47. From Jail Cell to Jury Trials: A Comeback Story Built by Faith

[00:00:00] Kaysia Earley: Being in solitary confinement is 23 hours out of the day. You’re by yourself in a small room with a slither of a window, and it’s just you and your thoughts. And I had thoughts of quitting, like, okay, I’m not gonna be a lawyer, so what do I do next? I’m a mom. I have a baby inside of me. The shame of one day telling my child that mommy was in jail.

[00:00:20] Kaysia Earley: And so all of these thoughts are crashing in my head and I still held onto, but what if I decide to go back to law? Can I really make it? I didn’t wanna live with regrets, so I said, when I get out, I’m gonna try. I’d rather try and be denied than not try, and then years later live with regrets. Like, what if I did go to law school?

[00:00:40] Kaysia Earley: What if they did accept me? It really was that moment of solitude that I decided when I get out, I’m gonna try.

[00:00:49] Bobby Steinbach: Welcome to Hot Docket, the show where we talk about winning marketing strategies that have built the most successful law firms.

[00:00:55] Andrew Nasrinpay: Join us every two weeks for the latest trends and tactics to grow your law firm.

[00:00:59] Andrew Nasrinpay: Welcome to The Hot Docket. I’m here with Tara Lee and Kaysia Earley from the Earley Law Firm.

[00:01:10] Kaysia Earley: And hello everyone. My name is Casey Early and I’m excited to share my book Houses Built by Faith: Jailhouse. God’s House. Courthouse.

[00:01:18] Andrew Nasrinpay: And, uh, we’ve got a really good story for you today. Do you wanna walk us through your journey really quick?

[00:01:23] Kaysia Earley: Oh, wow. Where do I begin? Okay. It’s an incredible

[00:01:25] Tara Lee: story. Yeah.

[00:01:26] Kaysia Earley: So I’ll start with the title of the book, Houses Built by Faith.

[00:01:30] Kaysia Earley: It’s, it basically chronicles my life in various houses. So 20 years ago I was incarcerated. Solitary confinement while pregnant.

[00:01:39] Tara Lee: Wow.

[00:01:39] Kaysia Earley: And I thought that my dreams of becoming a lawyer was absolutely shattered because who goes to law school after going to jail? And the Lord pretty much gave me a promise that if I rededicated my life back to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that I would be a lawyer.

[00:01:55] Kaysia Earley: So I decided to hold onto that promise, hence. God’s house and I continue to believe by faith. And 20 years later, I’ve been named one of the top attorneys in South Florida. Top 10, top 20, top 40 under 40, top 100. So that’s kinda where we’re at right now.

[00:02:12] Tara Lee: Wow, that’s incredible. And I love your energy and your spirit.

[00:02:15] Tara Lee: Um. Learning more about your book and learning about your journey, it seems like, you know, um, even as a young child, like you, every obstacle was in your way. Right? And so it, it’s just an incredible journey. So I would love to hear, um, how you overcame that. I know it was with your faith, but if you have any, um, advice to.

[00:02:34] Tara Lee: Young lawyers or just lawyers in general because the practice is really, it’s really hard, right? And it’s

[00:02:39] Kaysia Earley: brutal.

[00:02:39] Tara Lee: Yeah.

[00:02:40] So

[00:02:40] Kaysia Earley: it’s brutal. And you know, I always talk about this to my colleagues. I tell them that I’m in a male dominated profession, right? Um, minorities and females make up 4.5% of the legal profession.

[00:02:52] Kaysia Earley: So if you look at that small number and then to be a criminal defense attorney, it’s dominated by men. You know, I’m trying murder cases, right? So I have to convince a jury as a female that not only am I qualified, that I deserve to be here. So it took a lot of work to kind of break through those barriers and demand respect as a female, unfortunately, in this, uh, profession.

[00:03:15] Kaysia Earley: But, you know, my advice to those who are either starting out or being a female in this pos uh, profession. Go at it, continue and don’t let anything stop you. And I know that sounds simple, but there’s times that you, you hit these barriers that you hit these, the opposition and you’re like, you know what, I don’t wanna do this anymore.

[00:03:34] Kaysia Earley: It’s so easy to retreat. Keep going.

