The Most Overlooked Power Move in Family Law (Ep. 144)

Written By Adedayo Adekunle

If you’re a law firm owner aiming for growth, profitability, and a practice that runs smoothly even when the other side won’t cooperate there is a little-known tool that could be your business’s “secret weapon.” On this episode of The Lawyer Millionaire Podcast, host Darren Wurz sat down with Becky Sampson, a specialist in subpoena strategy, to discuss how leveraging subpoenas can transform the way your firm manages complex cases, speed up settlements, and keep clients happy.

Why Most Law Firms Overlook the Power of Subpoenas

For many lawyers, subpoenas seem routine, even tedious. But as Becky Sampson shared, their strategic use can quietly tilt the odds in your favor. Subpoenas force the production of key documents and information even when opposing parties stonewall. Yet according to Becky Sampson, one in three subpoenas gets rejected due to small errors, like misnaming a company or sending requests to the wrong office or subsidiary. Law firms often miss out because they don’t have time for the detailed legwork.

What Sets Successful Firms Apart

The most profitable law offices distinguish themselves by tightening their systems behind the scenes. They delegate the details and use outside specialists to handle the critical, labor-intensive tasks so their legal talent stays focused on what matters. As Becky Sampson explained, her method involves:

  • Carefully researching the recipient organization to get details right (legal names matter—even missing a period can mean rejection!).

  • Negotiating with companies before domestication across state lines, cutting settlement times.

  • Managing the entire process, from drafting to delivery, and following up to ensure acceptance.

This is true business building by letting specialists handle complicated work and freeing up attorneys for client service and growth. It keeps cases moving and gives clients confidence in their lawyer’s ability to get results.

Why It Matters For Your Practice’s Growth

Delays in discovery drain firm productivity and increase client frustration. As Darren Wurz pointed out, high-performing firms use tight workflows, detailed delegation, and smart support to operate efficiently which directly contributes to profitability. Becky Sampson’s results? Faster settlements, happier clients, and more equitable divisions. She even helps firms by highlighting how to sift through large document batches efficiently, minimizing overhead just when those subpoenas pay off.

Making Subpoenas Work For You

If you want your law practice to run smarter and stronger, take these steps:

  1. Embrace Systematization: Build systems for repeatable tasks—like subpoena management—so your team isn’t reinventing the wheel with each case.

  2. Delegate Specialist Tasks: Outsource the detailed legwork to experts, freeing your attorneys for high-value activities.

  3. Maximize Discovery Leverage: Use subpoenas judiciously after motions to compel or requests for documents stall; courts reward diligence and process.

  4. Think Beyond Family Law: While the impact is huge for family law, effective subpoena strategy can boost results in many practice areas.

  5. Plan Your Growth and Exit: As a law firm owner, structure your business with exit planning principles—strong systems produce a more independent, scalable, and valuable firm.

The Takeaway

Don’t let routine tasks become missed opportunities. Subpoenas, when used with precision, can be the difference-maker in your firm’s case outcomes and client satisfaction. Tighter back-office processes, smart delegation, and a willingness to leverage specialized help are hallmarks of the law firms that scale—and ultimately produce greater personal freedom for their owners.

Ready to build a law firm that runs profitably and independently of you? Book a call with our team, or join our community of ambitious law firm owners at The Lawyer Millionaire. Your best form of wealth is freedom—make sure your law practice helps you achieve it.

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Transcript:

Darren Wurz [00:00:00]:

If you've ever felt stuck in a case because the other side won't cooperate, Today's guest reveals a behind the scenes move that quietly flips the table, and most firms are missing it. All right, and we're here with Becky Sampson. And Becky has an incredible story. She is now specializing in subpoenas and helping law firms get their subpoenas out and the power that that can wield for them. Becky, welcome to the show.

Becky Sampson [00:00:28]:

Thank you so much, Darren. This has been a little bit of a journey to get here, but we are glad to be here today, so thank you.

Darren Wurz [00:00:35]:

It's okay. We're excited that you're here, and we want to hear all about your journey and the things that you have learned along the way. Let's start with a really nice big question. Which is what's the boldest or most unconventional decision you've made in your business or your life? And how did it pay off for you?

Becky Sampson [00:01:01]:

Well, that's a real loaded question. So.

