{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Before They Sue: How Smart Firms Avoid Malpractice with Brad Wiewel | Ep: 161","description":"On this week\u2019s episode of Great Practice, Great Life, you\u2019re in for a ride. Steve Riley sits down with attorney Brad Wiewel, whose career took a wild turn in 1979 when a client\u2019s husband fired a bullet into Brad\u2019s car because Brad was fighting too hard in a divorce case involving a stripper. That single ka-pow moment launched Brad\u2019s 45-year obsession with what he calls Defensive Law; a proactive, slightly paranoid, and incredibly effective system for protecting yourself, your team, and your license when clients lie, forget, or turn on you. This is hands down the most practical malpractice-prevention episode we\u2019ve recorded, and it applies to every practice area: PI, family, estate planning, elder law, business\u2014all of it. Brad walks through the exact tools that have kept him grievance-free and malpractice-suit-free for more than four decades. You\u2019ll hear about the bulletproof fee agreements packed with bold disclaimers, including the now famous \u201cwe can fire you for personality conflicts\u201d clause he makes clients read aloud. You\u2019ll learn why every third party, kids, financial advisors, new spouses, sign a non-representation letter the second they enter the room. He shares his library of 100+ one-page \u201cAgainst My Advice\u201d disclosures clients sign when they insist on risky decisions, the settlement confirmation letter every PI lawyer should require before accepting a dime, and how he turns high-risk fact patterns into written client admissions that stop surprises in court or in front of the bar. And yes, he reveals his dead-simple signing ceremony protocol: hand clients the stack, leave the room for 15 minutes, come back to flawless signatures. No drama. No complaints. No gaps. Brad doesn\u2019t deal in theory; he built one of the largest estate planning practices in Texas on these systems. He credits them for never having a single successful grievance or malpractice claim in 45 years. If you\u2019ve ever lost sleep wondering, \u201cDid I document that conversation well enough?\u201d or heard a former client shout, \u201cYou never told me that!\u201d, this episode gives you the exact playbook to make those nightmares disappear. Fair warning: After this conversation, you\u2019ll never look at a client the same way again. (You\u2019ll see every single one as a potential plaintiff, and you\u2019ll sleep like a baby because your files will finally be bulletproof.) In this episode, you will hear: The wild \u201cstripper and the bullet\u201d story that birthed Defensive Law Why every client is a potential plaintiff (and how to sleep anyway) The 5 documents that have kept Brad 45 years grievance-free Fee-agreement clauses that kill most problems on day one The 60-second fix when kids or advisors sit in your meeting 100+ one-page \u201cI\u2019m doing this against your advice\u201d disclosures The settlement letter every PI lawyer must get signed How to make clients admit the real facts \u2014 in writing The signing-room trick that makes clients happily sign everything An instant checklist to make your entire practice bulletproof Subscribe & Review Never miss an episode. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. \u2b50Like what you hear? A quick review helps more people find the show.\u2b50 Supporting Resources: Brad Wiewel:  www.texastrustlaw.com\/learn-about-us\/attorney-brad-wiewel Texas Trust Law, PLLC: www.texastrustlaw.com Atticus Workshops: atticusadvantage.com\/workshops Atticus Newsletter The Path to A Great Practice Great Life Workshop:  atticusadvantage.com\/workshops\/the-path-to-a-great-practice-great-life If there\u2019s a topic you would like us to cover on an upcoming episode, please email us at steve.riley@atticusadvantage.com. Curious about growing your own practice? Contact Atticus to see whether our law firm coaching can help you strengthen attorney success, refine your law firm business strategy, and build a practice that actually supports your life. You can also sign up for our newsletter to get practical insights on how to grow a law firm: from law firm leadership and management to marketing, hiring, operations, culture, and profitability, so you can build a Great Practice and a Great Life. ","author_name":"Great Practice. Great Life. by Atticus","author_url":"https:\/\/atticusadvantage.com\/podcast\/","html":"