In a field where the margin between success and mediocrity is razor-thin, law firm owners seek unique strategies and wisdom to surmount challenges and thrive financially. Episode 44 of The Lawyer Millionaire Podcast features a vital discussion with the distinguished trial lawyer, Mike Alder, who delves into the disciplined mindset and tactical prowess that vaulted him into the echelon of millionaire attorneys.
Darren Wurz probes Alder’s experience, examining the meticulous preparation, strategic adaptability, and leadership traits that have edified his professional and financial status. This dialogue offers law firm owners an unparalleled opportunity to gain insights from a legal virtuoso who has navigated the intricate path to peak performance and vast wealth.
In this episode, you will uncover:
1. Revolutionized Trial Preparation: How to enhance courtroom effectiveness through strategic planning.
2. Positive Mindset Relevance: The profound impact of lawyer’s attitudes on their professional conduct and case results.
3. Adaptive Legal Expertise: The benefits of branching into varied types of law for comprehensive success.
4. Prosperity and Philanthropy: Insights into Alder’s mission to combine earning with giving back significantly.
5. Pursuit of Perfection: The importance of consistent learning and humility to maintain a trajectory of growth.
Unlocking the Secrets To Legal Success: Financial Insights from Trial Attorney Mike Alder
Welcome to another insightful episode of The Lawyer Millionaire Podcast. In Episode 44, we sit down with the renowned trial attorney Mike Alder, who shares his expansive journey from personal injury trial law to a breadth of practice areas, combining legal expertise with financial acumen.
Crafting the Winning Strategy: Mike Alder’s Trial Techniques
Trials are won long before stepping into the courtroom. Mike Alder’s meticulous preparation is a hallmark of his success. He divulges how organizing trial notebooks and using plain, loose leaf paper for notes and ideas keeps him strategic and agile during some of the most complex cases. A trial is not just about showcasing evidence, but also about the power of communication; crafting a narrative that resonates with the jurors. Foster trust, keep them engaged, and above all, maintain a flow that guides them to a favorable verdict.
The Millionaire Mindset: Making Positivity Your Power
Mindset matters. Mike stresses how our words and intentions shape our behaviors, and ultimately, our careers. Adopting a positive language and fostering an intentional mindset have been instrumental in his climb to success. Mike shares his “millionaire mission,” a testament to the belief that hard work and welcoming challenges pave the way to financial stability and affluent living.
From Humble Beginnings To Trailblazer: Mike Alder’s Professional Evolution
Raised by parents who were traveling preachers, Mike’s roots are entrenched in resilience and ethical diligence. His venture into law was serendipitous, catalyzed by his first wife’s decision to attend law school. This pivot led him to Los Angeles, where he plunged into the world of entertainment law. Starting his own practice was born of necessity and it was this leap of faith that set the foundation for a thriving career.
A Journey of Impact: Philanthropy and Systemic Change
Success isn’t solely about the accumulation of wealth; it’s about giving back. Mike and his wife are committed to using their financial success for systemic change. They exemplify how stepping outside of one’s comfort zone to execute on a larger vision can make a tangible impact.
Alder Talk: Sharing Expertise Beyond the Courtroom
Extending his knowledge to the masses, Mike Alder takes to his YouTube channel, Alder Talk, to educate on trial strategies and life skills. It’s here where his passion for mentoring and continuous learning shines through.
Invitation to Connect: Mike Alder’s Generosity of Knowledge
For those yearning to delve deeper or seeking guidance, Mike extends a gracious invitation to reach out to him directly. This level of accessibility is rare and reflects his dedication to fostering a community of growth and success.
Join the Mission Toward Financial Mastery
As we conclude this empowering session with Mike Alder, host Darren Wurz reminds listeners of the invaluable insights shared today. To continue the conversation and engage with content that moves your financial and professional trajectory forward, subscribe and leave a review for The Lawyer Millionaire Podcast. Visit our website for additional resources and embark on your journey towards becoming a Lawyer Millionaire.