Becky Sampson [00:01:05]:

First of all, I was born bold, okay? So I. Becky the bold bulldog. Right. I would say, man, I've done a lot of things in my life. When I started back in 2019, this is probably one of the biggest bold moves I made, is that I've struggled with obesity my whole life. And a friend of mine had invited me to a conference of some sorts to go support her, and I was 130 pounds overweight at the time. And I thought, yeah, I'll just go. And.

Becky Sampson [00:01:39]:

Well, actually, she had to twist my arm a little bit because I was working that day. And she's like, Becky, you're the boss. Like, call it off. Let's go. So I get in the car with this lady who's now 86 years old. She's one of my very dear friends, and we went down there, and within five minutes of being at the conference, I turned around to her and I said, I don't know what this is and who these crazy people are, but I need to start this. And I sure enough did and lost 130 pounds. That was 16 years ago.

Becky Sampson [00:02:08]:

And at that same time, hit my goal weight, quit my job, and got divorced all in the same month of July 2010. So that was life. Reset.

Darren Wurz [00:02:20]:

Yeah. Yeah. Those are big moments. I've been through some big transitions in life, too. And that, as I understand, kind of led you into what you're doing now. You fought your way through divorce and were.

Darren Wurz [00:02:38]:

Successful and victorious in that journey through the legal system on your own, which is really, really incredible. Using the power of subpoenas can you tell us what that means?

Becky Sampson [00:02:50]:

So let me kind of give you a background on that. I mean, I've actually not just been divorced once. I've been divorced twice. And I'm happily married to the love of my life now. No more divorces in my future. However, it was my second divorce. I was single for. I got divorced and then was single for eight years before I got married to my second husband.

Becky Sampson [00:03:12]:

And we had ended up in Hawaii at a job there that was offered to us on our honeymoon, of all things, and we ended up moving there. Well, within four months of me being there, he turned to me and said, hey, you know, I. I need to get all this stuff together for our tax returns. And I was started kind of connecting the dots. And my dad's an accounting professor. My brother's an accounting and accountant, I should say. So I. I know a little bit about that world.

Becky Sampson [00:03:42]:

And what he was asking me to do was fraudulent. And I was like, hey, I kind of. And it took a lot for me to muster up the courage to stand up to him and just say, I don't do that kind of stuff. And within 10 minutes, he said. He says, becky, we need to get divorced, and we need to get divorced fast. So within a couple of weeks, I actually sat him down and had this conversation. And I said, look, where are. What are your issues that you have with me? Is this, like, done, or can we work on this? And so he started, like, naming off every single thing that he was bothered by him.

Becky Sampson [00:04:20]:

And luckily, I had kind of come into the conversation with a little prayer in my heart going, okay. So it was. Nothing was really, really sticking to me. But I was like, okay, what else? What else? What else? And he finally said the best thing he could have ever said to me. And he turned to me, looked me in the eye, and said, becky, I'm having a really hard time seeing the value that you bring to my life.

Darren Wurz [00:04:43]:

Oh, my God.

Becky Sampson [00:04:45]:

I know, right? And I was like. I literally looked at him, and I was like, so, here's the good news. And this was such a defining moment in my life that I said to him, I said, here's the good news. I know the value that I bring to your life. So whether or not you choose to see it in this relationship or not is none of my business. Seven months later, on April 1, which we all know is April Fool's Day 2020, when the world was shutting down, I served him divorce papers at the airport in Hawaii as he was leaving the island. Now, I didn't mean to do it that day. It just so happened that we had two other flights that he was trying to get off, and they were canceling it because of COVID And that was the only one we could get him off.

Becky Sampson [00:05:32]:

Now, that started a three and a half year court case, and we were together just less than two years at that point, so. And he left me with nothing. And at that point, you know, I didn't need to work because of our circumstances. So it left me no other choice than to be on my own representing myself, which I had no clue what I was doing. So.

Becky Sampson [00:06:09]:

Yeah, go ahead.

Darren Wurz [00:06:10]:

Yeah. So I'm curious about that you decided to represent yourself. What made you go that route versus hiring an attorney?

Becky Sampson [00:06:17]:

Well, first of all, I didn't have the funds at the time, like, literally. Secondly, I had a really good friend of mine who had had a lot of experience in the court system, and he kind of mentored me. And he's like, okay, Becky, research this and research that and do this. You know, he didn't give me legal advice, but he definitely steered me in the right direction, which is what I do a lot with people as well, because I'm not an attorney. I also show them the different resources that are out there for them to research. So. And really where it ties into the only subpoenas is what's interesting is during that process of representing myself, you know, I was putting motions in, I learned how to do all of that, but they had subpoenaed his attorney, had subpoenaed some bank records of mine. I knew exactly what they were looking for.

