Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Business RadioX. If you’re a business coach or consultant who’s tired of being a best kept secret, set up a call with Stone Payton at bookstonephone.com to unlock your perpetual prospect pipeline. Today on the show, we have partner and attorney with Serious Injury Law Group, Brandon Price-Crum. Welcome.

Brandon Price-Crum: Hey, I’m happy to be here. I’m glad you made the time on your show to be able to have me on. I’m looking forward to this conversation.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m looking forward to learning about Serious Injury law group. How are you serving folks?

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah, we’re doing a lot of good things, both in the legal space and the business space and also in the community space. And so I look forward to just kind of breaking down the way that we’re able to operate. I think it’s a very, very unique style of running a law practice. But so far, for us, it has been effective in the way that we’re able to help people and also market and reach people.

Lee Kantor: All right. So why don’t we start on the business side first? Tell us a little bit about your background. Why did you choose law and what was your vision of this? Um the firm.

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah. No, I appreciate that question. So, you know, originally I was born in Flint, Michigan. I was raised in Atlanta, uh, right outside of Atlanta, South and city called Riverdale and always kind of had an interest ever since I can remember, even as far back as elementary school in law? Well, even before I ever met a lawyer. And I always kind of tell people that I never met a lawyer until my senior year of college. Uh, during an internship while I was clerking for a state court judge in Montgomery County. And, and just being in that environment kind of solidified my interest in law. And it was something that I wanted to do for a career. I saw how lawyers were able to, to help people and help communities. I’m not sure if you recall, but the Flint water crisis directly affected many members of my family. And luckily, you know, I was at that point already had transitioned from Michigan, but it affected so many members of my family. And it was something that I saw lawyers stepped in, um, to, to help that community. And a lot of times, you know, lawyers stand in the gap in between an injustice and a remedy. And I noticed that the opportunity to be a voice for the voiceless, to be a competent minded and an individual that is focused on ensuring that people get justice. I knew that there was only a select few career paths that I could take on, and so being a lawyer was the career path that I chose, and it’s one that I have thoroughly enjoyed for the time that I’ve been a lawyer almost a decade now. And I’m truly, you know, excited about what we’re doing at the Serious Law Group, Serious Injury Law Group and the work that we, uh, are able to do for people and the way that we’re able to help.

Lee Kantor: Now talk about kind of the transition from, um, kind of working as a lawyer to being a partner in a law firm because now you, you have kind of the owner lens of your business owner now.

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah. And I tell anybody, you know, even even before, um, you become an owner in a, in a business or a company, um, or a law firm, uh, you want to begin to envision yourself in that role and begin to make decisions, um, as if you were already in that role. And so, um, one of the things that I did, I always, even when I was an associate attorney for the firm is I always thought of myself and made decisions, um, in a leadership minded, uh, way. And I saw that the, the difference in some of the ways that, um, I would look at cases, some of the ways that I would handle the, the business side of my law practice, even as an associate was a lot different than many people that were in my same position. I have a, a business background. It’s, you know, I’ve always had an interest in business, even outside of law. And I saw that business has always been a way for people to be able to find a level of independence and a level of freedom. Um, and so when I was blessed and afforded the opportunity, um, where, you know, the, the partners at the time had saw me capable of becoming a partner, um, in an equity partner within the firm. I, I immediately, um, was already preparing for that, so I was already in a position to do what needed to be done to, um, to transition into that role.

Brandon Price-Crum: But I tell you, uh, Lee, it was so many and, and I’ve been a partner for two years now in this firm, but I will tell you those early days of me being a partner, it was so many, um, things about leadership that I realized that I did not know and that I needed to learn and be brought up to speed very, very quickly. And it’s not something where, um, I necessarily had a mentor, but I had to do my own research, you know. I had to, to make, um, um, very consequential decisions, um, with, you know, with just my experience and just what, you know, what I felt like would be the right decision at that time without much, um, background and, and it has paid off. We have, um, grown our firm, uh, I was, we, you know, we’ve been able to, uh, expand into Georgia, um, and have now two offices in Georgia. And I say a part of that is just that, that transition and being able to learn all of the, um, the ups, the downs and just kind of being able to stay steady through that and, uh, do research about leadership and, and how important, um, you know, those consequential decisions are. And sometimes there’s no real right or wrong decision. You got to just make a decision and live with whatever comes from it.

