The Fireproof Podcast

The Fireproof Podcast

by Mike Morse
Business
Season 1
The Leadership Shift Your Firm Needs to Scale | Jen Harvala
Jen Harvala has spent more than two decades growing alongside the Mike Morse Law Firm. Starting as a receptionist after working as a hairdresser, she built her career one opportunity at a time—becoming a paralegal, joining the leadership team and eventually overseeing nearly 60 domestic and offshore employees in pre-litigation. In this episode, Jen breaks down the “how” behind two major department restructures, including why the firm moved from a traditional generalist model to specialized, centralized services. She also shares how her team built employee buy-in, hired ahead of growth and created clearer career paths without automatically pushing great producers into management. They also covered: → Why the traditional case manager model stopped supporting the firm’s growth → How specialization helps cases move faster while improving the client experience → Why growing firms need to hire proactively instead of waiting for a backlog → The mistake firms make when integrating offshore team members → Why promoting your best producer can create the wrong manager → How servant leadership helps people grow without holding the firm back The biggest takeaway: The strongest leaders are not the ones who pretend to have every answer. They are the ones willing to say, “I don’t know,” use their resources and help their people move forward. Jen, thank you for sharing your story, leadership experience and practical lessons for growing law firms! Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:53 Meet Jen Harvala and her role in pre-litigation 02:16 Why the traditional case manager model stopped working 05:51 Moving to specialized, centralized services 07:15 Restructuring the department and building team buy-in 12:35 Managing capacity and hiring ahead of growth 19:00 Strategic workforce and succession planning 21:05 Managing a major “Disruption Day” 23:38 Treating offshore employees like team members 27:59 Building career paths inside a growing firm 35:07 Resource hoarding and putting the firm first 38:59 The Peter Principle and servant leadership 41:07 From hairdresser to law firm leader 45:30 Advice for new and aspiring leaders 48:24 The wisdom in saying “I don’t know” 50:13 Why leadership requires emotional intelligence ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
S1 · E21
Sep 3, 2026
52:29
Stop Making These Hiring Mistakes! | Fireproof Part 4: Hiring and Firing
For years Mike Morse hired on gut alone, but he was burned more than once. So he built a system. Now interviews carry 40% of the decision, testing and resumes split the rest. He reads people the way he used to read tables as a waiter, watching for small tells: a jumpy resume, a typo on a cover letter, a candidate who's five minutes late. After implementing this system, Mike Morse has built one of the largest personal injury firms in the country. On this episode of The Fireproof Podcast, Mike and Kate covered: → Hiring for traits and training for skills, even for candidates with zero legal background → How much weight to actually give resumes, tests, and interviews → The offbeat questions Mike uses to see how someone really thinks → Why he ends interviews early for tardiness, gum chewing, or a sloppy resume → The difference between onboarding and training, and why the firm treats them as two completely separate systems The big takeaway: the best hiring decisions are built on a process you trust to follow, even when you really want to like the person across the table. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:00 Hiring for traits, training for skills 04:34 How much weight tests, resumes, and interviews should carry 08:27 Reading nervous candidates and what their tells actually mean 10:50 The salad question and other ways to make candidates squirm 17:00 Why five minutes late means no interview 20:19 Balancing speed with a thorough hiring process 22:08 The onboarding philosophy behind a great first day 25:35 Onboarding versus training, and why they're not the same thing 27:09 Building the Mike Morse Law Firm training academy Connect with Mike https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljmorse https://www.instagram.com/855mikewins/?hl=en ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
Aug 27, 2026
29:11
Why He Stopped Selling and Started Connecting | Paul Faust