Becky Sampson [00:07:06]:

And I thought to myself, why in the world would you not have just asked me for this? I know what you're looking for and I know why you're looking for it. And so within 24 hours of me getting the notification of the subpoena that he sent out to the bank, I sent him back. I'm a graphic designer. So I sent him back what he was looking for and highlighted exactly so that he could use it and made the explanation of what it is. Well, at the time, I was working with an attorney through the self help. And he said to me, Darren, I'm too busy. I can't represent you. I can't be in your case.

Becky Sampson [00:07:43]:

I said, look, if you can at least mentor me, if you can at least tell me If I'm on the right track or doing something. And when that subpoena came through, he says, well, there you go. There's your template, and you know how to do it now. And so I took that template of the subpoena that he sent me. I'm a graphic designer. So I put it into Illustrator, which, by the way, is not a word document. That's not how I now, but that's how I did it before I copied all of the format and served him, started serving him subpoenas because he was not willing to give me in discovery the information that I needed to. So I just went and subpoenaed.

Becky Sampson [00:08:22]:

And when I eventually turned my case over to an attorney, the attorney goes, how in the world did you get 20 out of 21 subpoenas done, Becky? You're not even in the legal field. I said, well, I couldn't afford them not to go through. I didn't even know that that was a thing. And I didn't even know what a foreign subpoena was. A foreign subpoena means it goes across state lines. And most of my subpoenas were across straight state lines since I was in Hawaii. And so he's like, how do you do that? And I was like, well, and then during our case, he. He also did not want to do subpoenas.

Becky Sampson [00:08:56]:

And I. And I was like, why would you not want to do subpoenas? Because I truly believe that that is how. My case was one not only leverage, but it also got me the information I needed to so I could. I could settle for a fair and equitable division and divorce. And so the second experience I had that really made me go, okay, all right, here's a niche, because I ended up shortly with my new husband in a court case for his granddaughter. And as we were getting ready for the trial, we had an attorney for a year, 35 year attorney, so pretty well experienced. And we called him for trial and said, hey, my husband wants to subpoena this one. Subpoena and the divorce.

Becky Sampson [00:09:42]:

I mean, the attorney said to us, no, I don't want to do that. I was like, why would you not do it? He's like, I don't like subpoenas and I don't want to do it. And he's like, finally, if you want me to do it, it's $500. And I'm thinking, for what? Like, because I had done all of mine myself. And so finally my husband's like, I don't care how much it is. Go ahead and do it.

Becky Sampson [00:10:17]:

And this is a very experienced paralegal. Oh, sorry. 18 years. 18 years. And I get on the phone with her and she goes, no problem, Becky. I've already done the subpoena. I prepared it and sent it off to the bank within that 45 minutes, and it's already been rejected.

Becky Sampson [00:10:33]:

I was like, wait a minute. And she. I said, did you do this, this, this and this? And she says, how do you know? I said, because I just spent 45 minutes on the phone with the bank, double checking, triple checking, quadruple checking to make sure that the process and to make sure that it's done correctly. And I gently sent her the instructions. It did go right through, and we did get the information. And two weeks later, we ended up settling in our case. And that's when my husband turned to me and he says, Becky, subpoenas win cases, and they're just. And it's not that attorneys and paralegals can't do them.

Becky Sampson [00:11:11]:

It's literally that they just don't have the time and the ability to do the detailed work that I do with the follow up and making sure it's 100% accepted.

Darren Wurz [00:11:19]:

Because one of one in how many gets rejected?

Becky Sampson [00:11:23]:

One out of every three subpoenas?

Darren Wurz [00:11:25]:

One out of three. Wow.

Becky Sampson [00:11:26]:

Gets rejected for non compliance. Yes. So within a couple of weeks, I actually sat him down and had this conversation. And I said, look, where are. What are your issues that you have with me? Is this, like, done, or can we work on this? And so he started, like, naming off every single thing that he was bothered by him. And. And luckily, I had kind of come into the conversation with a little prayer in my heart going, okay. So it was.

Becky Sampson [00:11:55]:

Nothing was really, really sticking to me. But I was like, okay, what else, what else, what else? And. And he finally said the best thing he could have ever said to me. And he turned to me, looked me in the eye, and said, Becky, I'm having a really hard time seeing the value that you bring to my life.

