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PODCAST

The Free Lawyer

The Free Lawyer® Podcast is where high-performing attorneys come when success starts to feel like a trap. Hosted by trial lawyer, managing partner, and attorney freedom coach Gary Miles — with over 40 years in practice — this podcast delivers honest conversations and practical tools to help you escape burnout, conquer perfectionism, and build a practice that serves your life, not consumes it. Two episodes every week, built specifically for lawyers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving

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All Episodes

00:17:50

3 Productivity Drains Stealing Billable Hours Every...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/07/27

There is a painful gap between the long, exhausting hours attorneys work and the low billable output that actually makes it onto our timesheets. Many high-performing attorneys assume a thin timesheet is a personal failure of discipline or willpower, but Gary Miles explains why trying to outwork this problem is the most expensive wrong answer in a legal practice. Through the example of an experienced attorney named Marcus, the episode highlights the three productivity drains that erode focus. To

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00:41:36

The Business of Health Law, Managing Client...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/07/23

First-generation attorney, Jamaal Jones shares how to succeed in health law, manage client relationships, and scale a law firm without the billable hour.This episode of The Free Lawyer, host Gary Miles speaks with Jamaal Jones, founder of Jones Health Law, about what it takes to transition from an entry-level attorney doing document review to running a successful health law practice. Jamaal shares candid stories about the realities of launching a firm with no initial network, transitioning away from

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00:25:45

3 Daily Habits High Performing Lawyers Use to Reclaim...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/07/20

Corner offices and impressive incomes, yet there is a deep dread that keeps surfacing on Sunday nights. Gary Miles details why traditional metrics of legal success frequently lead to burnout and empty victories for high performing lawyers. Perfectionism, constant availability, and relying on external validation create what Gary calls “golden handcuffs." Handcuffs that keep accomplished lawyers feeling trapped in the very success they built. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The 3 core pillars you

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00:37:43

Trapped by Your Own Success? Raquel Gomes on...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/07/16

You built the practice. You earned the success. So why does it feel like the firm is running you instead of the other way around? If you are quietly wondering whether you have become the bottleneck inside the business you created, this conversation will hit a nerve.In this episode, Gary sits down with Raquel Gomes, founder and CEO of Stafi, to talk honestly about what it actually takes to grow a law firm without losing yourself in the process. From her early lessons in Brazil to the breaking point

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00:14:21

The Midnight Redo, Fake Delegation, and 3 Beliefs...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/07/13

Stop doing work that is 2 levels below your pay grade and calling it delegation.This episode of The Free Lawyer tackles a productivity killer that many law firm partners have: the midnight redo. Many partners find themselves completely rewriting associate drafts late at night under the guise of maintaining high standards. However, host Gary Miles, reveals that this isn't a delegation or character flaw, but rather an authority and design problem rooted in keeping standards trapped inside your own

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00:31:49

The Law Firm Trap: Why You Built the Cage You're...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/07/09

You built your firm to give yourself freedom. So why does it feel like you've never been more trapped? If your alarm goes off at five, your laptop comes on vacation with you, and the only way the work gets done is when you do it yourself, this conversation will land hard.In this episode, Gary sits down with Simone Fulmer Gaus, co-founder of Fulmer Sill and author of The Set-Up, to unpack why most lawyers stay stuck even after they leave the firm that was burning them out. Simone shares the Texas

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00:16:45

How the 80% Rule Saves Busy Attorneys From...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/07/06

Lawyers, stop being your own secretary and reclaim your evenings. Your best legal thinking is not at 7 PM.Your law practice doesn’t have to feel like a cycle of playing catch-up. The problem was never your willpower, it’s your structure. This episode helps elite lawyers choose system architecture over discipline.In this episode of The Free Lawyer, we work through the fallacy that time management is about squeezing more into your day. True productivity is about reclaiming daylight hours for the work

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00:39:09

Stop Being the Bottleneck: How Lawyers Build Firms...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/07/02

You're the one everyone calls. The one who has the answers, solves the problems, and holds the whole thing together. And deep down, you know that's exactly what's keeping you stuck.In this episode, Gary sits down with leadership strategist Kristen McAlister to tackle one of the most costly traps in law firm management: building a practice so dependent on you that it can never truly grow, and you can never truly breathe. This conversation is a practical roadmap for any managing partner or

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00:19:08

Why Productivity Apps Don't Work for Elite Lawyers #433

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/06/29

Traditional time-management tools were built for corporate employees with bosses, not the load-bearing owners of a legal enterprise. This episode of The Free Lawyer, addresses a frustrating reality for most managing partners and successful attorneys: why every productivity system we try eventually fails. Gary Miles explains that the true culprit behind abandoned calendars isn't a lack of discipline, but a deeply embedded definition of professional worth tied to constant availability and personal

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00:25:48

How Jason DeSouza Built a Purpose-Driven Personal...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/06/25