Resources:
Connect with Darren Wurz:
- dpw@wurzfinancialservices.com
- 30 Minute Chat With Darren
- Wurz Financial Services
- The Lawyer Millionaire: The Complete Guide for Attorneys on Maximizing Wealth, Minimizing Taxes, and Retiring with Confidence by Darren Wurz
- LinkedIn: Darren P. Wurz
- LinkedIn: The Lawyer Millionaire
- Twitter: Wurz Financial Services
Connect with Mike Alder:
- Email: cmalder@alderlaw.com
- Linkedin: Michael Alder
- Youtube: AlderTalk
- Instagram: Mike Alder
- Website: Michael Alder
About our guest:
Michael Alder is recognized as one of the top trial attorneys in California and has recovered over $2.1 billion in verdicts & settlements.
Michael Alder is the owner and Senior Trial Attorney at AlderLaw, a leading Los Angeles firm that represents plaintiffs in personal injury and employment litigation cases. He is known as one of the top trial attorneys in California, an advocate for underdog clients, and a generous supporter of fellow trial attorneys, charitable causes, and community giving.
Mr. Alder vigorously pursues all cases on behalf of his clients who have suffered injustices and takes pride in being personally involved in every case his firm takes on. Along with his team of lawyers and staff, he consistently breaks records and earns the praise of the press with significant settlements and impressive verdicts including the City of Modesto v Dow Chemical $60 million total verdict. To date, his firm has recovered over $2.1 billion in verdicts and settlements for his clients.
Over his 29+ years in litigation, he has received numerous accolades. This includes being the youngest recipient ever of CAALA’s Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2004 (the nation’s largest association of plaintiff’s attorneys), winning the prestigious California State Bar Clay Award “California Attorney of the Year” for personal injury in 2014, named one of the Daily Journal’s 2012 Top 100 Lawyers in California and named a “Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyer” 13 consecutive years. Mr. Alder has also been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) since 2003 and currently serves on their Executive Committee.
A well-renowned speaker and published author on trial strategy, Mr. Alder has a long history of supporting other trial attorneys. He maintains a 9,000-deposition database and expert witness directory plus provides information, at no charge, to his colleagues. He is a devoted mentor to young lawyers and offers access to his archived depositions, as well as financial assistance with the establishment of the AlderLaw Warrior Fund program, networking opportunities, and free seminars.
Michael Alder is a strong believer in giving back. His involvement in the community includes being a founding member of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities (LATLC), a nonprofit public benefit corporation organized to improve the lives of those in need in Southern California. He served as LATLC’s President in 2017 and continues to serve on the Board. Mr. Alder is also a founder of the American Museum of Tort Law and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Inner City Law Center (ICLC), a pro bono skid row law firm dedicated to ending homelessness and advocating for veterans’ benefits. In 2020, Mr. Alder was awarded ICLC’s highest honor – the “Katherine Krause” award – for his pro bono trial work on behalf of victims of slumlords. In 2020, he joined the board of directors for the National Hispanic Media Coalition and the Metro Los Angeles YMCA.
Most recently, Mr. Alder and law partner/wife Gina Zapanta founded Z.A. gives, a non-profit formed in response to the COVID-19 crisis to aid food and education insecurities. The charity is funded by a percentage of profits earned through their law firms, AlderLaw and Z.A. Lawyers.
Since March 2020, Z.A. gives has donated more than $150,000 in food and support to local hospitals and restaurants. In all, over 25,000 people have been fed by Z.A. gives’ direct giving.
In his spare time, he enjoys traveling to the family’s Louisiana ranch, exercising, collecting knives, taking care of his chickens and goats, and entertaining family and friends. He has a teenage daughter and son, is a bonus Dad to Gina’s two daughters, and two baby boys.
Transcript:
Darren Wurz [00:00:00]:
Ever wondered how to win that big case while maintaining a strong sense of financial stability and without burning yourself out? Today, we’re embarking on a journey to provide answers to those questions, talking with one of California’s top trial attorneys. Welcome to the Lawyer Millionaire podcast, where we empower law firm owners to create wealth and secure their financial legacies. I’m Darren and Wurz, your host and financial planner for law firm owners. Our guest today is Mike Alder, trial attorney and owner of Alder Law. Mike has an unmatched track record of securing staggering verdicts and settlements over a career spanning three decades. He’s a strategic powerhouse in the courtroom, a mentor to emerging lawyers, and a philanthropist at heart. Mike, welcome to the know.
Mike Alder [00:00:52]:
With introductions like that, I’ll come over and over and over again.