Darren Wurz [00:12:12]:

Oh, my God.

Becky Sampson [00:12:14]:

I know, right? And I. I was like, I literally looked at him and I was like, so here's the good news. And this was such a defining moment in my life that I said to him, I said, here's the good news. I know the value that I bring to your life. So whether or not you choose to see it in this relationship or not is none of my business. Seven months later, on April 1, which we all know as April Fool's Day, 2020, when the world was shutting down, I served him divorce papers at the airport in Hawaii as he was leaving the island. Now, I didn't mean to do it that day. It just so happened that we had two other flights that he was trying to get off, and they were canceling it because of COVID and that was the only one we could get him off.

Becky Sampson [00:13:01]:

So sometimes he likes to tell the story that I, you know, I didn't do it on purpose. I just. That's what he wanted. And he didn't give me any other opt. That started a three and a half year court case. And we were together just less than two years at that point, so. And he left me with nothing. And at that point, you know, I.

Becky Sampson [00:13:25]:

I didn't need to work because of our circumstances. So it left me no other choice than to be on my own representing myself, which I had no clue what I was doing. So. Yeah, go ahead.

Darren Wurz [00:13:39]:

Yeah. So I'm curious about that you decided to represent yourself. What made you go that route versus hiring an attorney?

Becky Sampson [00:13:46]:

Well, first of all, I didn't have the funds at the time, like, literally. Secondly, I had a really good friend of mine who had had a lot of experience in the court system, and he kind of mentored me. And he's like, okay, Darren, research this and research that and do this. You know, he didn't give me legal advice, but he definitely steered me in the right direction, which is what I do a lot with people as well, because I'm a lawyer. I also show them the different resources that are out there for them to research.

Becky Sampson [00:14:33]:

I knew exactly what they were looking for. And I thought to myself, what. Why in the world would you not have just asked me for this? I know what you're looking for, and I know why you're looking for it. And so within 24 hours of me getting the notification of the subpoena that he sent out to the bank, I sent him back. I'm a graphic designer. So I sent him back what he was looking for and highlighted exactly. So that he could use it and made the explanation of what it Is, well, at the time I was working with a, an attorney through the self help. And he said to me, becky, I'm, I'm too busy.

Becky Sampson [00:15:08]:

I can't represent you. I can't be in your case. I said, look, if you can at least mentor me, if you can at least tell me if I'm on the right track or doing something. And when that subpoena came through, he says, well, there you go, there's your template, and you know how to do it now. And so I took that template of the subpoena that he sent me. I'm a graphic designer. So I put it into Illustrator, which, by the way, is not a word document. That's not how I now, but that's how I did it before.

Becky Sampson [00:15:38]:

I copied all of the formats and served him, started serving him subpoenas because he was not willing to give me in discovery the information that I needed to. So I just went and subpoenaed. And when I eventually turned my case over to an attorney, the attorney goes, how in the world did you get 20 out of 21 subpoenas done, Becky? You're not even in the legal field. I said, well, I couldn't afford them not to go through. I didn't even know that that was a thing. And I didn't even know what a foreign subpoena was. A foreign subpoena means it goes across state lines. And most of my subpoenas were cross straight state lines since I was in Hawaii.

Becky Sampson [00:16:17]:

And so he's like, do that. And I was like, well, and then during our case, he, he also did not want to do subpoenas. And I. And I was like, why would you not want to do subpoenas? Because I truly believe that that is how my case was won. Not only leverage, but it also got me the information I needed to so I could, I could settle for a fair and equitable division and divorce. And so the second experience I had that really made me go, okay, all right, here's a niche, because I ended up shortly with my new husband in a court case for his granddaughter. And as we were getting ready for the trial, we had an attorney for a year, 35 year attorney, so pretty well experienced. And we called him for trial and said, hey, my husband wants to subpoena this one subpoena.

Becky Sampson [00:17:10]:

And the, the divorce. I mean, the attorney said to us, no, I don't want to do that. I was like, why would you not do it? He's like, I don't like subpoenas and I don't want to do it. And he's like, finally, if you want me to do it, it's $500. And I'm thinking, for what?

Becky Sampson [00:17:26]:

Because I had done all of mine myself. And so finally my husband's like, I don't care how much it is. Go ahead and do it. So from the time that he said yes to 45 minutes later, I go do my due diligence like I always do to make sure that it goes through. I call back his paralegal of 15 years.