Paul Faust runs RingBoost, the country's largest marketplace for custom phone numbers, and he's spent 20 years inside the legal industry building relationships instead of selling to them. Early on, his job was simple. Sell to a lawyer. But a few years in, he figured out that wasn't actually his job anymore. When Paul switched his approach from selling to connecting, it changed everything about the work and the results. In this episode of The Fireproof Podcast, they covered: → Why Paul stopped selling and started connecting people instead → What actually makes Fireproof different from other coaching programs → How to pick a vendor you can trust, and the questions most people skip → Why a strong foundation matters more than any new technology → The moment Paul stopped suffering alone Chapters 00:00 Intro and meeting Paul Faust 00:50 From selling phone numbers to connecting people 02:46 What makes Fireproof different 04:06 "I'm bringing these guys with me" 06:09 There's enough business for everyone 09:19 How to actually pick a trustworthy vendor 11:21 Bring your team, not just yourself 15:59 A tree with strong roots doesn't fear the storm 18:10 I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of not living. 21:08 Don't suffer alone Connect with Paul https://www.linkedin.com/in/pfaust/ https://www.instagram.com/coolguypaulfaust/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/ringboost/ https://www.instagram.com/ringboost/ https://www.facebook.com/ringboost/ ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
Aug 20, 2026
23:18
Your Marketing Agency Is Hiding This… | Wes Mathews
After two decades in the digital marketing trenches, Wes Mathews grew restless with the model of just “selling product.” He realized the industry had become a black box, and left many founders blindly trusting vendors with their budgets. After pivoting to the founder's side, he launched Stealth Consulting to audit marketing services and provide objective clarity. In this episode of The Fireproof Podcast, Wes explains his process of auditing the Mike Morse Law Firm to identify an underperforming vendor, and helped the firm reclaim over $800,000 in wasted ad spend by changing how their marketing approach. They covered a lot more: → Building and selling a digital marketing agency from the ground up → Why Wes walked away from selling product to auditing it instead → The vendor audit that saved $800,000 on one marketing silo → The visionary and integrator lesson that changed how he runs his company → What most firms get wrong about their own marketing spend Thanks to Wes for making the time to sit down with Mike and walk through your process! Chapters 0:00 - Intro 1:35 - Wes Mathews' 20 Years in Digital Marketing 2:39 - Selling High Level Marketing and Launching Stealth Consulting 4:19 - The Cruise Story Behind Wasted Marketing Spend 5:20 - Rebuilding What a Fractional CMO Actually Does 7:12 - Auditing Mike's Firm and Firing a Vendor 8:12 - The $800,000 They Saved on One Marketing Silo 10:59 - Pulling the Emotion Out of Vendor Decisions 13:07 - The Blind Spot Costing Them Truck Accident Leads 14:53 - The Visionary and Integrator Lesson That Changed Everything Connect with Wes linkedin.com/in/wesleymathews https://www.linkedin.com/company/stealthconsultant/ ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
Aug 13, 2026
19:57
Offloading The "Job from Hell" Built My Law Firm | Fireproof Part 3: World of Integrators
Mike Morse ran his law firm as the Visionary and the Integrator for 12 years.. he didn't know there was another way to do it. He set the firm’s direction and worked the daily grind of every detail to achieve that vision. Which works fine… until it completely collapses. The moment Mike finally brought someone in to run the operation, he saw what he'd been missing plus his firm grew from 27 employees to 300. What we covered: → The exact point to hire your first integrator → What actually separates a visionary from an integrator → Why alignment matters more than friendship → How personality testing changes who you hire → The wish list that grew Mike’s firm from 27 to 300 people The biggest takeaway: the people who build the biggest things are rarely the ones running them day to day. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:41 What a visionary and an integrator actually do 05:32 The right time to hire your first integrator 08:39 Why the integrator runs with the vision, not their own opinion 10:40 The wish list that took the firm from 27 to 300 people 13:50 Why alignment matters more than friendship 18:36 Personality testing and finding your integrator through your network 21:27 The traits that separate a visionary from an integrator 22:53 Knowing what you don't like versus what you're not good at 29:07 The steps to find your integrator, starting from square one Connect with Mike https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljmorse https://www.instagram.com/855mikewins/?hl=en ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
Aug 6, 2026
31:04
Build Your Brand To Win More Cases | Larry Disparti
