Personal Injury Mastermind – Episode 352

"4 Steps to Your First $10M Year" with Jim Hurley

Host: Chris Dreyer, Rankings.io
Guest: Jim Hurley, Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers
Date: September 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this energizing episode, Chris Dreyer welcomes Jim Hurley, Managing Partner at Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers, to dissect the four essential steps for growing a personal injury firm from solo practice to eight figures. Jim shares the journey from the firm's modest beginnings to a $13M annual operation, offering actionable, no-nonsense insights on specialization, in-house marketing, intake systems, referral cultivation, tech-enabled client management, and scaling pains. The episode is loaded with real-world tactics and candid stories—perfect for PI attorneys aiming to dominate their local markets.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Niche Down and Brand Ruthlessly

Time: 00:55–03:13

• Jim launched "The Car Crash Experts" branding 3–4 years ago, using a "rifle" instead of a "shotgun" approach—focusing intensely on auto accidents in coastal Virginia.

• Early years saw slow growth, but after years 3–4, both case numbers and revenue increased notably (10–15% case uptick).

• Quote:

  "We're trying to be a big fish in a little pond as opposed to a little fish in a bigger pond." – Jim Hurley (02:11)

• The goal: Become the premier injury firm locally before considering further expansion.

2. Establish Omnipresence with In-House Marketing

Time: 03:13–06:43

• Jim emphasizes the importance of being everywhere—"omnipresent"—to maximize community mindshare.

• Started with a part-time marketer as a solo due to budget constraints but scaled capacity with firm growth.

• Now operates with a CMO (Cassidy Lewis) plus three full-time marketers, a graphic designer, and a $2.3 million marketing budget.

• Hybrid marketing (in-house + agency) enables brand consistency across channels.

• Quote:

  “You may not be able to afford in house marketing, but if you want to grow your firm, you've got to have some type of in house presence to help coordinate with a market agency… or trying to do projects that you just don't have time to do.” – Jim Hurley (05:46)

• Even for solo/small firms: "A dollar is much more valuable... but I knew marketing was crucially important." (03:55)

3. Obsess Over Your Intake Process

Time: 06:43–10:03

• Intake was initially an afterthought (handled by legal staff interrupting their workflow), causing lost opportunities.

• Major improvement: Hired three full-time intake specialists; invested in training and outside expertise (notably from Yanni Smith & Legal Intake Pros).

• Weekend & after-hours intake remains a challenge; currently handled by a rotating team of on-call attorneys but acknowledged as a weak spot and a major opportunity area.

• Quote:

  "We had paralegals and legal assistants and lawyers taking the intake. And that was a disaster… So in the last few years, we hired three full time people, that's all they do." – Jim Hurley (07:14)

• On after-hours coverage:

  “It’s unbelievably important to have a good system for non office hour intakes because there is money in those hills and it's hard to do with the current way we do it” – Jim Hurley (09:20)

4. Turn Your Network into a Referral Engine

Time: 10:03–11:50

• About 50% of Cooper Hurley's cases are referrals (other attorneys, former clients, community).

• Names their contact list "Friends of the Firm," not "Database," to encourage warmth and connection.

• Regular nurturing through personalized outreach; "Your cheapest form of marketing is people that know you, but just because they know you doesn't mean they'll refer you."

• Quote:

  "It's so easy to say and so unbelievably hard to do... Not necessarily money. This is something that you can do without having huge amounts of money." – Jim Hurley (10:17)

5. Tech Stack and Database Mastery

Time: 11:50–13:44

• Uses Filevine and Lead Docket CRMs—segmented by category (current clients, past clients, attorneys, business contacts, intake leads).

• Aggressively tracks and markets to all buckets—even those they couldn’t help at first.

• Combines quarterly physical mailers, monthly email blasts, social media raffles, and community events to remain top-of-mind without annoying contacts.

• Quote:

  "Three years later they call us because they've been hurt in a car accident... I keep getting information from you all and I know you do car accident stuff." – Jim Hurley (12:33)
  "We still do physical mailings... Older generations still look at that, younger generations not so much. But we still have to cater to both." (13:46)

6. Scaling Past $13M: Breaking and Rebuilding Systems

Time: 15:03–16:40

• Current goal: $20M gross revenue by age 70 (within 4 years); expects over $12M this year.

• Growth requires "breaking" what's working to rebuild for scale—systems for 50 employees won't work for 100.

• Biggest challenge ahead: Upgrading HR—hiring, culture, values training.

• Quote:

  "What got us to 50 employees and 11, 12 million gross is not going to get us to 75 to 100 employees and 20 to 25 million gross. That's a little scary..." – Jim Hurley (15:53)
  "You’re not going to get to where you want to go unless you have the people to get you there." (16:36)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Origin Story:
  "I started out as a solo and we're gonna be at 12 or 13 million this calendar year." – Jim Hurley (00:38)
• On Referral Cultivation:
  "At the end of the day, your cheapest form of marketing is people that know you." (10:55)
• On Tech Reluctance:
  "I'm old and I'm not a tech guy, so CRM I know is the term we use. I still use software or database. You've got to pick one that works for you." (11:50)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:55] – Jim Hurley’s journey and “The Car Crash Experts” branding
• [02:11] – Geographic growth philosophy: “big fish in a little pond”
• [03:51] – Deciding when and how to build in-house marketing
• [06:49] – Realizing the critical importance of a dedicated intake process
• [08:25] – Addressing the after-hours/weekend intake gap
• [10:12] – The framework for building and nurturing the "Friends of the Firm"
• [11:50] – Using segmented CRMs and multi-channel communication for referrals and loyalty
• [15:16] – Breaking and rebuilding systems to grow past $13M to $20M+
• [16:36] – The people factor: culture, hiring, and scaling staff

Takeaways for Listeners

• Focus your marketing with precision; “own” your chosen niche before expanding.
• Build omnipresence through a coordinated in-house and outsourced marketing function.
• Intakes are the front line—specialize and train for effective lead conversion.
• Referrals are gold; invest time, not just money, in your network and client relationships.
• Leverage technology that fits your firm—segmentation and automation are vital.
• Scaling means abandoning comfort zones; be prepared to “break” what works to get to the next level.
• None of this works without the right team—culture and HR strategy become essential as you scale.

Contact Info

• Jim Hurley:
  • Email: jhurley@cooperhurley.com
  • Phone: 757-333-3333
  • Website: Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers

This episode is a blueprint for ambitious PI law firm owners who want to break through to $10M (and beyond), with plenty of tactical and mindset advice straight from someone who’s walked the path.