Becky Sampson [00:17:47]:

This is a very experienced paralegal. Oh, sorry. 18 years. 18 years. And I get on the phone with her and she goes, problem, Becky? I've already done the subpoena. I prepared it and sent it off to the bank within that 45 minutes, and it's already been rejected.

Becky Sampson [00:18:02]:

I was like, wait a minute. And she. I said, did you do this, this, this, and this? And she says, how do you know? I said, because I just spent 45 minutes on the phone with the bank double checking, triple checking, quadruple checking to make sure that the process and to make sure that it's. It's done correctly. And I gently sent her the instructions. It did go right through, and we did get the information. And two weeks later, we ended up settling in our case. And that's when my husband turned to me and he says, Becky, you absolutely have to do this for attorneys.

Becky Sampson [00:18:37]:

Because subpoenas win cases and they're just. And it's not that attorneys and.

Becky Sampson [00:18:44]:

Paralegals can't do them. It's literally that they just don't have the time and the ability to do the detailed work that I do with the follow up and making sure it's 100% accepted.

Darren Wurz [00:18:55]:

Because one of.

Darren Wurz [00:18:59]:

Them, one in how many? Gets rejected?

Becky Sampson [00:19:01]:

The research that I've looked up is one out of every three subpoenas.

Darren Wurz [00:19:05]:

One out of three. Wow.

Becky Sampson [00:19:07]:

Gets rejected for non compliance.

Darren Wurz [00:19:09]:

And so you started seeing that this was a really big missed opportunity for lawyers and family law attorneys especially.

Darren Wurz [00:19:23]:

Yeah. Does this apply to other practice areas as well?

Becky Sampson [00:19:26]:

Absolutely. I mean, the reason why I'm focusing a lot on divorce attorneys is just because they're usually the ones that are really overworked and they're overstressed, and they literally have very little time to do all the detail work when it comes to a subpoena. So I thought, you know, I can support them and I know what they're looking for. Right?

Darren Wurz [00:19:47]:

Yeah.

Becky Sampson [00:19:47]:

But any. Anyone that does subpoenas that sends it out and especially if they're doing foreign, if it's, if they're having to get paperwork or documentation across state lines because there's a whole other process and I do specialize in that. So.

Darren Wurz [00:20:03]:

Yeah. So you've been doing this a while now, helping attorneys with this. I'm curious if you have any particular stories about the impact that you have maybe seen this have with particular practices. Maybe you can't mention them specifically, but how have you seen this make an impact? Just being.

Darren Wurz [00:20:27]:

More aware of what makes a good subpoena and what makes a subpoena effective. Tell us about that.

Becky Sampson [00:20:32]:

Yeah, I would say some of the things is that I've talked to one of my clients called me and she had two subpoenas.

Becky Sampson [00:20:42]:

She had two subpoenas that they had issued. They both got rejected. And usually once they get rejected, there is some kind of documentation that comes back and she says, becky, can you help me with these? Like, so I said, no, no problem. Send them to me. And what happens is, again, she doesn't have the time to do the research. And it really is, sometimes it's really simple, sometimes it's very easy to get through. But especially when you're going across straight lines, which is what she was doing and it to be domesticated in that state, she just didn't have the time to follow up. And what she was doing is she was subpoenaing the wrong organization or the wrong business within that larger business for the information.

Becky Sampson [00:21:24]:

And so I did a lot of research, you know, and I, I got on the phone, which is what I. That's the way I do it. I don't just chat GPT it or go on Google because people, first of all, people don't like to be subpoenaed and businesses don't like to make that.

Becky Sampson [00:21:40]:

You know, public knowledge how to send them a subpoena. So. But here's the advantage that that attorneys have in working with me is that when I call them, I always just say, hey, this is Becky with only subpoenas. I don't say which attorney I'm working for. I don't even tell them what case it's for. They ask me, they'll be like, so what cases? Because they'll try to get some information from me. Because they'll try to go, we want to know where this is coming from or what, you know, heads up. Nope, I'm not privy to give you that information.

Becky Sampson [00:22:12]:

You'll get it when, when you get it. My job is just to make sure that you receive It. But the other advantage that they have is that that foreign subpoena usually needs to be domesticated in that jurisdiction or that state in order to be valid. But my background is in negotiation and mediation, and I negotiate with that particular company and make sure and say, hey, avoid having to have it domesticated, will you still receive it? And if they give me a go, then I send that information back. If not, then we do the domestication. It's a. It's a little bit longer of a process, but that's what it's difficult is because every jurisdiction is done. Done differently.