Eight months ago, Jason DeSouza got a second cell phone — one for work, one for family — and left the work phone in his car every night. That one decision changed how he leads his firm, shows up for his kids, and protects his joy in the practice of law. If you have been telling yourself you will set better boundaries when things slow down, this episode is your wake-up call.In Episode 432, Gary sits down with personal injury attorney Jason DeSouza, founder of DeSouza Injury Lawyers in San Antonio,

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00:20:04

3 Skills Law School Forgot to Teach You #431

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/06/22

You're very good at the law, but you're quietly drowning in everything that is not the law. There's a moment when that gap becomes impossible to ignore and almost no one talks about it.Gary Miles exposes that while law school perfectly equips lawyers to win in the courtroom, it completely omits the critical operating skills needed to manage workflow and protect focus. Gary explains how early success tricks lawyers into relying purely on raw capacity and willpower, an improvised strategy

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00:40:15

How Monica Ishak Doubled Her Revenue and Became the...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/06/18

You built a firm because you wanted freedom — so why does it feel like you're more trapped than ever?If you're a solo or small-firm attorney caught between doing work you love and running a business nobody taught you how to manage, this one's for you.Criminal defense attorney Monica Ishak launched The Ishak Law Firm in Palm Beach County with no client base, no playbook, and a laptop that barely worked. She and Coach Gary Miles talk honestly about what it took to go from breaking even at

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00:22:39

External Validation is Killing Your Productivity (and...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/06/15

Your productivity is not driven by your personal discipline. Instead, you’ve learned to put all of your energy, success, and productivity into who will or won’t validate you and your work ethic. This is the external authority trap.In this episode of The Free Lawyer, host Gary Miles, shares how even the most successful attorneys and senior practitioners rigid productivity systems always seem to collapse despite their immense willpower. The root cause isn't a lack of discipline, but rather what he

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00:37:55

Built the Career, Lost the Fulfillment: Misty Leon on...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/06/11

You built your firm through hard work, skill, and sheer determination. So why does running it feel like it's slowly running you? If you lead a small or mid-sized law firm and are struggling to keep pace with rising client expectations, operational overwhelm, and mounting pressure around AI, this conversation is exactly where you need to be.Gary sits down with Misty Leon, founder of Practical Counsel Advisors, to dig into what is really keeping law firms stuck and what it takes to modernize

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00:20:08

A 3 Part Productivity System for Lawyers to Reclaim...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/06/08

You are constantly interrupted and leaving your most critical case management to the weekends. That is not the work-life balance you imagined for yourself. You can escape this reactive trap today by implementing Gary Miles' signature Triangle System. This is your concrete daily architecture that defends your productivity and schedule.Through intentional time management, strategic time blocking, and deep focused work, you have the power to stop playing defense against your inbox and start

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00:33:33

Where Did All the Money Go? Chelsea Williams on Law...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/06/04

You are generating solid revenue. So why does your bank account still feel like a black hole? If you have ever ended a strong month wondering where it all went, this episode was made for you.Gary sits down with Chelsea Williams, founder and Chief Financial Architect of Core Solutions Group, for a conversation that every law firm owner needs to hear. Chelsea has worked with firms generating millions in annual revenue who were still skipping paychecks and taking out loans to cover payroll. Her message

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00:19:19

3 Productivity Systems to Relearn How to Love the Law...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/06/01

Thomas made exactly three critical structural shifts to turn his law practice around.In this episode of The Free Lawyer, host Gary Miles explores how unchecked availability and 24/7 texting can turn an elite professional into a "human punching bag." Listen to discover three structural pillars—evening planning, a protected morning focus block, and defined communication windows—that allow lawyers to drastically slash stress and reclaim their calendars. Gary shares the crucial psychological

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00:37:06

From Rearview Mirror to Roadmap: Building Real...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/05/28

You know your revenue number. You can probably recite your billing rate without thinking. But ask most law firm owners what they actually want to take home this year, and they go quiet. That gap between generating money and building wealth is exactly where most attorneys are stuck, and it has nothing to do with how hard they're working.In this episode, Gary sits down with Jessica Gonifas, CPA and founder of Silver Peaks Accounting, to explore why so many law firm owners feel financially

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00:24:51

3 Systems to Transform Your Law Firm's Productivity...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/05/25

Evening Power Planning, Morning Victory Formula, and the Triangle System.Host and coach, Gary Miles challenges the common belief that low law firm productivity is a personnel issue, arguing instead that the fault lies within an outdated operating model. Previous guest of The Free Lawyer, Rebecca Kidder and Dragonfly Law Group, serves as an example for how shifting from willpower to structured systems can yield dramatic financial results and a healthier culture. Listen for these three core

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00:33:29

Breaking the Burnout Cycle: Sammy Catone on Rewiring...

The Free Lawyer ·

2026/05/21

You have the wins, the reputation, and the résumé. But underneath it all, you are exhausted, running on empty, and your body may already be telling you what your mind refuses to hear. What neuroscience now confirms is that the source of that suffering is almost never your caseload.In this conversation, Gary Miles sits down with Sammy Catone, a former litigator turned burnout recovery coach, to explore why so many accomplished attorneys burn out despite doing everything right. Sammy shares her

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