30 Day Law Firm Launch | “You Need To Meet The Judges…” Attorney Daryl Longworth

How Attorney Daryl Longworth Would Rebuild His Law Firm from Scratch in 30 Days

What would you do if you lost your law firm overnight—your clients, your office, your marketing budget, your reputation—and had just 30 days to rebuild?

That’s exactly what we asked Divorce Attorney Daryl Longworth of the Longworth Law Firm in Houston, Texas. And his answer wasn’t a gimmick. It was a grounded, real-world plan that any solo attorney could follow to build (or rebuild) a successful law practice from the ground up.

In this blog, we break down Daryl’s 30-day restart strategy—focusing on networking, relationships, planning, and persistence.

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🔑 Step 1: Network Like Your Life Depends On It

When Daryl started his legal career, he wasn’t fresh out of college—he was a seasoned Houston police lieutenant with 28 years of experience. He knew two things: how to lead, and how to build trust. So when he entered law school, he networked early and often.

• He enrolled in a mediation class that included practicing lawyers.
• One of those lawyers hired him as a law clerk—while he was still in school.
• He built real relationships with professors and mentors—one even hired him after graduation.

“Networking is the way to start over. You’ve got to be around other professionals and just talk to them.”

📘 Step 2: Learn from the Best (Even If You Work for Free)

Instead of waiting for an opportunity to show up, Daryl offered to work and learn wherever he could—even if the pay was low or nonexistent. He learned courtroom skills before he even passed the bar.

He recommends:

• Volunteering as a clerk or intern—even if it doesn’t pay much.
• Asking for mentorship from attorneys in your desired practice area.
• Shadowing lawyers, attending court, and picking up the small jobs no one else wants.

🏛️ Step 3: Leverage Your Existing Network

One of Daryl’s biggest assets? His personal and professional network.

He wasn’t afraid to ask for help—and that made all the difference.

• Judges from his church Sunday school class referred him his first court-appointed cases.
• Friends from the Houston Police Department introduced him to other judges.
• He helped a judge’s son get into the police academy—and that judge later gave him appointments.

“I didn’t realize people wanted me to succeed. But they did. Your network is often just waiting for you to ask.”

🤝 Step 4: Lead With Value (Not Desperation)

You can’t just show up and say, “Hire me.” Daryl believes in leading with value.

That means:

• Asking lawyers and judges what they need.
• Helping them first—with no immediate ask in return.
• Offering to assist with overflow work, paralegal tasks, or court appearances.

Build trust first. Then, when they need someone—they’ll think of you.

📈 Step 5: Don’t Rely on One Source of Income

Early on, Daryl relied heavily on court-appointed work. But he also knew that judges lose elections—and his entire revenue stream could disappear overnight.

So he planned ahead.

• A year before major judicial elections, he reached out to a marketing expert (👋 Dustin Sanchez) to start building a client-generating digital marketing system.
• By the time court appointments dried up, he had a functioning divorce law marketing funnel in place.

“You can’t just start advertising and expect results in a few days. You’ve got to plan in advance.”

🎯 Step 6: Go Where the Judges Are (Literally)

If you want to meet the judges, Daryl says: go to their campaign fundraisers.

• Donate a little. Shake hands. Introduce yourself.
• Talk to other lawyers who already work in that courtroom.
• Ask smart, sincere questions. Let people talk about themselves.

Pro Tip: Don’t just talk to the judge. Talk to the room. The lawyers you meet may one day send you your first paying client.

👥 Step 7: Reconnect with Old Contacts

You don’t need a massive CRM or follow-up software to maintain relationships.

Daryl’s rule: Don’t wait. Do it now.

• If you see someone at court—go talk to them.
• If you’ve been meaning to grab lunch with an old law school friend—schedule it today.
• If you wait until you need something, you’ve waited too long.

💡 Final Advice from Attorney Longworth

“Reach out to people. Ask for advice. Take what comes your way early on. Get your feet moving. And don’t be afraid to take less money to get going again.”

