Most lawyers talk about leaving. Nana Knight actually did it.

In this episode, Nana walks through what it really looked like to leave the DA’s office, hang a shingle, and build a criminal defense firm from scratch. No big safety net. No waiting around for the “perfect time.” Just a clear bet on herself.

We talk about how her background as a prosecutor and JAG officer shaped the way she runs her firm, why confidence matters more than people admit, and what she focused on in the first year to get real traction fast. You’ll also hear how she built authority early with YouTube, referral relationships, and a book—while still doing the work and serving clients at a high level.

If you’re a lawyer thinking about going out on your own (or already did and feel a little stuck), this is one of those episodes that makes things feel possible again.

No hype. No buzzwords. Just a real conversation about building a practice you actually want to run.

Connect with Nana

Website: https://www.knightjustice.com

YouTube: Search Nana Knight Criminal Defense
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nana-knight-19a9a2293

Want a copy of Nana’s book The Knight Advantage?
Visit her website and reach out through the contact page to request a copy.

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Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax, Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others.

Want to connect with Brian?

Follow Brian on Instagram: @thebrianglass
Connect on LinkedIn

This episode of Life Beyond the Briefs is a breakout session from the GLM Summit with Leah Miller, founder of Firmly Profits and fractional CFO for law firm owners. Leah started as a paralegal, worked her way up to firm administrator and CFO at a PI firm, and now helps firms around the country actually understand their numbers and build real profit on purpose.

If you have ever opened a profit and loss statement, stared at it, and quietly closed it again, this one is for you. Leah walks through the basics of law firm finances in plain language. She shows you how to read your financial statements, set a realistic budget, and use a few key benchmarks so you know if your expenses, wages, and marketing spend are in a healthy range. Then she connects it all back to something practical. How much you bring home, what it really costs just to keep the lights on, and how to build predictable profit instead of just taking money when it happens to be in the bank.

In this session, you will learn:

• The three financial statements every firm owner should review each month and what numbers to focus on first
• How to break your expenses into revenue driving, profit driving, and personnel so you can see where the money is actually going
• Simple benchmarks for marketing, operations, and wages that help you spot when something is off
• A straightforward way to build a budget using your real historical numbers and adjust it for your goals
• How to plan for bonuses and growth hires so they are baked into the budget instead of last minute stress decisions

Leah’s goal is not to turn you into an accountant. It is to help you feel confident with your numbers so you can make better decisions, spot problems early, and pay yourself what you actually want to earn.

Connect with Leah Miller

• Firm: firmlyprofits.com
• Social: www.linkedin.com/in/leahlnmfinancial

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Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax, Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others.

Want to connect with Brian?

Follow Brian on Instagram: @thebrianglass
Connect on LinkedIn

The rush to “do more” is loud, but the quiet work of designing a year you actually want to live is louder. We break the high achiever cycle—always chasing 2x—by starting with gratitude, then building a plan that respects seasons of life, family, and the reality of running a law practice without becoming its prisoner.

First, we look back. Pull up your photos and calendar to build a 2025 highlight reel and remind yourself how much good you already lived. From that steadier place, we map the core “gardens” of life—business, finances, health, relationships, growth, adventure, and environment—and define what a true 10 out of 10 looks like in each. You’ll hear practical examples for setting clear metrics and feelings that prove progress, plus simple ways to capture weekly wins so momentum doesn’t get lost.

Then we choose a Masogi: one bold, year-defining challenge with a real chance of failure. Whether it’s your fastest marathon in a decade, that first million in revenue, or coaching your kid’s team, we show how to pick it, put it on the calendar, and make it public so accountability does its job. From there, we swap outcome obsession for activity excellence. You’ll get an easy growth cadence—one referral lunch, three handwritten notes, five thoughtful posts each week—and a health and relationship rhythm you can actually sustain. We focus on quarterly lifts for the lowest-scoring areas rather than trying to fix everything at once.

Finally, we talk time. Big rocks go on the calendar first—vacations, family events, races, retreats—so trials and tasks don’t swallow your life. If you run your firm, teach your team to guard their time, too. The law doesn’t have to be a pie-eating contest where the prize is more pie; the real prize is a rich life shared with people you love. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a lawyer who needs permission to plan boldly, and leave a review with your 2026 Masogi.

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Brian Glass is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer in Fairfax, Virginia. He is passionate about living a life of his own design and looking for answers to solutions outside of the legal field. This podcast is his effort to share that passion with others.

Want to connect with Brian?

Follow Brian on Instagram: @thebrianglass
Connect on LinkedIn