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EP076: TikTok Sensation – Attorney Kevin Kennedy – Live from The National Trial Lawyers Summit – NTL Miami

Today’s episode is one for the record books! The famous Tennessee Attorney and TikTok personality, Kevin C. Kennedy, joins Jay Berkowitz, podcast host and founder of Ten Golden Rules, live from the 2024 National Trial Lawyers Summit in Miami, Florida. Kevin has countless stories and lessons for you in this episode, and he shares the secrets to his multi-million viewer breakout TikTok popularity. Discover Kevin’s winning strategies to market your law firm on social media, how to build personal branding for your law firm, and his philosophy on success in the legal industry with an emphasis on community and the importance of outworking and outtalking your competitors. Tune in now!

Timestamps:

Mentioned Resources:

About Kevin Kennedy:

Kevin is a Personal Injury, Criminal, and Divorce attorney in Clarksville, Tennessee and TV personality starring in Ask the Attorney for 18 years, and The Teva & Kevin Show for 10. He teaches lessons to business professionals, bankers, professors and the like at Sunday School, where he encourages connection and community. After building the largest private courtroom in the state of Tennessee, Kevin has hosted 26,000 students for mock trials, giving them the opportunity to participate and get a taste for what it’s like to be in trial. Kevin shares legal advice on TikTok, where he has over 1 million followers!

About Jay Berkowitz:

Jay Berkowitz is a digital marketing strategist with decades of experience in the industry. As the CEO of Ten Golden Rules, he has helped countless law firms and businesses harness the power of the internet to achieve remarkable growth and visibility. Jay is also a renowned keynote speaker and author, sharing his expertise at various industry events and in publications worldwide.

About the Ten Golden Rules Internet Marketing for Law Firms Podcast

Join host Jay Berkowitz on an innovative journey through the world of digital marketing for the legal industry. With his expertise and passion, and world-class guests, Jay empowers legal professionals to thrive in the digital age. Explore topics like Search Engine Optimization, Google advertising, Artificial intelligence, intake strategies, content marketing, and other law firm growth strategies. Jay’s practical advice and industry expertise equip legal professionals to navigate the online world. This podcast is your invaluable resource for unlocking your law firm’s full potential. Get ready for an extraordinary adventure with Jay Berkowitz as your guide in the ever-changing realm of internet marketing for law firms. Your success story begins here!

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Transcript
Unknown:

Welcome to the 10 Golden Rules of internet marketing for law firms podcast, featuring the latest strategies and techniques to drive traffic to your website and convert that traffic into clients. Now, here's the founder and CEO of 10 golden rules, Jay Berkowitz.

Jay Berkowitz:

Well, good morning, good afternoon. Good evening. Whatever time this podcast finds you. Welcome to the 10 Golden Rules of internet marketing podcast, recording live and National Trial Lawyers with the famous Kevin Kennedy Kevin, welcome to Ten Golden Rules

Kevin Kennedy:

Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be with you today. It's really exciting. We're here at the National Trial Lawyers Summit. And the best lawyers from all over the world are in Miami, Florida for this week's training and exploration share in

Jay Berkowitz:

one with another. Have you had a little bit of fun too?

Kevin Kennedy:

Welll its been a lot of fun. And tonight, we'll even be more fun than ever. They'll put on a spectacular dance and one of the Lars will have to break them out with a few Tennessee moves. And we'll show him how it's really done down south. But last night, we were at the Golden gavel awards. And we were able to wing it congratulate public relations and works. The Golden gavel has been a lifelong dream, one one last year for the best social media. And this year, the best public relations. It gets me chill bumps. It's surreal to be here and being sharing with you today.

Jay Berkowitz:

We were the sponsor the golden gavel awards that they asked us, you know, we had to sponsor something here at the conference. Yeah, as a vendor. And I said the golden gavel awards 10 golden rules. It was actually that was very special in your award actually was for a PR program where you're developing young lawyers and high school students. Tell us a little bit about that group.

Kevin Kennedy:s. I've been doing that since:Jay Berkowitz:

and you've hired some of these interns, right. I have to be

Kevin Kennedy:

Yeah, they say I know what you do. And champ everybody's trying to figure me out. They say you're spending all this money, but all those families are really committed to us. And so you know, one of my sayings is, you get one, you get one member of the family, you got the whole family. And it goes back to that father verse, you're going to reap what you sow. So he who sews plenty slip. That's give yourself give your time, give your talent, give your resources, hey, he reaps when his sleep. And all those things with Kevin, really what you do is you'll walk in commercial, and you're creating walking commercials. I said y'all saw it, he figured it out. I didn't realize that. But that is the tournament. So we'd love having him. And it's really, it's inspiring, you know how we could get energy one from another. We kind of call it free. Hey, don't wait. So we go to the schools they invite we have a learning process we interview and we won't the cream of the crop will invest in. And believe me, I guarantee you

Jay Berkowitz:

always so you have to be selected to come to this. That's right, one week. What does it do for you in the community? And well, how does it benefit you? In other way

Kevin Kennedy:

know, now that we have social media, all of them one part of that used to try to come up with commercials for the Kennedy law firm. And so they will create those commercials, and we play him at our last lunch and we get to share and they're really funny. And so

Jay Berkowitz:

you it's them social media, which they did on social media in the real

Kevin Kennedy:

world is they're teaching me I'll give him some creativity and turn them loose. And then some of them are really wild. They're really funny and entertaining. So we have a good time. Hey, really what you're doing you're you're bringing in some new thoughts. You bring in some new ideas into the ball. And quite frankly, I do always try to hire the best. Hire the best. trying the best. You're going to get the best

Jay Berkowitz:

out of it. And where's your firm based and you mostly PII or what else do you do?

