1. Structuring Financial Settlements for Long-Term Stability With David Carrier Ken Hardison 34:54

Welcome to episode 319 of Grow Your Law Firm, hosted by Ken Hardison. On today’s episode, Ken is joined by David Carrier, a Michigan-based estate planning and elder law attorney and Founder of the Law Offices of David L. Carrier, P.C., with more than three decades of experience helping families protect and preserve life-changing assets. The conversation explores a critical but often overlooked issue for personal injury attorneys: what happens to clients after they receive a major settlement. Ken and David discuss why large awards frequently disappear within months, the psychology behind sudden wealth, and the ethical opportunity law firms have to guide clients beyond the resolution of the case. David explains how tools like irrevocable trusts, structured distributions, and professional co-trustees can help prevent settlements from being lost to overspending, creditors, or poor investments. The discussion also highlights how offering post-settlement guidance can deepen client trust, improve long-term outcomes, and create lasting referral relationships. What you’ll learn in this episode:

  1. Why Life-Changing Settlements Often Disappear – How most large awards are spent within 12–18 months – The psychological patterns behind sudden wealth loss
  2. Protecting Clients Beyond the Case Resolution – Why “here’s your check” isn’t enough – The ethical responsibility attorneys have after a settlement
  3. Using Irrevocable Trusts to Preserve Wealth – How trusts protect assets from creditors and bad decisions – Why access with structure matters more than lump sums
  4. Avoiding the Pitfalls of Annuities and Windfalls – Why annuities often fail to solve long-term problems – How structured planning slows spending and improves outcomes
  5. Turning Post-Settlement Care Into Long-Term Value – Strengthening client relationships through ongoing guidance – How better follow-through leads to trust, referrals, and reputation growth

Resources: Website: davidcarrierlaw.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidlcarrier Facebook: facebook.com/DavidCarrierLawInstagram: instagram.com/davidcarrier_law/?hl=en Additional Resources: https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect https://www.pilmma.org/resources https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind AI for PI Expo: www.pilmma.org/ai-for-pi-expo

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Ken Hardison Millionaire Maker

Ken Hardison, is known as the “Millionaire Maker” for a reason- having helped lawyers across the country double, triple, or quadruple their law practices and income, he brings to law firm owners the insights, knowledge, and critical strategies of Legal Marketing and Management that can only be learned in the trenches of real law firm success.

With over 30 years of legal experience, Ken has personally grown and sold two seven-figure law firms and has shared his knowledge and experience with attorneys, helping them experience exponential growth, increased profits, and ethical market preeminence.

With a passion and deep understanding of both grassroots and cutting-edged online legal marketing strategies, Ken is committed to helping lawyers experience greater levels of financial success, freedom, and personal satisfaction- the kind that comes from building an ethical and exceptional law practice. Focusing on the practical and the proven, rather than the cerebral, Ken guides lawyers through the steps needed to build the law practice many lawyers have only dreamed possible.

Ken is the Founder of PILMMA, Personal Injury Lawyer Marketing and Management Association, dedicated to helping lawyers learn the critical strategies to success. As a trusted advisor, consultant, coach, and Mastermind mentor, Ken has coached lawyers to greater success time and time again.

PILMMA’s powerful live and virtual events, such as the ever-popular Law Firm Growth Super Summits and Internet Domination Boot Camps have helped hundreds of lawyers gain the insights and strategies they need to propel their firms forward to greater success and exponential results and to stay current on the latest legal management and marketing strategies, such as leveraging SEO, PPC, PPL, Social Media, etc.

Ken is the author of numerous best-selling books such as Systematic Marketing, Under Promise, Over Deliver, and his latest book, Powerful Online Legal Marketing. He’s known for his practical and engaging style of taking the complicated world of legal marketing and management and giving clarity and step-by-step guides that any lawyer can implement to experience real results, greater profits, transformational growth, and heightened success.