Lee Kantor: Now, how important is kind of immersing yourself and your business in a community. In terms of growing a business, do you find that useful?

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah, I think that’s critically important. I would say one of the first things, um, that we did when we opened up this office that we have here in metro Atlanta, which is the office that I’m, I headed up that, that expansion, um, was a really, one of the reasons why we’re even here is because of community connections. Um, one of the council members at the time here in Fairburn, uh, was somebody that when we were talking about internally about expanding into the Georgia market, is somebody that I called and said, hey, our firm, yeah, we got two offices in Alabama already, but we’re looking to expand into Georgia and we want to make a real impact out of the gate. He’s the one that, uh, put all of the city leadership together and had a sit down meeting with us to be able to explain and help us with the expansion and be able to explain why Fairburn would be a great place for us to expand into. And so political connections are very, very important. Um, we also, um, you know, began immediately, um, to, and I’m a spiritual person and, and, you know, and so I immediately began to reach out to leaders of, of, of churches and different religious organizations here in metro Atlanta and told them about our firm and what we’re trying to do and, and how we could help, um, their congregations and they ingratiated us and, and they made sure that we were a part of, uh, you know, some of the events that they were having, some of the, uh, donations and giving back to the community, uh, style events that they, that they offered.

Brandon Price-Crum: And so that was critical to us being able to expand in the way that we did. And also, you know, just community nonprofits and the business sector here. And, um, so like the Chamber of Commerce and the resources, uh, that they have. So anybody that is looking to scale a business into a new community, I mean, it’s always important to make sure that the community knows who you are and knows that you’re there for them, especially early on. You’re an outsider. People don’t really know you. And so the way that you get to know a community is making sure that you’re being a part of that community in a real way. And I say lastly, um, which is, is so, so near and dear to my heart is, uh, the school system that I grew up in, um, which is the Clayton County school system. I immediately connected with the school district for our firm to become a part of their communities, community partners. Um, uh, you know, group or, or council. And so we have been able to give scholarships to, to graduating seniors, uh, guest lectures for, for, for students and, and just give, um, through the, the school supply and backpack drives and just really, really, really hone in on being a part of, uh, the school districts and the local, uh, uh, community groups here, uh, I think has been very important, but that’s our marketing approach in each one of the markets that we’re in is making sure that we have a strong tie to the community.

Lee Kantor: Right? And you’re doing it by service, not just writing checks.

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah, 100%. I, I think that, you know, I think that makes a real difference. I think, you know, just like any other firm that does personal injury, uh, and wrongful death work, um, you know, we could just write a check and, and hold big checks up and, and, and, you know, and, and do that thing with, you know, but I think that it’s um more beneficial. Um, and it has shown results for the way that we um, practice law actually getting in there and being a part of these events and these initiatives and these task force and making ourselves available to the community. And so, so we task our lawyers not only to just practice law at a very high level, but also be involved in the community in a real way. So, you know, some of our, our associates are, are, you know, coaching little league programs. They are, uh, involved in, in nonprofit organizations on boards. Um, you know, myself, I sit as the chairman of the development authority in downtown Development Authority of Fairburn. Um, you know, and we are also part of, um, different, uh, task force and alliances and we try to make ourselves also, um, as a part of our local bar associations, um, put ourselves in leadership roles. And so we not only have a task as leaders to and lawyers to, to, to be good lawyers. Um, but we also have a task to be good people. And also, um, we challenge ourselves to make sure that we’re ingratiated in the community, um, in a way that we can offer resources. Um, you know, and it’s not even just pro bono work, but it’s work that we feel like can advance the next generation, uh, and work that can make our communities a better place.

Lee Kantor: Now as a kind of a firm that it sounds like you’re very scrappy, you’re very community focused. How is that your kind of secret sauce in competing with some of these big, I call them billboard law firms, the ones that it seems like every two minutes you’re driving that you see somebody’s picture because I mean, that cost a fortune to be have that many billboards in a state.

