billable Hour: How to Price Value, Not Time with Shaun Jardine
Value-based pricing gives law firms a way out of the billable hour and into pricing that reflects outcomes, not time. Shaun Jardine breaks down how solo attorneys and small firm owners can offer clients gold, silver, and bronze service levels, run a successful pricing pilot, and grow profitability without padding timesheets. Shaun Jardine is the founder of Big Yellow Penguin and former CEO of a Top 250 UK law firm, with over 35 years in the legal profession. He wrote Ditch the Billable Hour, ...
11 Jun 2026
Private Equity Is Coming for Law Firms: What Every Owner Needs to Know
Private equity and venture capital are moving into the legal industry fast, and law firm owners face real decisions about MSOs, ABS structures, and what it means to take outside capital. This Law Labs roundtable breaks down how private equity actually works when it buys a law firm, why the headline price often hides debt and leverage, and what separates a good partner from a deal that destroys value. Host Billie Tarascio sits down with three attorneys who each live this issue from a different...
4 Jun 2026
Is ChatGPT actually draining Arizona dry?
Arizona water bills have doubled or tripled in the last year, and a lot of people are pointing fingers at AI and data centers. The viral claim that every ChatGPT prompt uses a full bottle of water has parents, teenagers, and city council members convinced that artificial intelligence is draining the desert dry. But what if the math is completely wrong? Andy Masley is a former high school physics teacher turned independent researcher who became one of the most cited voices in the national data...
16 Apr 2026
Adapt or Atrophy: Why Law Firms Have 12 Months to Master AI
If you are a solo or small firm attorney trying to figure out where AI fits in your practice, this episode of LawLabs (a special series from the Modern Arizona Podcast) is your starting point. Carolyn Elefant breaks down exactly how to begin with AI tools, why most lawyers are evaluating them in the wrong order, and what the real risks look like when AI gets citations wrong. She also shares an honest prediction of where the profession is headed and why firms that are not adopting now will fin...
17 Mar 2026
Inside an Immigration Law Firm on the Frontlines of Chaos
Immigration attorney and law firm founder Hillary Walsh joins Billie Tarascio for a candid conversation about what it's really like to run an immigration law firm in today's turbulent legal and political climate. From filing habeas petitions to protect unlawfully detained clients, to navigating due process violations and a surge in demand for legal services, Hillary shares how her practice has evolved, and how she's adapting to protect both her clients and her team. They also dig into the bus...
3 Mar 2026
The End of the Billable Hour? Scaling a Modern Law Firm with Jessica Travis
In this episode of Law Labs, Billie Tarascio sits down with Jessica Travis, Co-Owner and Managing Partner of Fighter Law in Orlando, Florida. They talk about how modern law firms can move beyond billable hours, use AI tools the right way, and build strong internal systems that support real growth. Law Labs is a podcast for law firm owners and legal professionals who want to build smarter firms. Each episode focuses on systems, technology, billing models, marketing, and practical strategies th...
24 Feb 2026
From Legal Tech to Civil Rights: Scaling a National Firm with Bob Simon
In this episode of the Modern Arizona Podcast, Law Labs Edition, Billie Tarascio sits down with Bob Simon. They talk about what it means to run a national law firm, build legal tech companies, and step into civil rights advocacy during a time of major legal and political tension. Bob Simon is an entrepreneur, trial lawyer, and co-founder of multiple companies, including a national personal injury firm and the legal tech platform Attorney Share. He is also actively involved in civil rights li...
17 Feb 2026
The Future of Law Firms: AI, Unstable Marketing & What Comes Next
In this Law Labs episode of the Modern Arizona Divorce Podcast, Billie Tarascio sits down with Tyson Mutrux, founder of Mutrux Firm Injury Lawyers and owner of Maximum Lawyer, to talk about what is really happening inside modern law firms. Tyson is not just a personal injury attorney. He is an entrepreneur, systems thinker, and constant experimenter who is building, testing, and automating in real time. In this conversation, he shares how AI is changing legal workflows, why marketing feels un...
10 Feb 2026
The Real Growth Engine of Law Firms: Intake, Conversion, and Client Acquisition
AI will not fix a broken law firm. But fixing your intake will. Most law firms chase new tools, new systems, and new tech thinking that is what will drive growth. In this Law Labs episode, Billie Tarascio talks with Marco Brown about where growth actually comes from: intake, conversion, and client acquisition. They break down how law firms lose massive amounts of money through poor intake, why optimizing conversion beats chasing more leads, and how AI tools like LexiDesk are already changing ...
3 Feb 2026
Legal Infrastructure Before Scale: How AI Is Changing Startup Law
Most startups fail long before funding because their legal foundation was never built to scale. In this Law Labs episode, Billie Tarascio and Marla Miller unpack how AI-powered legal tools are changing access to legal support, removing bottlenecks, and helping founders build real structure early. Marla Miller is an attorney and legal tech founder, and the founder of 9to5 Legal Docs. She works with early-stage startups to replace traditional billable-hour models with scalable legal systems t...
20 Jan 2026
Systems, Capacity, and AI: What Law Firms Need to Scale in 2026
Running a successful law firm in 2026 requires more than strong marketing and legal skill. In this Law Labs episode of the Modern Arizona Podcast, Billie Tarascio sits down with a seasoned law firm owner to talk candidly about workflow breakdowns, capacity limits, leadership decisions, and how modern firms adapt as they grow. Raiford Palmer is a partner at STG Divorce Law in Chicago, where he helps lead a 10-attorney firm serving high-net-worth and complex divorce clients across the Chicago...
30 Dec 2025
What Happens When a Law Firm Actually Uses AI (Not Just Talks About It)
In this Modern Arizona Podcast episode, attorney Billie Tarascio sits down with Russell Alexander, a veteran Canadian family lawyer and early AI adopter, to break down how artificial intelligence is reshaping law firms at record speed. They explore the real impact on operations, client experience, billing models, and the daily work lawyers and law clerks handle inside modern family-law practices. Russell Alexander is the founder of Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers, a long-time ...
12 Dec 2025
The Future Is Now: How One Family Law Firm Is Leading with AI at Scale
In this episode of Law Labs, attorney Billie Tarascio sits down with Seattle-based family law firm owner Michelle Dellino to talk about what real AI adoption looks like inside a 40-person practice. Michelle shares how her firm is rethinking workflows, training, client communication, and firm strategy as AI becomes part of everyday legal work, from intake and marketing to document systems and case management. Topics discussed in this episode include: • How a mid-sized family law firm is actua...
5 Dec 2025
The Future-Ready Firm: Chad Burton on AI, Automation & Legal Work
AI is changing law firms fast, and Billie sits down with Attorney and Founder of Modern Law Practice, Chad Burton, to explain what this shift means right now. They talk about ClioCon’s major updates, AI intake, automation, burnout, and how these tools will shape the future of legal work. This episode gives a clear, simple look at what lawyers should start doing today to stay ahead. What You’ll Learn: • How ClioCon made AI real for law firms • Why AI intake reduces burnout and saves hiring co...
20 Nov 2025
The Future of Legal Intake: AI That Captures More Leads — Without More Staff
In this Law Labs episode of the Modern Arizona Podcast, Billie talks with LexiDesk AI co-founder Ivan Tryskyba about the intake side of law firms that most lawyers ignore until it costs them real money. Ivan shares how a personal family law issue led him from a client’s frustration to building LexiDesk AI, an AI call answering and intake system now used by firms like Modern Law. Billie walks through a live demo of “Emma,” the AI receptionist, and explains how LexiDesk captures after hours cal...
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