Darren Wurz [00:00:56]:
Thank you. Absolutely. Well, let’s start with learning a little bit about your background and how you got started in the field of law. Before we got on, you were telling me that your dad was a traveling preacher, so I’m very curious how you ended up as a lawyer.
Mike Alder [00:01:14]:
Well, yeah, my dad just passed away in Covid in 2020 83. My mom a while ago, and they actually met at a Bible college in Mrs. Tupelo, Mississippi, where my dad was studying to be a minister and my mom studying to be a minister’s wife. I mean, back then, she’s like, her daddy gave her two options. You could be a nurse or a wife. But, yeah, when I was born, my parents were basically traveling preachers who tried to live off of offerings and couldn’t do it. So ultimately became teachers. And my dad remained a part time preacher until he retired from teaching and then went back to preaching and ultimately moved to Louisiana when I was very young because that’s where my mom was from, and that’s my home. I mean, that’s where I grew up. That’s where I went to school. I went to elementary, junior high, high school, college at LSU, LSU Law. I’m licensed there, and we have a big ranch, Za ranch in about 10 minutes from where I grew up. And I like to say that I’m a part time rancher and part time worker.
Darren Wurz [00:02:41]:
Yeah, it’s fun.
Mike Alder [00:02:42]:
It’s a lot of fun. And it’s so much fun to bring people from La to Louisiana, especially if they’ve never even been to the south before, much less to the country, because it’s out in the country. We got animals and we got barns and we got chickens.
Darren Wurz [00:03:01]:
Those are different worlds, for sure.
Mike Alder [00:03:03]:
Well, it’s really not that far away. It’s about the same length of time it takes to drive to San Diego, right? So it’s really not that bad. But you see people, and we bring tons of people there all the time. You see people just kind of breathe and open up and their kids run through the field and they’re all stressed out about what? I’m like, your kid, nothing’s going to happen. Nobody’s going to get that kid. Don’t worry. And as opposed to here where you’re like handing your kid to AK 47 on their way out the door, oh, wow. That’s actually not true.
Darren Wurz [00:03:42]:
Right?
Mike Alder [00:03:44]:
Anyway, I don’t know how, but that’s kind of where I grew up and my dad and mom being, I guess I would call them God fearing people after my rebellious time. And these were pentecostal preachers. If you know Christianity Pentecostal, it’s pretty fire and brimstone. Turn me off. I was like, but now as I’ve matured, I have kids, I realize that many of the lessons that are part of the church experience, in the good parts of the church experience, I took the heart and has really helped me in my life and in my business and the idea of caring and about giving and about giving unconditionally and really legitimately, giving a shit about people and expecting that you should treat people the way you want to be treated. I mean, all those, yeah, universal, but biblical as.
Darren Wurz [00:04:59]:
Get.
Mike Alder [00:05:00]:
I believe it.
Darren Wurz [00:05:01]:
Yeah, definitely. Well, what was it that drew you to the practice of law? You went to LSU and graduated from there. What got you into the legal field to begin with?
Mike Alder [00:05:12]:
Do you want the truth or do you want the made up story?
Darren Wurz [00:05:16]:
Give me the truth, because I’d like.
Mike Alder [00:05:19]:
To tell you I got pulled over when I was four and it talked me. I don’t have any story like that. Right. I was in a fraternity at LSU as 18 year old and drunk on the front lawn of my fraternity on a block party. And a woman came by and said, what do you want to do? And I said, I kind of like to have another beer. What do you want to do? And she’s like, I’m going to be going to law school. I’m going to move to Los Angeles and I’m going to be an entertainment lawyer. And I’m like, got married to her a year later and kind of by default went to law school. I know that’s not sexy. Great story, but sure enough, got married when I was 19, went through law school with her. She was very successful in law school. In my giving nature, I gave the top 50% of my class help. So then we clerked for a year in Mississippi, her for a federal appeals court. I’ve clerked for the Mississippi supreme court, and we moved to LA, and she became an entertainment lawyer. We had two kids. She retired. We got divorced. I got remarried. And throughout that whole time, after working for two really phenomenal trial lawyers for about seven years, I then opened my own practice.
Darren Wurz [00:06:56]:
Okay.