[00:03:36] Tara Lee: So you’re in solitary confinement while pregnant. Mm-hmm. Um. Quiet alone with only your thoughts in your head. Um, kind of describe the moment where you, uh, decided that you were gonna change your life and become a lawyer. Like how did, how did you get there?

[00:03:55] Kaysia Earley: You know, this is difficult every time I talk about it because I have to take myself back to that moment.

[00:03:59] Tara Lee: Sure.

[00:03:59] Kaysia Earley: Back to that moment of isolation. And, and for those of you who are not aware. Uh, being in solitary confinement, it’s 23 hours out of the day. You’re by yourself. Wow. In a small room with a slither of a window. And it’s just you and your thoughts. And I had thoughts of, you know, quitting. Like, okay, I’m not gonna be a lawyer, so what do I do next?

[00:04:17] Kaysia Earley: I’m a mom. I have a baby inside of me. The shame of one day telling my child that mommy was in jail. And so all of these thoughts are crashing in my head and I still held onto. But what if I decide to go back to law school? Can I really make it? I didn’t wanna live with regrets, so I said, when I get out, I’m gonna try.

[00:04:37] Kaysia Earley: I’d rather try and be denied than not try, and then years later live with regrets. Like, what if I did go to law school? What if they did accept me? So it was really digging in deep and holding on by faith, but also through perseverance, right? Because what good is faith? If you don’t apply action towards it, what good is saying you’re going to do something and then not do it.

[00:04:59] Kaysia Earley: Study for the lsat, apply to law school. And it really was that moment of solitude. That I decided when I get out, I’m gonna try.

[00:05:10] Tara Lee: That’s incredible. How do you, um, being incarcerated in, in solitary, solitary confinement, um, as a criminal defense lawyer? Um. Tell me about how, um, that helps you with your clients or the Oh, yeah.

[00:05:25] Kaysia Earley: It’s an asset. Okay. First and foremost, because when I first wanted to be a lawyer, I never wanted to be criminal, right? I didn’t even watch first 48. I didn’t watch cops. I just didn’t, I didn’t like that stuff and I thought that criminals were bad people and I wanted to be. Far away from them. It took me okay to be that criminal in a position of, uh, having representation and not feeling represented to become a criminal defense attorney.

[00:05:52] Kaysia Earley: I always want to be a PI attorney. You know, I did research. I was like, PI, make more money. Money, it is check. I’m gonna do it. But I say it’s an asset because when I litigate and when I go before a jury. I don’t go as attorney Casey. I go as I once was there. I know how it feels to be incarcerated. I don’t want you there.

[00:06:13] Kaysia Earley: And the evidence suggests that you are really not as guilty as the state of Florida I practice in Florida. It’s making you out to become. So it’s my job to make sure the state of Florida proves beyond a reasonable doubt. That you’re no longer innocent and now that you’re guilty. So it’s my job to make sure they do their job, and so I just transform.

[00:06:33] Andrew Nasrinpay: Yeah. When you went through that process. Okay. Were you happy with the legal representation you had or was it a bad process for you?

[00:06:40] Kaysia Earley: No, I was not happy and I’ll tell you why. Um, I was a college student, didn’t have any money, so I couldn’t afford a private lawyer. So I had what’s called a court appointed attorney, and he did not tell the judge that I was in college.

[00:06:55] Kaysia Earley: He didn’t give the judge any mitigating circumstances. So all the judge had was the police report. My admission. Okay. Let me sentence you accordingly. And I have a, a great end into this story actually, because before the judge sentenced me to jail, he gave me a warning and it’s, it’s ironic because he did not know that I want to be a lawyer.

[00:07:17] Kaysia Earley: And he looked at me sternly and he said, do not come back into my courtroom unless you’re serving your civic duty as a juror or you’re a lawyer. So I made good on that promise and I came back.

[00:07:28] Tara Lee: I love that.

[00:07:29] Andrew Nasrinpay: So. You, you were incarcerated. Mm-hmm. You went through that process. It was not a great process with your lawyer at that was court appointed.

[00:07:37] Andrew Nasrinpay: You don’t think they did a good job? At what point? Did you realize this was gonna work? Because a lot of times too, you could go through all of law school, take the lsat, and they could still deny it.