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah, some some of these law firms that do similar work in our, as you mentioned, are behemoths in marketing. I mean, they’re spending millions and millions of dollars in advertising alone. And so, um, you know, we are not in that position. I mean, we’re a, uh, a firm of, you know, we have a strong probably about 8 to 10 lawyers, uh, on any given day. Uh, we do have, uh, about 50 to 60 staff, um, you know, across our offices. But, um, in order to compete on a marketing level, I always look at it this way, you know, if you got a, a family member that you trust or if you have, um, a, you know, your doctor that you trust or you have your, your pastor that you trust or some community advocate that you trust that says, hey, go to this firm. They’re going to take good care of you. Uh, you know, or or, you know, you have, hey, this, you know, lawyer, I know they go to my church and they’re involved in church events or this lawyer came and guest lectured at my son’s school. I think when you, you know, when you have that type of relationship and connection with the people that will eventually become your clients, I think that that, like you said, that’s a, a true, um, differentiator between us and some of these behemoth firms that do mass marketing.

Brandon Price-Crum: Um, and I say we, we do do some marketing, uh, on that level, but it, what has been probably most, most of our clients over the years, um, and we’ve represented thousands and thousands of clients, uh, is word of mouth. Um, we try to do our clients a, a, a very, very good service. Uh, we try to be in communication with them. Um, we, you know, we, you know, take them by the hand and walk them through the process. So that way if they ever know someone that needs an attorney, they already know they’ve been through the experience and they can, uh, you know, basically give a testimonial to these folks to say, hey, this firm did me well, you should go to them. And so a lot of our clients have been through word of mouth and not, you know, radio ads or billboard ads or television ads. And so, you know, we’ve really, really, um, honed in on truly being a part of the community and that has, um, you know, paid dividends and, um, you know, us getting, continuing to get clientele.

Lee Kantor: And then you mentioned that you’re, you have offices in Georgia and Alabama.

Brandon Price-Crum: That’s right. Yeah. So we have an office in Montgomery, Alabama. Uh, we also have one in Hoover, right? Right outside of Birmingham. Uh, then we have, uh, the office that I’m currently at, which is in Fairburn, which is considered Metro Atlanta, South, uh, South Fulton. Uh, and then we also have a, uh, office in South Georgia, uh, which is in Thomasville. Uh, and we’re continuing to look to expand and scale our business. Um, I think we have a model, uh, that is scalable and it took time to develop that it took us getting with experts, uh, in business, um, that have worked with law firms in the past and have helped them build models, um, that help, you know, with the expansion, uh, and scalability of those firms. And we hired them to help us. Um, and we have, I believe, developed a firm now where, I mean, any place that has, uh, seemingly good laws, uh, for plaintiffs, I think that we can set up shop and we can do very, very well. Um, and on top of that, uh, we have a trade name, which is the serious injury law group. Um, that I think, you know, again, anywhere that there’s, uh, good laws for personal injury work, uh, wherever we’re needed, I think we can set up shop and I think we can do very, very well. Um, Of course, different markets require different ways in which you market to to individuals or to your potential clients. But at the end of the day, I think that we have a very, very strong trade name and we have a very, very strong business model that will allow us to continue to scale.

Lee Kantor: Now, um, is there any advice you would give a person that maybe is a lawyer or is thinking about joining a firm how to choose the right firm that is kind of philosophically a match for what you’re trying to accomplish. Because to you, this was personal and you wanted to make an impact. And you are. Can you share some advice for other lawyers out there that when you got to pick the right people, right to be around, you don’t want to be in a place where you dread going to work every day.

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah. And, and I tell you this, this is very difficult work. And so if, you know, people don’t come to us on their best day, they come to us on their worst day. Uh, and so if you’re already dealing with the complexities of the law, and then you’re dealing with, you know, a client coming to you at the worst time of their lives, and then you don’t like what you do. Um, I don’t think you’re going to be doing this very long. And so I, you make a very, very good point that it is important, um, for you to find a firm that aligns with your morals, your values and your principles. Um, find a firm that you find that you can grow in, um, that there’s, uh, an ability that they provide you with the resources, uh, for you to be successful in your career. Um, this is, you know, the, the law practice. What I find it for me has become a lifestyle. It’s more than just, um, you know, words on a page and, and persuasive arguments. It’s actually the way that you live your life. And, you know, one of the things, you know, we we hold lawyers to a certain esteem.