Rebuilding a law firm is possible. But you can’t do it alone. Build relationships. Help people. Start where you are—with what you have—and take the next right step.

🔗 Watch the Full Interview on YouTube

🎥 Watch Here

📈 Need Help Marketing Your Law Firm?

Download my FREE Report “What’s Working Now In Lawyer Marketing” here. Let’s talk about building a law firm that doesn’t rely on referrals alone.

Dustin’s Marketing Takeaways

1. Your network wants you to succeed. Many times we are afraid to ask our friends and family for help. The reality is that successful people love helping other people become successful. Your frat brother, your friend at church, your buddy at your old job, they all want to see you succeed so don’t be afraid to ask for help.
2. JUDGES: This is obvious but no one thinks of it. Daryl realized that if he met with the judges, built relationships with them, found out what they needed / wanted and helped them get what they needed / wanted, then those judges would remember him when they had cases that needed a lawyer. He began purposefully reaching out to judges and building relationships with them.

Networking Is the Way to Start Over

Daryl took a mediation class in law school. This mediation class involved both law students and practicing attorneys. In this mediation class, Daryl met and worked with practicing lawyers. One of the lawyers in the class gave Daryl a job as a law clerk while he was still in law school. This clerkship allowed him to meet and talk to other lawyers, building his network while still in law school. And this network landed him his first lawyer job after law school.

Leveraging Your Existing Relationships at Church

Daryl had many judges and attorneys who also attended his Church and Sunday School Class. He told all of them that he was in law school and that he wanted to open his own practice. Those judges set him up with his first court-appointed cases. It was very lucrative.

Leveraging Relationships From Your Old Career

Daryl was a police officer in Houston, Tx before opening his own law firm. He realized that many lawyers were ex-police officers. And they introduced him to other judges and lawyers. One judge had a son who wanted to get into the police department, and Daryl helped him out. The judge was appreciative of Daryl’s help, and Daryl received more court-appointed work over time.

This one is big. This is your unfair advantage. Who do you have an “in” with from your past life and experience? For examply, I’m a US Navy Vet from the Nuclear Power Program. No veteran of the US Navy Nuclear Power Program should ever become a lawyer and hire a lawyer marketing expert who is not ME. You have to leverage your existing network.

Daryl is an ex-Houston Police Department (HPD) Officer. No HPD Officer should ever get divorced in Houston without using Longworth Law Firm. He should be on every Houston Police Officer Podcast, YouTube Show, Blog, TikTok Channel. He should be making the podcast circuit for every first responder type podcast / channel. Especially those in Texas or Houston.

There is some show, influencer, or personality, that every Houston Police Officer is aware of. Whether that is some dude who makes funny police content on TikTok, some ex-HPD officer who has a YouTube Channel, or whatever. Daryl should be on EVERY ONE OF THOSE shows. And he should have his own “Police Officer” related podcast. And he should invite all of those other Houston area first responders on his podcast.

How To Get Court Appointed Work From Judges

Daryl realized that if he met with the judges, built relationships with them, found out what they needed / wanted and helped them get what they needed / wanted, then those judges would remember him when they had cases that needed a lawyer.

He began purposefully reaching out to judges and building relationships with them.

How To Network With Other Lawyers

Daryl built relationships with other lawyers, becoming their friend, and helping out with some of their legal work. They began referring cases to him.

Expanding Your Marketing Efforts

Daryl realized that he could not only rely on court appointed work because sometimes these judges did not get reelected. So he hired a lawyer marketing expert…Dustin Sanchez Media, LLC and began advertising on the internet with social media campaigns, SEO, and videos.

You Have to Have a Lawyer Marketing Plan

• What do you want to accomplish?
• How can you get there as fast as possible?
• How much will it cost?

Most of Daryl’s marketing plan was FREE, but he also was still working as a Houston Police Officer to supplement his law practice until things really got moving.