Larry Disparti has built one of Chicago’s most dominant personal injury firms.. Starting in Florida in 2004 with a Social Security disability firm, he expanded into Chicago in 2013. Faced with a hyper-competitive market, he pivoted back to his roots: community-first advocacy. Through initiatives like backpack giveaways, holiday free-ride programs, and anti-bullying campaigns, he transformed his firm into a community pillar. In this episode, Larry breaks down the 'how' behind his growth, including why he believes brand equity (not just lead generation) is the only way to scale. He also shares the mastermind nudge that took his firm from $150M to $300M, and the operational 'Ambassador Program' he uses to turn former clients into a consistent referral engine. They also covered: → Why he nearly pulled his ads within a year of landing in Chicago → The backpack and free ride programs that keep his name in the neighborhoods he serves → How one family's story turned into an anti bullying campaign → Why he separates brand building from lead generation → The ambassador program that turns former clients into referral sources The biggest takeaway: People forget you unless you keep showing up. Show up enough times and they call you first. Larry, thank you for flying in from Chicago to speak at the 2026 Fireproof Conference; we’re so grateful for sharing your time! Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:00 Meet Larry Disparti and 855 Larry Wins 02:08 From Florida in 2004 to Chicago in 2013 03:26 Almost giving up in one of the toughest markets 04:33 Building trust through backpacks and free rides 07:29 The anti bullying campaign that started with one family 10:12 Brand versus non brand, renting versus owning 12:39 The ambassador program keeping former clients close 15:52 Why masterminds matter 17:07 The nudge that took him from 150 million to 300 million Connect with Larry https://www.dispartilaw.com/our-attorneys/lawrence-disparti/ ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
Jul 30, 2026
20:25
Why Great Lawyers Never Stop Learning | Nick Schnyder
Nick Schnyder spent his first years as a lawyer fighting to try a single jury trial and getting told no every time. So he quit. His wife had just left her job when their son was born. He started with zero clients out of a spare bedroom, but cold emaied every lawyer in a ten mile radius asking them to send him their worst cases. But that was 10 years ago. Now he runs his Atlanta litigation firm with 11 lawyers and 60 employees. In this episode of The Fireproof Podcast, we covered: → Starting a firm with zero clients and no advertising budget → Building a marketing mix of billboards, digital, and Hispanic radio → The $22 million verdict and the client who turned down a million → Handing trials off to his team without losing his mind → Why the most successful trial lawyers are the ones most willing to teach Thanks to Nick for making the trip out to Austin to join us on The Fireproof Podcast at the Fireproof Conference! Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:17 Quitting a safe path to start the firm from nothing 04:20 The first trial loss that earned him a client for life 06:08 Growing to 60 employees and expanding into new states 07:43 Building a marketing mix that actually works 09:30 Giving back to the community and the $22 million verdict 11:01 What coaching through Fireproof actually changed 12:37 Finding the sweet spot and letting go of the reins 14:34 Learning from the best trial lawyers in the room 18:45 Family, purpose, and being built for this Connect with Nick https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-schnyder-b29b77215/ https://www.instagram.com/schnyderthefighter/ https://www.facebook.com/Schnyderlaw/ ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
Jul 23, 2026
20:14
“Nobody can do it better than me” | Fireproof Part 2: Delegation & Core Values
Mike Morse built a personal injury firm from nothing into an operation with 300 people. For a long time he thought he was the only one who could talk to clients, close deals, and hold the operation together. But he was wrong. And it nearly wore him out realizing it. After a hire through a newspaper ad, came the slow and painful process of handing off the parts of the business he thought only he could run. What we covered: → Why "nobody can do it better than me" is usually ego, not truth → The lunch conversation that led to his first real delegation → How to tell if you hired the wrong person → Building a training academy instead of throwing new hires into the deep end → Keeping culture alive once a firm hits 300 people Every leader has a list of things they're convinced nobody else can do. Most of that list is just ego - the list that is truly yours is usually shorter than you think. Chapters 0:00 Intro: delegation and core values 0:28 Why lawyers say they can't delegate 2:09 The list of things nobody could do better than him 2:49 The lunch that changed how he hired 4:26 Delegating himself out of a job 9:23 Delegate and elevate, working at capacity 13:39 What to do when you have the wrong people 18:33 Why firms wait too long to hire and train 22:19 Core values that never changed in 19 years 28:21 Keeping culture alive at 300 people Connect with Mike https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljmorse https://www.instagram.com/855mikewins/?hl=en ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
