Episode Details

In this episode of Sports ’N Torts, Joshua Stein sits down with Luis Virguez, founder of Virguez Law, for a wide-ranging conversation on entrepreneurship, marketing, leadership, and what it really takes to build a scalable law firm.

Luis shares his journey from immigrating to the U.S. from Venezuela at age nine, to betting on himself after law school during the 2008 recession, to building a multi-office firm with nearly 50 employees across personal injury, workers’ compensation, and immigration law. Along the way, he explains why he intentionally stepped away from practicing law to focus on management, client acquisition, and—his favorite part of the business—client intake.

The conversation dives deep into billboard advertising (including one of Atlanta’s most recognizable I-285 placements), modern law firm marketing, hiring and leadership lessons, and why human connection still matters more than automation. The episode wraps with candid sports talk on college football, baseball, and the World Baseball Classic—classic Sports ’N Torts style.

This is a must-listen for law firm owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and anyone curious about how real law firms grow behind the scenes.

📌 Show Notes

👤 Guest

Luis Virguez

Founder & CEO, Virguez Law

Atlanta, Georgia

🧭 Topics Covered

Luis’s Background & Early Risk-Taking

• Immigrating from Venezuela and growing up in Georgia
• Going to law school across the country at Arizona State
• Graduating into the 2008 financial crisis
• Starting his career at a nonprofit and learning law “by fire”
• Opening his first office with a single desk and a $300 lease

Building Virguez Law

• Launching the firm in 2016 and navigating a difficult business partnership split
• Growing from a small, low-volume vision into a multi-office operation
• Expanding into personal injury while maintaining strong immigration roots
• Reinvesting early case results back into marketing and infrastructure

Transitioning Out of Practicing Law

• Why Luis no longer practices law day-to-day
• Redefining his role as CEO, manager, and growth strategist
• Departmentalizing teams and avoiding micromanagement
• Building trust with attorneys and leadership staff
• Letting people stay in their “lanes” to scale sustainably

Client Intake: The Heart of the Firm

• Why intake is Luis’s favorite part of the business
• Treating intake as service, not sales
• Handling high call volume across multiple practice areas
• Differences between PI, workers’ comp, and immigration intake
• Why fast, human responses still beat automation
• Measuring intake performance without losing the personal touch

Billboards & Law Firm Marketing

• Investing in billboards after a major early case win
• Why billboards are better for branding than direct lead generation
• The story behind Virguez Law’s I-285 billboard
• Creative decisions: faces vs. numbers, phone numbers vs. Google searches
• Knowing when to scale billboard spend back
• Comparing billboard ROI to Google, social media, and referrals

Modern Marketing & Social Media

• Family-focused branding and involving his children in commercials
• Working with marketing agencies and knowing when to move on
• Adapting content for Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
• Balancing professionalism with trend-driven content
• Measuring campaign effectiveness without chasing vanity metrics

Leadership, Culture & Community

• Hiring lessons (including hiring mistakes)
• Retaining long-ter