[00:07:48] Kaysia Earley: You

[00:07:49] Andrew Nasrinpay: how did said it. How did you get through that process?

[00:07:51] Kaysia Earley: Listen, he, you just said exactly what was told to me.

[00:07:55] Kaysia Earley: So I get out of jail and I’m, I want to be a lawyer. So I take the L set, I sit for the L set. Years go by and. I get a high enough score, so I start applying to law schools, and of course you have to reveal that you were arrested. So I told him, Hey, I was arrested years ago, but I do wanna go to law school.

[00:08:13] Kaysia Earley: Here’s my grades, here’s my LSAT scores. Now I got accepted to the law school, but I got accepted with a warning, and that warning was. We’ll accept you. In fact, we’ll give you a scholarship. You can graduate, you can pass the bar, but it’s up to the Florida Board of Examiners to swear you in. So you’re taking a huge risk.

[00:08:34] Kaysia Earley: Are you sure you want to do this? So I really had to, again, it was me not wanting to live with regrets. I’d rather try graduate from law school. And I thought to myself, I said, well, even if I don’t get accepted to practice law, at least I’ll be a lawyer. I could become a professor. I can, you know. Teach law as opposed to practice.

[00:08:54] Kaysia Earley: So there was still an outlet for me, but I just didn’t wanna live with regret. So I, I went ahead.

[00:09:00] Tara Lee: That’s another example of you putting a lot of faith into that process, right?

[00:09:04] Kaysia Earley: Yes, yes, yes. And, and, and it took faith because my faith without actually working, it’s non-existent. Right? And so. Thankfully I go before the board and it wasn’t an easy process because they literally, uh, it was three board members and they grilled me for three hours and I had to answer every question to their satisfaction.

[00:09:27] Kaysia Earley: And a couple weeks later, they approved me to be sworn in. But it was a cruel in process.

[00:09:34] Andrew Nasrinpay: Did, after the process, did you think? You got it or no?

[00:09:37] Kaysia Earley: No, I did not. This was in Tallahassee or Tampa and I had to drive up and on my way down I cried. Just sure to be transparent. Yeah. Because I felt that the questions that they asked me, they were speaking to me as the same 20-year-old.

[00:09:53] Kaysia Earley: That made the bad choices at this time, I was a married mother of three. I was a, a professional and I didn’t wanna keep reliving that and I didn’t want them to keep seeing me as that person. This was a crime of dishonesty. Right. And the Florida bar frowns upon anything dealing with money because we are entrusted with money.

[00:10:12] Kaysia Earley: And I just felt like, you know what, I’ll just become a professor. You know, at, at least I tried, but when I got that letter in the mail. It was validation. It was validation like you’re not that same person, and we trust you to move forward. And that same trust that the Florida Board of Examiners have in me.

[00:10:31] Kaysia Earley: I want my clients to have the same trust.

[00:10:34] Andrew Nasrinpay: I will say. The outlook you have on it is so positive. I know where at any moment you could say, all this stuff I’m doing is not worth it.

[00:10:41] Kaysia Earley: Yeah.

[00:10:41] Andrew Nasrinpay: But in your mind, you’re saying, well, I would just be a professor. Yeah. Or I would, I would have all these other outlets.

[00:10:46] Andrew Nasrinpay: Yeah. So it’s such a positive way to look at it.

[00:10:48] Kaysia Earley: I had to because I was no longer a single college student. I was a mother of three, and I kept thinking. I knew that I eventually would have to tell my children, mommy went to jail, but at least I wanted to tell them. After mommy grew from her bad decisions, and I don’t even wanna call it a mistake, it wasn’t a mistake.

[00:11:07] Kaysia Earley: I knew what I was doing was wrong, so I wanted to be in a position to show them that mommy did wrong. But look what mommy did afterwards. Here’s one thing I learned about incarceration. Um, people tend to look at a person who’s been arrested or who’s been incarcerated as the scums of the earth, right? And it taught me empathy.

[00:11:29] Kaysia Earley: ’cause I was there. I looked at people incarcerated as bad people until it happened to me. I wasn’t bad. I just made a bad choice and I learned from it. So I wanna teach others now as an attorney that just because you’re incarcerated doesn’t mean that you’re guilty. Of course you’re innocent until proven guilty because our great constitution demands it.