Mike Alder [00:06:57]:
Probably because I got fired, and I think I got fired, or maybe I quit, I’m not really sure, but I started my practice because I didn’t have a job.
Darren Wurz [00:07:06]:
Okay. So it was kind of out of necessity then. That must have been a difficult moment for you to kind of launch out on your own. You probably weren’t planning on doing that. Tell us about that experience.
Mike Alder [00:07:20]:
I’m a big life skills, life plan kind of person, especially now, but way back. Know, I had learned a lot from my mentor and a guy named Michael Pews, who passed away a couple of years ago, but who has been a mentor to really many of the top trial lawyers in Los Angeles. I mean, many of the people that have won trial order of the year, we’ve all gone through Mike Pews, genius, but hard to work for. Right? So after about three or four years, most of us, we kind of learned trial by fire. And then it’s like, okay, what am I going to do? And that’s kind of where I was. So it wasn’t like out of the blue that I wasn’t planning it. If I had my druthers, I would plan to have more cases. So when I kind of started my firm working out of my house, and I had one case, now, I was married at the time to a busy entertainment lawyer. So it wasn’t financially catastrophic, right?
Darren Wurz [00:08:34]:
Sure.
Mike Alder [00:08:36]:
I mean, I wasn’t making that much money anyway, but it allowed me to really kind of put the word out that I have some trial experience. But I will try anything, and it moves. I will take any case that has a pulse. And I built my practice that way. And I found my old first tax return in 2000. I lost $56,000.
Darren Wurz [00:09:05]:
Yeah, what a testament. So what would you credit your success to? Having gone from starting out very humbly like that to having such great wins. What’s been the key factor for you that’s allowed you to come to where you are today?
Mike Alder [00:09:25]:
Well, I paid attention, first of all, and I had a healthy dose of I’m not all that in a bag of chips. Right. There is no substitute for being around excellence. There’s no ego that should be so big that you’re not willing to take help. And so I’m a big believer in being around people that are bigger, better, stronger, faster, richer than I am, right? And I am. And I was. And when I was less experienced, notice I didn’t say younger, right. Because I’m a positive talker. When I was less experienced, I worshiped the ground that Mike pews walked on. He’s like, bring me coffee, boy. And I’m like, can I bring. You know, I just gave a speech to pepperdine law students a couple days ago, and the primary question is, how do I become a multimillionaire in the next week or two, right? How do I become the trial lawyer of the year in a year? And you realize that there is no substitute for practice and practice and practice and practice and hard work and stepping outside your comfort zone and willing to fail. And I had that right. Certainly I have an ego. And believe me, talk to my wife. She’s like, you don’t have an ego.
Mike Alder [00:11:10]:
Get the hell out of here. But at the same time, I can also have moments of lucidity where I’m like, okay, you know what? It ain’t all that, right? And when you do that, many times when you’re exposed to, you’re open to learning more. And like, I’m going to a seminar next week that in the past, I probably would be a speaker at. I’m speaking at a bunch of them, but I’m going with really good trial lawyers that are teaching, and I’m very much looking forward to it because I realized that I will never know everything I need to know and I never will stop learning. And exposing myself to different techniques and strategies is a constant that will never end. And it’s a beautiful thing. I think that openness to stealing good things, mirroring good things, not having too healthy dose of I’ve got to be number one all the time has really benefited me and benefited my clients. It’s a good way to live.
Darren Wurz [00:12:26]:
Yeah, certainly. That was actually a question I was going to ask you a little bit later on, but we can dive into it now. I was curious, with the success that you’ve had, success often can be dangerous. How do you stay grounded? How do you keep yourself grounded and continue to have the right mindset going forward?