Jul 16, 2026
32:59
This Is What Every Managing Partner Must Know | Philip Pendergrass
Phil Pendergrass has been practicing personal injury law for over a decade... Last year, he merged his firm with two of his closest colleagues and built something new from the ground up. But it hasn’t been an easy transition: Two firms with different cultures, both with different ways of doing things. Plus a leadership team that wasn't fully aligned. Eight weeks into Fireproof, they've redefined their core values, restructured their org chart, and let go of employees who didn't fit. The meetings they weren't having before, they're having now. Every week. With every department. And Phil says it's already smoother. We covered a ton: → How merging two firms forced them to redefine their culture from scratch → Why "selflessness" became a core value and what it actually means inside the firm → The litigation strategy his partner uses to make defense attorneys so uncomfortable they sometimes overpay → What accountability looks like when you're 62 people spread across four offices → Why they want a trial date on every case they file, even though they'll probably settle on the courthouse steps Phil, I appreciate you being on and sharing the wins and lessons; your firm’s doing serious work and I love to hear the progress! Chapters 0:00 - Intro 1:00 - About Turnbull Moak Pendergrass: offices, team, and what they handle 2:27 - Big verdicts: $15M trucking case and $17.9M product case 2:54 - Phil's first experience with coaching and why they joined Fireproof 4:30 - Weekly meetings, accountability, and getting everyone on the same page 6:53 - Partner buy-in and early wins from the coaching process 7:20 - Setting core values and letting go of people who didn't fit 8:32 - Selflessness as a core value and what it means for their clients 9:31 - Building the org chart and rolling it out to the firm 10:27 - The five-year vision: more offices, deeper bench, West Coast expansion 11:59 - Visionary vs. integrator: figuring out the roles inside the new firm 13:26 - Trial strategy: speed, pressure, and making defense attorneys uncomfortable 15:46 - Delegation, trust, and investing in the team's growth Connect with Phil https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-pendergrass-66931242/ ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
Jul 9, 2026
18:22
A Decade on the Casino Floor Made Him a Better Lawyer | Chris Rose
Chris F.N. Rose moved to Vegas on his 21st birthday and dealt casino games for a decade before going to law school and eventually opening his own firm. He built a referral business aimed at consumers… but after realizing he couldn't compete with the big players he had to scrap the model. We covered: → Why he introduces himself as "Chris F.N. Rose" → How ten years dealing craps taught him more about reading people than law school could → The single phone call that triggered his pivot from B2C to B2B → Why declined intake leads are a leak in almost every firm's operation → How he runs his entire business through AI tools Chris, thank you for sitting down with us at the 2026 Fireproof Conference and sharing your story with our listeners! Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 1:00 - Where the name Chris F.N. Rose came from 1:53 - Background: Alabama, Vegas, dealing cards for a decade 3:01 - How LegalFlair works 3:48 - Declined intake leads as a revenue stream 5:27 - Running a law firm through AI tools 6:09 - Ten years on the craps table 7:07 - Professional poker and why he played cash, not tournaments 10:23 - Celebrity stories from the casino floor 12:04 - What dealing taught him about being a lawyer 15:07 - How to reach Chris Connect with Chris https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-f-n-rose-esq-661866158/ https://www.instagram.com/chrisfnrose/ ~~~ This episode is powered by Fireproof Performance Ready to fireproof your firm? https://www.fireproofperformance.com/ Prefer to listen? https://open.spotify.com/show/7IaooNnVVvvQ483fPz7qAd?si=f9fce90599014a4d https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fireproof-podcast/id1895057184 Connect with us! https://www.youtube.com/@FireproofPerformance https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireproof-performance/ https://www.facebook.com/fireproofperformance https://www.instagram.com/fireproofperformance/
Jul 2, 2026
18:25
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