Becky Sampson [00:22:55]:

So she was like, overjoyed when I sent her back. I'm like, look, there's a couple tweaks, you know, wrong organization. Let's change this. Let's do this. This is how long it's going to take for them to return it back to you. And she was like, that's what I'm saying is the paralegals are more excited than anything. I'm taking it off of their shoulders.

Darren Wurz [00:23:15]:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So, you know, getting information incorrect seems like a big reason. Maybe subpoenas get rejected. In your experience, what are some of the top reasons that subpoenas get objected? Like, give us the list here, the.

Becky Sampson [00:23:31]:

Why they get rejected. Well, this is an interesting one. If you. Let's say a company is Chase bank, right. So Chase bank is one that I've subpoenaed. Well, Chase bank doesn't go by Chase Bank. That's not their legal name. So the legal name's not correct.

Becky Sampson [00:23:50]:

You could be missing a period in that legal name and they'll reject it. Yeah.

Darren Wurz [00:23:57]:

Wow.

Becky Sampson [00:23:57]:

You don't serve it properly. Which means that certified mail or whether it's. You have to actually have the process server, which I handle for all of the subpoenas, by the way, I handle all of everything to doing with that. It could be that you've. You've sent the subpoena to a subsidiary of the corporation that you need to send it to. Like, I had one the other day that they were trying to subpoena an apartment complex. Well, guess what? That apartment complex. They didn't know this was from a different state, that they owned the apartment complex.

Becky Sampson [00:24:33]:

And so I had to go and domesticate it in that other state in order for them to. Even though the documents were in that particular state. So, yeah, it's just every single case. Let me think of another reason why it would be rejected. Time. You're not allowing them enough time to produce the documents. One where you send it too late. And then they're like, hey, it's less than 15 days or 14 days.

Becky Sampson [00:24:58]:

We're not going to do this. Or it's too broad of, you know, or it could be quashed, which means the person on the other side is quashing that subpoena because they don't feel like it's relevant, or they. It delays because they put in a motion to quash.

Darren Wurz [00:25:17]:

Yeah.

Becky Sampson [00:25:18]:

I mean, there could be multiple reasons, but typically it's just little tiny details, and they're not finding out exactly how that particular organization or business will receive the subpoena. And sometimes it's really difficult to get on the phone. But I'll give you another one. Lululemon. It was. I got a subpoena the other day for Lululemon. Well, Lululemon is a Canada company.

Darren Wurz [00:25:43]:

Oh, okay.

Becky Sampson [00:25:44]:

So I ended up in this whole goose chase trying to find where in the US we could subpoena. So because it's very difficult. You can subpoena over foreign, meaning, like another country, but it's incredibly difficult.

Becky Sampson [00:26:01]:

And so. Yeah, I mean, those are some of the.

Darren Wurz [00:26:04]:

Yeah. So that sounds like there's, like, a lot of detective work that really needs to be done. And is that kind of the reason that maybe attorneys aren't utilizing the subpoena to as much as they could? It's just. It's the amount of work that really has to go into it.

Becky Sampson [00:26:21]:

Honestly, Darren, what I've experienced is usually it's the detailed work. Right. Because you really have to. They've got so much on their plate. There's so many other things that they're thinking about. And when that's all we do is we. That's the. That's all we're focused on, is getting that done. It's what we do at Wurz Financial Services.

Becky Sampson [00:26:41]:

It works. But I think the other reason it could be is that when you do a subpoena, you're asking typically for a large amount of documents, and when the documents come back, you don't have the manpower or don't want to give the manpower to going through all of those documents to find what you need in order for your exhibits. So we do the forensic side of it as well. So we can, you know, I know what they're looking for. We can go through all of that. I think the third reason why they don't do it is sometimes they have clients that are having a hard time paying them, and they don't want to add another cost on to their client and not getting paid or reimbursed for them. So that's another reason why I keep my. My prices fairly reasonable because I.

Becky Sampson [00:27:34]:

I know what it feels like to be on the other end of that bill, and it's very difficult, so I do my best. Now, I always tell the attorneys, look, if you want to add something to that particular subpoena or what you paid me and you make money off of that, that's up to you. However, I did find out in Florida that's against. They can't do that.

Darren Wurz [00:27:56]:

Okay.