Brandon Price-Crum: Um, and it’s important that, um, you be with a firm that, uh, allows you to understand that, you know, you’re going to be spending a whole lot of hours doing this. And so you want to make sure that you’re advancing interest, um, that align with who you are. If you’re just doing this for, or you’re just with a firm for money, or you’re just with a firm for the benefits that they offer, but not, but you don’t enjoy what you’re doing. Um, I think that that’s a formula, um, to eventually suffer through burnout or, uh, build bad relationships or have bad work ethic. Um, and so, you know, it making money is one thing. And, and, and, and benefits is one thing, but you got to make sure that you’re doing something that you love with people that, um, you know, you enjoy being around. And so we try to make our, and I think we’ve been voted like, you know, one of the best workplaces for law firms and all that. Um, so we received those awards because I think we, we try to, you know, make a space where, um, we provide our, our attorneys with the resources, we provide our staff with opportunities to connect.

Brandon Price-Crum: You know, just a few weeks ago, we did a big tailgate, um, for one of the schools and invited all our staff out and, um, you know, and just, you know, we try to have the end of the year events where we get everybody together from all the offices and things like that. But we try to build a culture, um, within our firm that allows for, um, you know, the people within the firm to connect, but also grow and do something meaningful. And that’s one of the reasons why we do a lot of community events and our staff lives in these communities. And so they’re directly affected. Uh, they’re, you know, we’re doing things with their church. We’re doing things, you know, we’re partnering with a nonprofit that they, they really care about. And so, um, all of that stuff matters. Um, you know, when you’re making a decision as to which firm that you want to, uh, you know, send your resume to or that you want to apply to because, you know, I mean, this is what you’re going to be doing for, for majority of your, your day and hopefully for majority of your, of your life.

Lee Kantor: And who is kind of the ideal client for your firm? Like, what are they going through where it’s a good move to call the serious injury folks.

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah. So we, we do, we’re a full service or full scale personal injury law firm. So, um, we handle, uh, things, you know, uh, such as car accidents, trucking accidents or commercial vehicle accidents, dog bites, uh, product liability claims, um, medical malpractice claims. And we do that at a very, very high level wrongful death claim. So if you know, you have a family member or a loved one that has lost their life, uh, by no fault of their own, and you want to see if you have a claim, you should give us a call. And so, you know, you know, boating accidents, anytime that you find yourself in a position where you’re injured, um, by no fault of your own, we’re that firm that you should call. Uh, and we do free consultations, uh, and our firm, of course, you know, like most personal injury firms, you know, we, you don’t pay for anything upfront. We take on all the upfront costs. Um, so it’s a case if we take your case as a case that we believe in. Um, and you don’t pay us anything unless we’re successful for you.

Brandon Price-Crum: Um, and one of our, you know, our models is, you know, we will never, as a firm, we will reduce our fee to whatever we need to, to make sure that our clients always walk away with more than us at the end of the day, because this is their case and this is their opportunity at justice. So our firm would never take more than our clients would. Once everything is all said and done. And if the unfortunate event where we’re unsuccessful. For you, it don’t matter if we spent $2 or $1 million trying to prosecute your case for you. You don’t owe us anything. Um, and so, you know, that motto is a is a risk free model in the sense that if you find yourself injured or you, you know, you have a loved one that unfortunately lost their lives, um, by no fault of their own, then just give us a call. Um, and, you know, we’ll be able to, to speak with you. We’ll be able to get the facts and then we’ll let you know whether or not that’s a case that we can take on.

Lee Kantor: Is there a story you can share that maybe illustrates what it’s like to work with you or your firm? Um, maybe one that, you know, you felt that, that the impact you made was really significant. Uh, you don’t obviously don’t name their name, but maybe share the challenge they came to you with and how you were able to help them, you know, get what they needed.