[00:11:50] Kaysia Earley: And I teach the jury when they come in and I have to pick you to sit on my trial. I want you to know that my client is not guilty of these charges, and please don’t look at him as such. Give him a fair chance. So it happened through my experience,

[00:12:06] Andrew Nasrinpay: so. The next phase of that

[00:12:08] Kaysia Earley: mm-hmm.

[00:12:09] Andrew Nasrinpay: Was the jailhouse and then the house got god,

[00:12:12] Kaysia Earley: house and then courthouse.

[00:12:13] Andrew Nasrinpay: So can you, can you go into the next phase for us?

[00:12:16] Kaysia Earley: Sure. So years later, um, after I graduated and, and was sworn into the bar, I wanted to give back. I was represented by a court appointed attorney. So I started off as a court appointed attorney. I did that because I wanted to represent. The least of those.

[00:12:32] Kaysia Earley: And I wanted to give them a chance at representation that was stellar to none. And so what I did from day one as a public defender, I made sure when I went to trial that the jury thought that I was a private attorney and I, I treated my client as such because sometimes you’re punished just for being poor.

[00:12:50] Kaysia Earley: And it was like redemption too. ’cause I felt like I was the equalizer. I wanted to redeem what I went through. On behalf of my new clients. So that was, you know, a great experience being a public defender and then ultimately transition into opening my own law firm.

[00:13:06] Andrew Nasrinpay: When you were a public defender mm-hmm.

[00:13:08] Andrew Nasrinpay: How many cases did you have on you at any given time?

[00:13:12] Kaysia Earley: Oh my, these are such great questions. I’m gonna tell you why. ’cause this is what people don’t know. So on my first day. I started on a Thursday, never forget, and my supervisor put down 220 manila folders.

[00:13:26] Andrew Nasrinpay: Oh, wow.

[00:13:26] Kaysia Earley: These were 220 clients. Now, let me put that in perspective.

[00:13:30] Kaysia Earley: As a private attorney now, I have maybe 30 clients, so can you imagine I have more time to spend on my 30 clients versus 220, and I actually had to go to trial that following Monday.

[00:13:42] Andrew Nasrinpay: Yep. I don’t think most people realize how many cases a public defender has at any given time. And when you do the math on it.

[00:13:51] Andrew Nasrinpay: It’s a crazy number where you only have something like 12 minutes to dedicate to a case. Exactly. And it, it’s just wild.

[00:13:57] Kaysia Earley: We’re overworked, underpaid, and unfortunately it’s at the, the expense of our clients. And I didn’t wanna do that. So I was in the juvenile division for eight months. I started off at two 20.

[00:14:09] Kaysia Earley: When I left, eight months later, I got the load down to 80. I tried every case. To this day, and this is a record, judge Rebolo, shout out to you. He’s retiring by the way. Um, I hold the record for the most cases. Tried within an eight month span in his courtroom because, and here’s a little joke that I’ll share with you all.

[00:14:28] Kaysia Earley: Um, when my supervisor gave me the files, he never said I didn’t have to try every case. So I’m trying every case. And after like the 56th trial, he said, Mr. Early, you know, you don’t have to try every case. You can plead ’em out. Thanks for telling me after trial 56, but by that time I, I was already on a groove, so I, I do this now, even as a private attorney, I’ve tried over a hundred trials in less than eight years.

[00:14:50] Andrew Nasrinpay: Do you think that if public defenders did more trials than take the plea deals, it’s gonna end up being a better situation for most of the clients?

[00:15:01] Kaysia Earley: Of course. Most of my trials were dismissed on the day of trial because the. Uh, prosecution calls your bluff. I knew my case is better than a prosecutor. So there were times that I had 10 cases set for trial, and the prosecutor’s like, well, how can you be ready?

[00:15:15] Kaysia Earley: Well, how can you be ready? ’cause you’re on the same case. You, you have to be in a mind frame to work your case. Take a deposition, investigate your case, especially if there’s no evidence other than he said, she said, um, I’ve seen great public defenders, but I’ve seen the ones that. Just took pleas. It’s not right.