Becky Sampson [00:27:58]:

But, yeah, sometimes. I mean, I have clients right now that are adding to that fee, so that they're making a little bit on. On that.

Darren Wurz [00:28:06]:

...what are the really successful family lawyers doing that really contributes to their success in addition to being really effective with subpoenas?

Becky Sampson [00:28:29]:

...talking about this thing with subpoenas, because she's just like, well, I told her, I said, don't the courts kind of want to see that you do the due diligence of asking for what you need, and then if it's not produced, then you do a motion to compel or motion to produce or whatever, and they'd like to see that you make that effort first before you go to subpoenas.

Becky Sampson [00:29:13]:

...you get happier clients that get through the system quicker and get the information and the leverage that you need to sell or to really settle and move the case forward? So, to me, I know for a fact, Darren, that I would not have been able to get the settlement that I did in a fair and equitable division had I not subpoenaed because I just, I needed the information.

Darren Wurz [00:30:18]:

Interesting.

Becky Sampson [00:30:19]:

The other day, you could subpoena a guardian at Litem. I. I personally didn't know that.

Becky Sampson [00:30:26]:

And so, you know, I'm learning things every day. I know the IRS is the one that you cannot subpoena.

Darren Wurz [00:30:32]:

Okay.

Becky Sampson [00:30:33]:

There's other ways. There's other ways.

Darren Wurz [00:30:35]:

Yeah. So, Becky, you know, you're also have entered this world now of entrepreneurship and being a business owner. What is something you're learning right now that you didn't know before now? Having kind of owned your own business for a while and entering that new world?

Becky Sampson [00:30:52]:

You know, I'm going to say exactly what my brother told me, because he helps businesses grow. So this is what he does for a living. And he gets in there, helps them grow, and then they sell, right. Or they get acquired or something. And I went to him with my business idea and I said, look, you know, I think this is going to be a nation. It is going to be a nationwide business. It's a niche that's out there. And he says, becky, it's going to take longer than you think.

Becky Sampson [00:31:19]:

I was like, really? I'm like, it's really simple. I just do subpoenas, you know what I mean? And stuff like that. However, some of the things that I have learned along the way is any business and I've been in. I grew up at a summer camp for kids, my family. I mean, I don't know, I was like 3, 4 years old when I was traveling around with my dad to camp fairs. And so I've always had that, that, that in me, you know, to be an entrepreneur and that thoughts thinking like an entrepreneur. Relationships is the number one thing. It literally is the relationships.

Becky Sampson [00:31:57]:

Your network is your.

Becky Sampson [00:32:02]:

Customers. It applies to your clients. It applies to the people that you are referring. I mean, I just being in this business and doing this, doing subpoenas, and also doing my podcast on Divorcing Strong, I have networked just like you. I mean, we networked, right? And we share our people in our network with each other. It is absolutely a game changer. And it's one of the things. It's like subpoenas.

Becky Sampson [00:32:30]:

Subpoenas take a little bit of extra work to get them to go through that most people don't and don't want to do. So I go the extra mile with subpoenas, and I also do it with my business. So. And it's taking a little longer than I'd hope.

Darren Wurz [00:32:45]:

That little extra. Yeah, that's a great. That's a great takeaway.

Darren Wurz [00:32:50]:

That little extra detail, that little extra push can really be the difference maker. And, Becky, we talked about this before. I think we have a master class that we run for lawyers where we read a book each quarter.

Darren Wurz [00:33:08]:

Right now, we're reading A Random Walk down Wall Street, which is one of the best books on investments that you could ever buy or read. It's really an investment classic. So we're reading that. It's very exciting. We're helping our community of lawyers and law firm owners become better investors, smarter investors, not get taken advantage of by a lot of Wall Street's myths. So that's a lot of fun. You know, books. A lot of business owners read books.

Darren Wurz [00:33:35]:

Law firm owners read books. I'm a big book reader. We get inspiration from that. So I'm curious, is there a book you're reading right now or one you've read recently that has really been inspirational for you?

Becky Sampson [00:33:46]:

Okay. I knew this was coming because I've listened to your stuff, and I. And I don't have it pulled up, actually, but it's called Build to Sell.

Darren Wurz [00:33:55]:

Ooh, yes.

Becky Sampson [00:33:56]:

Have you. Have you read that?

Darren Wurz [00:33:58]:

I have not yet, but it is on my list.

