Elevate Business Coaching LLC

In this new episode of Missing Briefs, hosts Dominic Grew and Bob Furlong sit down with plaintiff-side employment attorney Chris Waterman, founder of Waterman Employment Law.

After more than two decades in the legal field, Chris bit the bullet in 2023 to launch his own firm, advocating directly for employees across Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Chris dives deep into his legal journey, from discovering his passion for employment law to the realities of running a firm. He also drops critical, must-hear advice for anyone facing a layoff or termination—explaining exactly why signing your initial severance package without legal review is a major mistake, and how companies actually expect you to negotiate.

Leaving Big Law to Start an Employee Advocacy Firm | Missing Briefs Podcast with Chris Waterman In this episode of Missing Briefs, hosts Dominic Grew and Bob Furlo...

Week 2: How to Start Conversations When You Don’t Know What to Say

This is the second of four newsletters designed to help you — and the people you care about — build a skillset that actually works in the real world. Last week, we reframed networking as relationship‑building, not selling. This week, we get practical. How to start a conversation!

Week 2: How to Start Conversations When You Don’t Know What to Say Over the past few weeks, I’ve been having a lot of conversations about networking — with clients, with colleagues, and with my own kids and their friends who are graduating college. It’s a skill so many people struggle with, and yet it’s rarely taught.

If your firm closed on Friday, would anyone notice?

I don't mean whether your clients would find another lawyer. Of course they would. There's no shortage. The real question is whether anyone would feel the loss.

Your Firm's Eulogy — and Why You Should Write It Now If your firm closed on Friday, would anyone notice by Monday? I don't mean whether your clients would find another lawyer. Of course they would.

I’ve been spending more and more time educating myself on artificial intelligence. And this week, I came across a perspective that stopped me in my tracks:

“AI is only useful if you can quickly and easily validate its output. In other words, it’s good at doing grunt work for experts — not expert work for novices.”

AI Is Powerful — But Only in the Hands of Experts I’ve been spending more and more time educating myself on artificial intelligence. Not because I’m trying to become a technologist, but because I want to understand what AI is (and what it’s not) so I can help my clients run their firms with clarity, confidence, and strategy.

Week 1: Networking Is Not Selling — It’s Building a Life of Options

isn’t taught in school, and yet it’s one of the most important skills a person can develop.

And in a world where so much communication happens through screens, the ability to connect with people — genuinely, confidently, and consistently — matters more than ever.

Week 1: Networking Is Not Selling — It’s Building a Life of Options Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself having the same conversation again and again — with clients, with colleagues, and even with my own kids and their friends who are graduating college. Everyone is talking about networking.

When Is the Right Time to Hire?

Almost every law‑firm owner I work with wrestles with the same internal conflict:

“I know we need help… but I’m afraid to hire too soon. I’m overwhelmed… but I’m afraid to increase payroll. The tension is constant — and I don’t know how to decide.”

This isn’t a personality issue. It’s not a confidence issue.

But here’s the truth:
You can’t “feel” your way into the right hiring decision. You have to measure your way into it.

Once you know what to measure, the conflict disappears.

When Is the Right Time to Hire? Why Law Firm Owners Feel Stuck and How to Break the Cycle Almost every law‑firm owner I work with wrestles with the same internal conflict: “I know we need help… but I’m afraid to hire too soon. I’m overwhelmed… but I’m afraid to increase payroll.

Welcome to Missing Briefs, the podcast that dives into the untold business stories, triumphs, and trials of lawyers!

In this episode, hosts Dominic Grew (Elevate Business Coaching) and Bob Furlong (The Bulfinch Group) chat with Christopher Murphy, Partner at Scalli Murphy Law, P.C., a personal injury law firm based in Everett, Massachusetts.

Chris takes us back to the start of his nearly three-decade career, from his "fun" reason for switching to legal studies in college to his journey from an unpaid intern in 1997 to the firm's managing partner.

⚖️ Episode Highlights:
▪ How to Choose Your Lane
▪ The "Yes" Problem
▪ The Power of Care
▪ Beyond the Linear
▪ Putting Business in Your Business

Chaos to Clarity in Personal Injury Law with Chris Murphy | Missing Briefs Podcast Welcome to Missing Briefs, the podcast that dives into the untold business stories, triumphs, and trials of lawyers!In this episode, hosts Dominic Grew (Elev...

If Life Were Certain, It Would Be Boring

Other than death, taxes, (and the rising and setting of the sun) very little is guaranteed. Everything else, to some extent is a mystery to be played out day by day.

As humans, we crave certainty. We want guarantees. We want predictability.

But the truth — the uncomfortable, unavoidable truth — is this: Nothing in life is certain.

If Life Were Certain, It Would Be Boring I was at church today, and during the homily the priest spoke about the apostles and the uncertainty they faced — how they lived in that space between hope and fear, faith and doubt, clarity and confusion. It struck me immediately because it’s the same space so many of my clients live in.

In this episode of Missing Briefs, hosts Dominic Grew and Bob Furlong sit down with Chris Earley, founder of Earley Law Group Injury Lawyers. Chris shares his raw and inspiring journey from "stumbling" into law school and starting his practice with no money and no network, to building one of Boston’s most recognizable injury firms.

Chris opens up about the "turbulence" of entrepreneurship, the pivotal client story that gave his career purpose, and the hard-earned lessons he learned about treating a law firm like a business. Whether you're a solo practitioner or a seasoned firm owner, Chris's insights on networking, servant leadership, and overcoming the "brainwashing" of law school are must-watch advice.

⚖️ In this episode, we discuss:
▪ Starting from Ground Zero: How Chris "hung a shingle" out of necessity and survived the early days.
▪ Finding Purpose: The story of a client named Maria and how it transformed Chris’s view of personal injury law.
▪ The "Business of Law": Why lawyers must unlearn law school habits to successfully manage a team and grow.
▪ Servant Leadership: How focusing on helping others (referral partners and clients) fuels long-term success.
▪ Masterminds & Networking: The importance of learning from peers and being a "student of the business."

Elevate Business Coaching 1 like, 1 comment. "Chris Earley on the "Business of Law" & Growing a Personal Injury Practice | Missing Briefs Podcast"

This week I came across an article. At first glance, it’s a piece about parenting in an AI‑driven world. But when I read it, my immediate reaction was:
“So what? How does this relate to my clients? Why should lawyers care?”
And then it clicked. Here’s what I saw in it for you.

📖➡️

I Read This and Thought of You I’ve been spending an increasing amount of time researching and learning about AI — not to turn lawyers into technologists, but to understand where the real opportunities are for small‑firm owners who want to stay competitive, relevant, and profitable. This week I came across an article by Xia...