[00:15:37] Kaysia Earley: And so hopefully we can change the system, but I do believe that after a while indigent clients get tired of waiting and they just plea out.

[00:15:47] Andrew Nasrinpay: What percentage of cases do you think public defenders take to trial?

[00:15:51] Kaysia Earley: Very low. I can’t put a percentage per se, but I will say not often. It’s, it’s very low.

[00:16:00] Kaysia Earley: Because the resources aren’t there, it’s, it’s a known fact all across the country. The resources are just not there.

[00:16:07] Andrew Nasrinpay: So you went from having 250 cases put on your desk, day one to starting your own practice. What did that transition look like and how’d you make those choices?

[00:16:20] Kaysia Earley: It was scary because I, I really, my goal was to work at the public defender’s office, try my first murder case, and then start my own law firm once I had a Rolodex of, of clients.

[00:16:30] Kaysia Earley: It didn’t happen that way. I actually left within 14 months because. I felt that certain things that I saw in the office I didn’t align with, with my morals and my character, and I left without clients. And this was very scary for me because at this time I have four children and I’m a wife, and I went from a salary to nothing.

[00:16:52] Kaysia Earley: And I really had to, again, step out on faith, but also trust in that I, I can do this. So I left on March 31st, and lo and behold, I gave all of my clients my cell number. I get a phone call on April Fool’s Day. He’s like, Ms. Early, I’m just calling about my case. I’m like, I’m sorry I no longer work there. He said, I don’t care.

[00:17:11] Kaysia Earley: I’ll pay you. And that’s how early law firms started. I had to incorporate the firm before I took his money. And from that point on, it was word of mouth. I don’t advertise for my criminal cases. What happens is usually after my client gets out of jail, he’s packing up, Hey, you’re getting outta jail. Who’s your lawyer?

[00:17:31] Kaysia Earley: So your reputation should proceed. You. Your focus should not never be money. ’cause if you’re money driven, you won’t work on your case. You’ll get the money, you’ll let the person sit. My focus has always been. Rights first constitutional rights preserved, and the money will always follow.

[00:17:49] Andrew Nasrinpay: First off, what year did you open your practice?

[00:17:52] Kaysia Earley: I opened my practice, uh, April, first of New Year’s Day. Um, I mean April Fool’s Day in 2016. So this will be my 10th.

[00:18:00] Andrew Nasrinpay: Okay.

[00:18:01] Kaysia Earley: Ooh, 10th year anniversary. Oh.

[00:18:06] Andrew Nasrinpay: I

[00:18:07] Kaysia Earley: just got that.

[00:18:08] Andrew Nasrinpay: Is there any advice you would give to attorneys who are just starting their firm that you would’ve never expected?

[00:18:15] Kaysia Earley: Mm. Well if you are starting as a solo practice, when I was in law school, it was embedded in me.

[00:18:21] Kaysia Earley: You eat what you kill, right? So I knew that from day one I gotta get these clients, but I didn’t wanna sell myself. I wanted to educate my community. So what I did was I came up with these cards of your constitutional rights. They’re called trap cards, and they were your fourth Amendment, fifth Amendment, and sixth Amendment Constitutional right?

[00:18:40] Kaysia Earley: So I would just go around to schools. Um, gels and just educate people. Of course, my number would be on there and I got calls, but it was really going to the community and letting them see what an attorney looks like and giving back. So my advice is. Be that attorney that gives back that, um, pays it forward as opposed to just always focusing on your bottom line, your bottom number, and your retainer fees.

[00:19:07] Kaysia Earley: So that definitely, uh, helped. But also your reputation, right? I never, I lived in the community that I served, so I shop at the stores. I didn’t wanna be in a grocery store and my client sees me. I’m like, yo, that’s the lawyer that, you know, I didn’t want that. So every time I run into my client I’m always embracing them ’cause I know I did a good job.

[00:19:28] Kaysia Earley: So it’s, it’s, it’s great to just lead with honesty, integrity, and everything else will follow.

[00:19:35] Andrew Nasrinpay: Yep. I think you pointed something out where a lot of big personal injury lawyers who advertise on tv mm-hmm. Radio and billboards, they’re like pretty much celebrities in their local market. Yeah. Because oftentimes they will be.