Becky Sampson [00:34:00]:

Amazing. And so, and by the way, one of the values, I really. I mean, the episodes that I listened to you have, I was like, what a brilliant way in your podcast to build even more value. Because, I mean, now you've got all these people that are, you know, striving to be better. And books are like, the best way to get to the next level to open up your mind and have that ability to. To find more skills and abilities to look at how to grow your business. And so sell to me was I. I, me personally am building my business to be able to exit at some point, because it is very important.

Becky Sampson [00:34:40]:

And even whether I exact exit or not. Right. It's at least built strong from the foundation up, and that has been really, really important to me. So hopefully you guys find value with that one.

Darren Wurz [00:34:51]:

Becky, you are speaking my language. I love it. You know, that is my whole philosophy when it comes to running a business, and I preach that to lawyers and law firm owners because, you know, many law firm owners don't ever envision themselves selling their practice, but it's not about if you actually sell it, it's actually building your business. With that in mind, from an exit planning perspective, you're going to have a more profitable business and you're going to have a business that you enjoy a lot more. And I learned all of that through the Exit Planning Institute when I got my SIPA designation. It's this whole concept that exit planning is really just good business strategy.

Becky Sampson [00:35:35]:

I'm glad that you said that. And let me just tell you one of the stories briefly. I know one of the stories in there is, is that this one guy built this very, very big business. It was worth a lot of money, but he built it around himself.

Darren Wurz [00:35:50]:

Yep.

Becky Sampson [00:35:50]:

And. And lawyers, I can see that this would be one thing that they would struggle with, is they build it around themselves instead of systems. When they have systems, then they can sell the system and not the lawyer. The lawyer is good 100%. You got to be good at what you do. But if you build the system, then you'll be able to be able to sell it and make a good profit and feel good that you're leaving something that's important. Another thing that I think that they talked about was this one guy, he was advertising his business to sell.

Becky Sampson [00:36:28]:

And he put on there that, hey, I just want to retire and go travel and everything. This one person called him and says, don't be doing that. These people that want to buy the business want to know that you're going to be around for the next couple years to help it carry through that transition. And I thought, wow, what another really great nugget. That's like, okay, so I not only have to think about how to build it strong, but when you're marketing your business to sell, don't just say, hey, I want hands off. I'm leaving. You know what I mean? That makes your. It's way less of attractive of a sell of a business you're looking for.

Darren Wurz [00:37:07]:

So that is great. Yes. And we've talked about that on this show before when we talked about succession planning. It is like a transitional period now. You know, usually the buyers don't want you to stick around too long, but they do want you to help out in that transition phase. And I'm glad you brought up, you know, building a business around yourself. That is really the number one value killer is we call it owner dependence. And that's the really the biggest problem to solve.

Darren Wurz [00:37:35]:

How do you get the business to be independent of you? It's. It's a big challenge. For sure, it is.

Becky Sampson [00:37:41]:

And it's for everybody. I mean, I, I keep that in the forefront of my mind as well. You know, it's not the Becky story. You know, the Becky Sampson story. You know, it's. It is really. I just try to keep the Systems and the SOPs and everything really tight so that anybody could walk in and do it.

Darren Wurz [00:38:00]:

Very cool. Well, Becky has been fabulous chatting with you. Thank you for all your insights. Where can our audience go to learn more about you?

Becky Sampson [00:38:08]:

Yeah, absolutely. You can go to my website. The Onlysuppoenas with an s.com or beckysampson.com kind of tells you what I'm doing more on the divorce side and supporting people through that process.

Darren Wurz [00:38:20]:

Yep, sounds great. Well, thank you so much, Becky.

Becky Sampson [00:38:23]:

Oh, you're so welcome. Thanks for having me, Darren Wurz.

Darren Wurz [00:38:27]:

... Here at the Lawyer Millionaire, we're all about helping law firm owners like you build practices that are profitable, scalable, and not dependent on you grinding it out 24 7. That means tightening the systems that quietly drive results. Discovery, workflows, delegation, using specialized support so that your firm runs smarter and your cases move faster. If you want help building a firm like that that creates freedom instead of pressure, book a call with my team.

Darren Wurz [00:39:15]:

... And if you want to be surrounded by law firm owners who are upgrading their firms and their wealth at the same time, come join us inside the Lawyer Millionaire community. The link is in the show notes, and we'd love to have you with us. Remember, friend, the ultimate form of wealth is freedom. I'm your host, Darren Wurz. This is the Lawyer Millionaire.

Darren Wurz [00:40:06]:

See you next time.

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