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah, absolutely. Um, I, yeah, we, I mean, we have a lot of cases, uh, like that where we were there for families when they had nowhere else to turn. Um, where they didn’t know how to open up in a state. And they needed help through that process. Um, you got minor children, um, you know, whose parents are in a, in a very, very difficult situation or lost their lives. And so we, we try to be there, uh, for some of the most vulnerable people, a lot of our, our, our clients are, are, you know, elderly or middle age, uh, clients and, and they just need help through all the paperwork. And, you know, you got these, you know, these companies that are trying to trick them and all these things that are going on. But one story, um, that, that really sticks with me and, and I had a client that was, um, she was rear ended here in metro Atlanta by a 18 Wheeler. Um, and she found herself after that crash was transported to, um, Grady hospital and she had severe injuries. She had a fractured back. Um, she, had to wear a colostomy bag. Um, you know, she was, by all accounts, primary breadwinner. Uh, and her and and in her marriage, um, you know, she had children, um, that she was trying to care for and she, you know, in a, in an instant, you know, went from a very, very healthy, you know, woman, um, to one that was very, very dependent, um, in a, you know, in an instant.

Brandon Price-Crum: And, you know, when I went and sat down with her in the hospital, uh, her and her husband and they were just a, just a working class family and they were just good people, genuinely good people. Um, you know, I knew that, you know, this was her first accident, and I knew that what she was up against, you know, you got an insurance company, uh, that was on the other side that was going to vigorously defend the case. You got, um, you know, a trucking company, um, That they were going to make sure that that. And unfortunately, in this particular incident, some of the evidence, uh, that of the, you know, video recording of what happened, we believe was, um, was not properly preserved. And so it disappeared. And so, you know, it was a case that we went through depositions and, and, and, you know, she was going through her own, uh, physical and mental recovery, um, from this and, and, and we were ultimately able to resolve that case. And the mediator was very, very impressed with how we were able to resolve that case relatively quickly within a year or so of this happening, um, with that trucking company. Um, just because like you said, we are vigorous advocates for our client, but she was able to leave a review for us that, um, you know, I hang in, in our, in our hallway because she’s one of the clients that really, really appreciated, you know, Number one, going to the hospital to meet with her and her husband.

Brandon Price-Crum: Number two got a staff that kept her in constant communication and updated with what’s going on with her case and whatever. She had a question. We were able to answer that question for her. Um, we were able to, to help her get some of the recovery treatment that she needed, um, to try to get back on her feet and try to get back to some sense of normalcy. Um, and then we were able to get her case to a position, um, where we could get it resolved in a relatively quick time frame. Um, even though I had to, to, to fight and fight and fight with, um, the, the insurance company and the defense lawyers and, and, you know, you got, you know, the truck driver that’s evading, uh, taking responsibility. You got the truck company, uh, that’s not taking responsibility. And so, you know, I got, we have countless stories of folks that we represent like that, but that particular client, she was just such a nice lady and her family was such good people. I was I was happy that we were able to get justice for them.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, what’s the website? What’s the best way to connect?

Brandon Price-Crum: Yeah. So our website is www.seriouslawyers.com, and that’s seriouslawyers.com. Um, you can reach us at our phone number, and that’s 855 Serious. Um, you can reach us here locally at (678) 268-6578. Um, you can also, you know, reach us on Facebook. Serious Lawyers, um, you can reach out to me, uh, at the Serious lawyer on Instagram or Brandon Price-Crum, um, on Facebook and LinkedIn. And, you know, like I said, it’s, if you find yourself in a position where you’re injured, um, By no fault of your own. Give us a call. It’s a free consultation. Uh, we’re happy to talk to you. We’re going to do right by you. If it’s not a case, we’ll let you know. Um, but, you know, it’s, it’s a situation where we’re just trying to do the right thing by as many people as we can.

Lee Kantor: Well, Brandon, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Brandon Price-Crum: I appreciate you, uh, Lee and I, you know, enjoyed our time. And like I said, I enjoyed our conversation. I knew from the beginning, um, that I would enjoy our conversation, but thank you for allowing me to get the information out about, uh, me and our law practice and, and we look forward to continuing to work with you, uh, at some point in the future.

Lee Kantor: All right, this is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.