If you care about your personal brand, you should care about what happens after you’re gone.

In this episode of Branding Room Only, I sit down with Carl Forbes Jr., founder of CFJ Law and a leader in estate planning, to talk about something too many professionals avoid. If your personal brand is about how people experience you and what you leave behind, then estate planning is not optional. It is part of the strategy.

We get into the real implications of not having a plan, the mistakes even lawyers make, and why legacy is more than money. It is about control, clarity, and making sure your values, your family, and everything you built are protected long after you are no longer in the room.

If this episode made you think differently about your brand and your legacy, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

And if you have not handled your estate planning yet, this is your sign.

1:22 – How Carl defines personal brand and sees himself, his favorite quote, and the Rick Ross song he played when traveling to work

4:24 – Life lessons learned from a Brooklyn upbringing

5:17 – How competitive debate, fraternity life, and student leadership laid the groundwork for Carl’s practice centered on family, community, and legacy

13:07 – How a family death inspired Carl to focus on wills, trusts, estate planning, and real estate law in his practice over being a generalist

17:48 – How Carl defines legacy and its connection to personal branding

19:31 – Why estate planning is about protecting your brand, your family, and ensuring that your story continues

22:13 – The reality of what really happens when you don’t plan and let the law decide who inherits your assets

26:03 – What estate planning on the cheap will cost you and why not planning at all is the wrong mindset to have

34:53 – Real estate investment and ownership as a tool for building generational wealth and overcoming historical disadvantages

39:39 – How Carl’s experience as a former Metropolitan Black Bar Association president has shaped his brand and impacted his legacy

45:21 – How Carl wants his legacy to be remembered, personally and professionally

49:05 – What Carl does for fun, the aspect of his brand that Paula sees as uncompromisable, and what he brings to a room full of people

Mentioned In Your Personal Brand Will Outlive You So What Happens Next with Carl Forbes Jr.

CFJ Law PLLC

Metropolitan Black Bar Association

Personal Branding Strategy Session

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Sponsor for this episode

PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level.

Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change.

To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.