Mike Alder [00:12:51]:
Well, it’s changed over time, and I have some people question my willingness to be transparent, but I feel like it’s a very important part of teaching and about communicating is I wasn’t grounded all the time. Right. I tell you about moving out here being married and then starting my own practice, and then three years later I win trial lawyers of the year. I’m like in my mid thirty s and all of a sudden all these cases come and then I start winning eight figure verdicts. Then I cross a billion dollars worth of recoveries and I’m like, and I’m all that in a bag of chips. And then my marriage fell apart. And you say, how do you stay grounded? I had two young kids and I didn’t stay grounded. I, over the next several years, kind of lost my way. Now, in my business, I was always keeping in my personal life, I wasn’t grounded. I was eating too much, drinking too much, partying too much, getting into trouble. Thank God I was at an era where I remember Lynn Bias, you probably don’t remember a basketball player back in the draft pick and took cocaine for the first time the night of the draft and died of a heart attack. Well, thank God I said, if I take drugs, I die. But alcohol was a big part of socialization. In a wonderful blessing, kind of hit some skids personally. And I say it’s a blessing because I don’t know too many successful people, people that I respect who haven’t been through something similar. And the reason that they are a success, the reason why they are grounded is because there was a time when they weren’t.
Mike Alder [00:15:04]:
And you learn and I learned and I worked and I read and I studied and I failed and I failed. And it’s a constant recalibration to be grounded. But I’ve learned the skills, I’ve learned the techniques, I follow them and I’ve made them positive habits and routines. And that keeps know I was in this month long trial in San Francisco and I delete my social media when I’m in trial, I go to bed by 07:00 p.m. I wake up at four, I work out, I meditate, I eat right, I don’t drink coffee. After a certain time, I turn off all tvs and whatever before an hour for it. And people are like, God, that’s so boring. And I’m like, you know what? The first week we’re all on both sides. Three, I’m still cranking. By week four, they look like shit, right? But I’m like the same. And that’s just a learned skill that requires choices, right? Yeah. You go to bed at seven or eight or 09:00 at night, you’re not out fomoing at the party where you’re going to meet so and so, which you probably never do. Right?
Darren Wurz [00:16:28]:
Right.
Mike Alder [00:16:29]:
But you have this feeling of being left out. I got over it.
Darren Wurz [00:16:37]:
Yeah, I got over it.
Mike Alder [00:16:39]:
And I found a woman that I’m madly in love with, who I have children with, and that we work and live together. And it’s beautiful.
Darren Wurz [00:16:51]:
That’s wonderful. And I love that message that failure is such a critical part of success and a part of the journey. So thank you so much for sharing that with us and with our audience. And what you mentioned there at the end is a great segue into the next topic I want to kind of dive into a little bit, which is some of your tips and strategy as a trial lawyer. You mentioned some of the things you do in your routine. What are there other things you do in preparing for a court appearance? Do you have, like, a ritual or process that you go through that you found to be.
Mike Alder [00:17:31]:
You know, I don’t know if this is a shameless plug or just a plug, but I have a YouTube channel, Alder talk, that I ask people to subscribe to. And I have over the years, especially during the COVID times, where so many young lawyers have asked me questions like this. Right. And I’ve mentored a lot of people because, again, that’s how I grew up. I just thought that’s what you do. But I then would record sometimes one or two or three minute videos on how to do this, how to do this in litigation. This is the strategy and also life skills. One thing I would say is everything that I’m talking about, there are different videos on my aldertalk channel. YouTube channel. Know, anecdotally, people say that help them, and I think it does. But you learn, I remember you learn skills of trial. Right? Of course. Being funny and quick on your feet and gregarious and whatever is great. But so much about trial is knowing evidence. It’s about organizing yourself, about being able to control your heartbeat. Right. Heartbeat control is the most important factor because imagine you ask a question and the witness doesn’t give you the answer you were expecting, and you have all your other questions based on them saying this, but they just said that. Or that the judge doesn’t let that evidence in, and you’re like, wait, I have to have that evidence in to talk. And I don’t have any other prepared questions. And if your heartbeat elevates, your brain shuts off. Right. And that ability to control your heartbeat is primarily a function of experience and practice. But there’s other ways to make sure that you control your heartbeat, and that’s by organizing your trial notebook with an understanding of being able to get something in 5 seconds or less. I have a five second rule, right? If I can’t find that piece of evidence, that depot page in line in 5 seconds or less, I’m probably better off just skipping over it.