[00:19:49] Andrew Nasrinpay: The largest advertiser in that market.

[00:19:51] Kaysia Earley: Yes.

[00:19:51] Andrew Nasrinpay: Have you dealt with any of that so far where you get recognized in public by people you have no idea who they are?

[00:19:58] Kaysia Earley: Well, not from. Advertisement. ’cause I don’t do a lot of advertisement because again, I’m in the community. But I ran for Judge two years ago, three years ago.

[00:20:08] Kaysia Earley: And so I would, you know, be in a supermarket. And I didn’t realize that when people see billboards, they equate that with a celebrity status. To me, I’m just a regular mom. Right. And there, there would be times that people say, I voted for you. It’s like, oh, oh, okay. That was two years ago. But, okay, so I, I get that.

[00:20:25] Kaysia Earley: But again. Even when I’m in politics, I don’t wanna just pop up during the political frame. I wanna be in the community. So if I do run for office, they’ll remember me from being in the community. But I get that sometimes.

[00:20:39] Tara Lee: So talking about being the community and giving back. Mm-hmm. Um, tell us a little bit more about the nonprofit that you started.

[00:20:44] Kaysia Earley: I’m excited. So I incorporated Seeds of Manna, and Manna is the, the food that came from Heaven and fed the children of Israel. So I called it Seeds of Manna. Because I saw a need in Jamaica. So my parents, uh, my father’s from Jamaica and I will often travel to Jamaica and I would go on the less beaten path, right?

[00:21:07] Kaysia Earley: And I would go into the community and I would realize, Hey, you don’t have running water, or, you know, you only have one pair of shoes, so you play barefoot because those shoes are for school. So my husband and I, we got back home one day, and this is before the nonprofit started. We would just fill up a barrel with food and ship it over.

[00:21:24] Kaysia Earley: So one barrel turned into two and we would just use our own money. And it went from using our own money to using the firm’s money. And then I said, well, I have to find a way. To do this and keep it going. And I incorporated seas of manna and we not only, um, give non-perishable food, gently used clothing, shoes, cleats are very important ’cause they love their soccer.

[00:21:46] Kaysia Earley: Yep. Um, I’m realizing that basketball is important too. So this is near and dear to my heart. And then. A portion of the proceeds for my book will benefit seeds of manna, and I’ll actually be there. I go there every couple of months to ensure that not only are the donations given to those, uh, in the right hands, but I also teach the girls.

[00:22:08] Kaysia Earley: That no matter where you’re at, if you’re in a rural part of the country that you can excel, your mind can take you places your body can’t go and read and it’s fundamental. So I just try to instill tho that into the girls and, um, the community. So I’m, I’m excited about that.

[00:22:23] Tara Lee: That’s incredible. Well, um.

[00:22:26] Tara Lee: Tell us, uh, our listeners where they can purchase your book.

[00:22:30] Kaysia Earley: Absolutely. So the book Houses Built by Faith, it’s available on all outlets, Barnes and Noble. Uh, amazon, um, dot com. And it’s also available directly on my website, k early.com. If you purchase it through the website, it’ll be assigned autograph, copy, and comes with a bookmark.

[00:22:47] Kaysia Earley: But I, this is a story of. Faith, redemption, and a testament that no matter what occurs in your life, because we’re all experienced trials and tribulations and heartbreaks, as long as you persevere, you can make it so.

[00:23:04] Tara Lee: I’m sure you know, being an attorney is not easy. Right. And I know of a lot of attorneys that have gone through some struggles that they, um, probably wanna keep that private.

[00:23:12] Tara Lee: Yeah. But you’ve just really put it all out there and in a really positive way. Um, so what advice would you give to someone that might feel shame or feel like, um, you know, their mistake, that they can’t get past that? Just how to, how to overcome that?

[00:23:27] Kaysia Earley: You make a good point about kind of airing my dirty laundry, right.

[00:23:31] Kaysia Earley: Uh, but. Once I told my family it was already out there, so I continued to tell girls I’m a mentor for Women of tomorrow. I mentor girls on a daily basis and a monthly basis. I go to Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. That’s the same school where the infamous school shooting occurred, and I teach the girls that rather.

