#75 - Fractional CMO Reality Check for Law Firms with Jason Williams

What really changes when you leave an in-house law firm role and go fractional? In this episode of Sharp Strategies Sweet Success, I sit down with Jason Williams, former marketing director at Miley Law Group, to reflect on what it’s like to spend over a decade building marketing systems inside one firm, and how different it feels to suddenly work with firms at every level of marketing maturity. We dig into the gap that shows up fast when you move from larger firms to solos and small practices: jumping to advanced tactics before the basics are in place. From LSAs and SEO to vendor churn and shiny object syndrome, we talk about why constantly switching tools and providers often hurts long-term growth, and why foundational work like intake, reviews, websites, and content still does the heavy lifting. We also get real about AI. Not the hype, but how it’s actually showing up in law firm marketing today—from speeding up routine production to raising new questions about trust, intake, and human connection. If you’re a law firm owner or marketer trying to decide what’s worth your time, budget, and attention right now, this episode brings the conversation back to what actually moves the needle. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharpcookiedev.substack.com/subscribe