Growing a 3-State, 70-Person PI Firm with Smart Marketing and Systems
with A.J. Bruning, Founder of The Bruning Law Firm
In 2016, A.J. Bruning started his firm with his father, brother, and a single paralegal.
Today, his team spans 3 states, employs 70 people, and was just named to the Inc. 5000. In this 34-minute on-demand interview, A.J. walks through the systems and marketing that fueled 150% growth in the last two years.
You’ll learn:
- How one $24M case win became the launchpad for smart marketing
- The call center, CRM, and intake processes behind their 24/7 service
- How Salesforce powers everything from client contact to lead scoring
- What’s working now in SEO, PPC, and LSAs—and what’s not
- How referrals flow in after they start flowing out
- What he’s doing to stay relevant in the age of AI search
Whether you’re refining your tech stack or scaling up your marketing, A.J.’s interview is packed with takeaways you can use now.
Kara Prior is president of James Publishing and co-founder of James Amplifier. She spends most of her time talking to attorneys about how to improve their marketing results.
Kara has a vast marketing and writing background, working for several newspapers and managing Entrepreneur magazine’s 100,000-member social network before joining James Publishing 13 years ago. Kara is co-author of three books: More Referrals from Lawyers, The Most Effective Law Firm Marketing Agencies, and How Small Law Firms Can Obtain More Referrals.
She is the mother of two young boys, and was captain of her Division 1 college swim team.
A.J. Bruning is a St. Louis–based personal injury attorney licensed in Missouri and Illinois. After earning his law degree from St. Louis University School of Law, he began his career at the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, where he tried more than 50 jury cases and earned recognition as a “Trial Star” for his courtroom success. He later founded The Bruning Law Firm, where he has secured multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements, including a $2.5 million judgment, and was named a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in product liability litigation.
Beyond the courtroom, A.J. is active in community service as the founder of the Downtown Neighborhood Watch Group, a National Multiple Sclerosis Corporate Achiever, and a mayoral appointee to the Gateway Mall Advisory Board. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, Lauren, and their daughters, Mia and Bridget.