Mike Alder [00:20:00]:
And so, knowing that I remember as a plaintiff’s lawyers carrying the luggage for my mentor 30 years ago, a defense lawyer who’s now a friend of mine, who’s probably 30 years older than I saw his trial notebook. And he had, like, loose leaf paper, and he would ask a question, he’d flip the page over or strike it through, and he was very generous. And I learned how he organized his trial notebooks, and I do the same. And so not only do I have my depot summary and my depot, and I have a note, loose leaf paper, to make notes. I write topics, questions, or ideas on a single sheet of paper, and then I can use them as I’m preparing my examination or my cross examination by moving them around or whatever. If you’re in trial and you hear something in opening, I’ll make a note and I’ll put it in the section for that witness. And so when I have a witness, direct or cross, and I open my trial notebook, I have not only all my points that if I need to skip over some, I can, but I also have my depot summary. I also have, if I know that I’m going to read a depot, or potentially I will have on another sheet the language and the page in line, if I have exhibits that I know I’m going to want to talk about, even though they may be in other parts of notebooks, I have another copy there again, with all of the idea that I need this information in 5 seconds or less.
Darren Wurz [00:21:47]:
Yeah.
Mike Alder [00:21:47]:
That’s how I keep the flow.
Darren Wurz [00:21:50]:
Yeah.
Mike Alder [00:21:51]:
Now, I might pause for more than 5 seconds before I ask a question, but I got that vacuum in my hand. Right. I might like, you know, you said da da da. But I want to show you this strategically.
Darren Wurz [00:22:09]:
Yeah.
Mike Alder [00:22:09]:
The whole point is that if you ever been in trial or if you’ve ever been anywhere and a politician who’s struggling to find the next word or the next thing, you’re uncomfortable.
Darren Wurz [00:22:25]:
Yeah.
Mike Alder [00:22:26]:
And if jurors are comfortable with you, and then, of course, if they trust you, then they’re willing to open up and listen to what you say. All of that is strategic, but it’s all learned things that I teach all the lawyers here. I teach anybody who ever asked me for it.
Darren Wurz [00:22:50]:
Great tips. Yeah. Thanks, Mike. I’m also curious about mindset and what role that plays in the work that you do and how you cultivate a winning mindset when you’re going into these kind of procedures.
Mike Alder [00:23:10]:
Sure. Well, I have a number of things that I believe in. One, how you talk affects how you think, which affects how you act. Right. And so earlier I said somebody who’s younger than me, and I’m like, you know what? No. I used to say things like, well, I think you don’t remember back when this happened, because insinuating that you’re young and I’m old or you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I get that people want to be ingratiating and whatever, but that is negative talk. It is. I’m old, right. I’m not old. I’m just whatever I am. And I know that positive talk, that. And instead of. But that it’s. I get to do this. Not. I have to do this. Right. Not that it’s hard, it’s worth it. Right. Not that it’s an obstacle. It’s a mean, just that simple change in language elevates how you think, which elevates how you act. And it’s a process. Right. My wife, Gina, and I really kind of challenged each other to correct our language, and the first time we did it, I thought we were going to get a divorce. Right. It’s like, she’s like, stop telling me to change. And she was doing the same thing because you don’t realize how my. Wow, I try. I really need to do that. Oh, you know what? I should eat that, too. All of those things are potential.
Mike Alder [00:24:48]:
Change in language makes it positive. Right? We say, should do, should do this, and then we don’t do it, and then we feel like crap about it instead. How about saying, you know, I’ve chosen not to do that. I have chosen to eat hamburgers every day. When you own it, and you really don’t want to eat Hamburgers every day, it’s a hell of a lot easier than if you are, like, castigating yourself at the end of the, I shouldn’t eat in that hamburger. How about, I ate that hamburger and I actually intentionally did it, and now I feel like crap? Now it’s a lot easier to say, okay, I need to make that choice again. So I think language is a huge part of mindset.
Darren Wurz [00:25:36]:
Wow. Yeah, that’s great insight there, Mike. We’re coming close to the end of our time here, so I want to ask you about the future for you and for your practice and what that looks like.