[00:23:51] Kaysia Earley: Hide away from your downfall or hide from the shame of your past and discretions. Utilize it to encourage others, but be wise on who you tell because we all have a testimony. We all have things that we’re not too happy of what we did. And it’s not to air everything.

[00:24:09] Tara Lee: Sure.

[00:24:09] Kaysia Earley: But sometimes. That one thing can connect with someone.

[00:24:13] Kaysia Earley: So I’ve never been ashamed of my story. Even when I ran for Judge, it was I ran my campaign, not that, Hey, I’m running for judge and this is the next step up the ladder of success. I ran it on, look where I came from. Look what I’ve done for the community, and I’m going to do more even with my past indiscretion.

[00:24:32] Kaysia Earley: So I’m learning that there’s no fa, there’s no shame and there’s no fear because. If I’m afraid to share my weakest points, then I’m only strong when I do share it, because I take back the narrative. This is my story. So if I ever run for politics again, Hey, you went to jail. Yeah. It’s in the book. You know, you gotta flip that thing around.

[00:24:54] Tara Lee: So it’s no shame at all.

[00:24:56] Andrew Nasrinpay: I, I also think for law firms mm-hmm. The brand is a person. Yeah. And if that person is generic. There’s no authenticity to it.

[00:25:06] Kaysia Earley: You said

[00:25:07] Andrew Nasrinpay: it. So authenticity is the brand.

[00:25:10] Kaysia Earley: So he hid it, and here’s why. So I told you I tried over a hundred trials to verdict and when I litigate, I like to talk to the jury.

[00:25:17] Kaysia Earley: Whether it’s not guilty or guilty, most of them have been not guilty, thankfully. But I like to get feedback, right? And so I remember one day, um. I came out of the courtroom and I thought the jury was long gone because I was just talking to my client and it was one of the jurors out. She’s like, Hey, can I talk to you?

[00:25:34] Kaysia Earley: I was like, oh yes, because normally they don’t wanna talk to you. So she waited for me. I was like, okay. So I’m thinking she was going to say, oh, you had a ster, stellar clothes and argument, or You were sharp. She said, baby. Those red lips were absolutely beautiful. What’s the name of that lipstick? I’m like, what?

[00:25:53] Kaysia Earley: But here’s the funny thing about it. No. And, and this is what I wanna bring together because as a female, you’re taught even in law school, gray suit, brown suit, black suit or blue suit, dark colors. Right? And I remember when I first became alone, I’m like, I’m not wearing that because I’m always vibrant.

[00:26:10] Tara Lee: Mm-hmm.

[00:26:10] Kaysia Earley: But um, that morning, I never wore red lipstick before. ’cause I’m like they told you. That’s unprofessional. And I just said, you know, I’m wearing it. And it was a statement. So for the juror to find my client not guilty, and I wore the lipstick, it showed empowerment in my decisions because it was still professional.

[00:26:29] Kaysia Earley: And I always tell that story because. It’s the brand, like you said, you’re selling your, your brand and is your brand authentic? Right? And they felt that authenticity in me when I was pleading that my client is not guilty and here’s why with the red lipstick on.

[00:26:47] Tara Lee: I love that.

[00:26:48] Kaysia Earley: So that’s a good point that you made, Andrew.

[00:26:51] Tara Lee: Thank you so much for your time. This was incredible to hear your journey in person. Your spirit is incredible. Um, and I hope, um, it touches a lot of people like it did for me. Um, so tell our listeners where they can, um, find out more about, uh, your, your practice.

[00:27:07] Kaysia Earley: Absolutely. So Casey, early on behalf of early law firm, for more information, you can visit me at KAYSIA Earley E-A-R-L-E-Y on social media. Same thing, Kaysia Earley. I’m excited to be here, and it was a pleasure just to share my story and my passion for the law and the community. So thank you.

[00:27:27] Bobby Steinbach: We hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Hot Docket. We’re your hosts, Bobby and Andrew, founders of MeanPug, the marketing agency for ambitious law firms.

[00:27:35] Andrew Nasrinpay: Have questions about marketing or anything we covered today? Email us at bark@meanpug.com. Be sure to subscribe to learn more. Until next time.