Mike Alder [00:25:50]:
I’m always branching out. I’ve been a personal injury trial lawyer for 30 years. And then about ten years ago, after having a lot of success in trying PI cases, somebody said, hey, you want to try an employment case? And I now tried a bunch of those, and I love them. And so I have a thriving employment practice as well. And then a year and a half ago, I got approached to step in to first chair a toxic tort trial in San Francisco, a whole groundwater contamination thing, and got a huge verdict in the first one, and I just finished another one. We won that case, and now I’m a toxic tort lawyer as well. But all of these are all different challenges, different kinds of trials, but they’re all also trials that require the same type of skills. So once you learn the vernacular and the vocabulary, I’m good at it, because I’ve done it a lot, right? And I practice and I practice and I practice. And if you do that, if anybody does that for a length of time, they become a lot better at it. I mean, it’s just the way it is. And then three years ago, my wife and I, I got remarried. She’s a lawyer, and we started a separate workers comp firm called Za lawyers. And that’s been really amazing. And it’s provided not only other income, but it’s also opened me up to meeting a lot of new people. I do the third party crossover cases from comp. I mean, it’s a great segue. And then we bought this building that we’re in, in Covid. Gutted it, the remote work to basically gut it. And I live a mile away from here, so it’s a wonderful situation.
Darren Wurz [00:27:57]:
That’s a great setup. And seeking out new challenges. That’s awesome. I love to hear that.
Mike Alder [00:28:04]:
Obstacles, man. Obstacles are not in the way.
Darren Wurz [00:28:07]:
Right.
Mike Alder [00:28:08]:
Obstacles are the way, and I’m a firm believer of that. And that ability to change how you think about challenges and obstacles. For sure, if it was easy, competition would be fierce.
Darren Wurz [00:28:26]:
Yeah. Everyone would do it.
Mike Alder [00:28:27]:
Thank God. It’s hard, right? The reason it’s hard is why we have the ability to be so successful, for sure.
Darren Wurz [00:28:37]:
Well, Mike, I got one last question for you here, and that is, what is your millionaire mission? And what I mean by that is, what’s your big purpose or overarching? Why behind what you do?
Mike Alder [00:28:54]:
Well, financially has changed quite a bit. Right. When I was younger, it was, I really wanted to make a lot of money, but made sure that I made more money than anybody else that I knew. Right. Which now, looking back, seems silly to me. But life is a journey. So I enjoy my work tremendously and, of course, want to make a lot of money. But first, I want to make enough money to really be able to live the way my family wants to live. Anything on top of that is so. So that’s kind of my underlying premise. We have things that we have a ranch in Louisiana. We have stuff here. We have things that we pay for a way that we live. That’s what I want to make enough money to do and continue, and then we give a lot of money away. I mean, we are in philanthropic situations. And one of my wife, who’s Latina, says the latino community is kind of programmed not to make a lot of money. Like, if you make a lot of money, you’re a sellout. And she’s like, hell no. If you make a lot of money, you can make systemic change with that money. And we’re both on that bandwagon, so we work hard to make money, not just so that we can spend it. Yeah, it’s a good way to live.
Darren Wurz [00:30:29]:
Absolutely. To make a difference in the world, for sure. Well, Mike, it’s been great chatting with you, and you’ve had some great advice to share. If people want to learn more about you, where can they go?
Mike Alder [00:30:42]:
So my cell number, 310-710-3345 my email, c as in Charles M as in mike cmalder@alderlaw.com. I already talked about subscribing to my YouTube channel, aldertalk, and you can find me on Instagram at Mike Alder. And I’ll say that you smiled when I gave my cell number.
Darren Wurz [00:31:09]:
I did.
Mike Alder [00:31:10]:
And people, I give my cell number to everybody. I just did to this law school class. And then some people go, good lord, are you nuts? You must be inundated with calls and texts, and I’ve learned that 95% of well intentioned people actually never follow through. And so I’m not inundated. I encourage people to reach out, to text, to call, to do whatever, because if you do, I can help you. You just got to pull the trigger and step outside that comfort zone and execute. And so that’s why I provide it.
Darren Wurz [00:31:47]:
Very cool. All right, well, thanks so much for joining us, Mike. It’s been great having you here. And I want to thank our listeners, too, for joining us for today’s episode. If you enjoyed today’s episode, we’d be thrilled if you’d subscribe and leave us a review. We appreciate your support. Remember, change starts with you, and every small step can shape the trajectory of your financial future. For additional resources or to learn more about how we empower law firm owners to financial success, please visit thelawyermillionaire.com. I’m your host, Darren Wurz, wishing you a week of productivity and prosperity. I can’t wait to meet you back here for our next episode. Until then, take care and keep striving moving toward your goals.