Kevin Kennedy:

Where the Kennedy law firm? We're in Clarksville, Tennessee. We do personal injury, criminal divorce. I have a full service law firm, three locations. And we've been in business 40 years. Don't say it. Don't say 40. Because I don't look that Oh, but in fact, we've been doing TV, I do ask the attorney, a television show out of Nashville. I've been doing that for 18 years. And, you know, social media. It really trained me all these years to be a talker. And so I'm gonna give a little bit of one of my secrets. Are you ready for a secret? Yada pay me for this secret? Bring it out to all the young lawyers if they really want to know? How did you do it? I want 11 jury trials, bro. That was up to me. Ron, gonna say. So here's what we do. I teach you to go to church, I teach you to go to Sunday School. I teach you to get a Sunday school class. And then you start to, you know, the world wants to have leadership, then breakout and you become the leader. I've taught Sunday school for 35 years. I hope you're listening. So every Sunday school, we prepare a lesson. We connect with our class. I have a lot of professionals, bankers, professors. In my ear. He's in my Sunday school class. And with that, I'm connecting, but most importantly, I'm teaching then the clothes while you take me to the jury. What am I doing? I'm preparing. I'm talking. I'm connecting. I'm teaching and Oh, yes. Having Kennedy's going to close.

Jay Berkowitz:

And you always do this on a very subtle way. Never any plastic clothes. So but no sizzle to Kevin Kennedy. You know,

Kevin Kennedy:

that's what they always said. They said, Kevin, you're just like Western super steak. Yes. I said, Well, what do you mean? They said, you sell the sizzle, not the steak. So I tell my people quite often, I say, y'all know, there's a lot of lawyers and a lot of love for it. Why would they hire the Kennedy law? Because that's the only place they can get Kevin Kennedy and his team, hey, and pigs can train pushed and promoted. And people don't really want to have a strong work ethic. I can never take you do break all the records. But if you will buy into the philosophy that no one will outwork us, no one will out talk to us. And no one will outspend us if we're in it to win it. And that's really who we are. And if you don't like that philosophy, then you probably need to go work for another law firm.

Jay Berkowitz:s of:Kevin Kennedy:

you know, a hire these girls that come through the internship, I hired a young lady. She's 18 years old. She doesn't have a college education. But here's Kevin Kennedy. Anybody can qualify for my team. If they're going to put success number one, they want to learn they want to go to get on the team, because we're going let's get on my bus. So she's on my bus and she said camp. You are so charismatic. You need to do it. Tick tock. Well, she saw me pretty quick. I didn't know what tick tock look. So we hit it. And then it took off. Now my son, both my sons are doctors, and one is academic genius. Never made a beat graduated number one in the medical school. And he said, Dad, you're blowing up all over the internet. And he said, I said, Well, what do you say he is he's really academic. I'm not that academic. But he said that. It's got to be the rains. It's the rains. And I said, Oh, thanks. So he's going to do social media. And I said, well put the rings on. Let's just see what it does. So he put but he didn't catch. He didn't catch Grail. I said, Son, it was more than that. But the lesson I want to teach on the tick tock,

Jay Berkowitz:

he didn't have 35 years practicing every Sunday, I'm about to

Kevin Kennedy:

come out. He knows it.

Jay Berkowitz:

I've told here's the sizzle. Right. And

Kevin Kennedy:

did they say can I want to know your sacred? I said it's real simple. It is no sacred, serving the Lord, you're gonna reap what you sow. And so when we did that, and teaching that's really helped me. So for all those guys that will come along behind me. Do what I teach, and you'll get the same results. So tick tock, it blew my mind. I've never drained. The Yamaha one has about well, maybe in 300 views. I say Jaya, what I said it's a space. What can you get away with

Jay Berkowitz:

it? What's the 12 million views tickets? above

Kevin Kennedy:

it was about a school. And so the kids all across America they love. Where did I hit some home runs with college people, and they see camp. Well, when you got kids, they don't have any money. See? That's how everybody always suits.

Jay Berkowitz:

Glory. Yeah, but it's about is that the one about a? Can a teacher kick you out of class? Yeah, you did good day after class.

Kevin Kennedy:

So anyway, remember, we're preparing for the next generation. When they come up. They only know one lawyer. They only know one law firm. Where are they gonna go? Next? I don't know what to do. I don't know which where to turn when you don't know where to turn, turn to the Kennedy law firm. So we're selling 24 hours a day. So in the Tick Tock world, a little funny, I guess I like humor. I was a great day. And so that's one of the hidden secrets. I want Dancing with the Stars in my hometown. I won dancing with the all star. I

Jay Berkowitz:

mean, you gotta get some music was. Yeah,

Kevin Kennedy:

we got a little rock music. We want a little Michael Jackson. Okay, no, that would be really good. 10 minutes. Yeah. So anyway, the Tick Tock really blew my mind. I didn't know that it was going to take off like you do. And so why did

Jay Berkowitz:

he end up with the TIC TOCs on Instagram? Facebook? Well, this is the heart of it still. The

Kevin Kennedy:

heart of it is tick tock. And you know, you can spend your whole life doing all this. My girl she puts together about one a day. And she just really good. She I think got a college education. Do you shoot

Jay Berkowitz:

it every day? Or do you shoot like, I shoot one a day, five or six at a time? Now?

Kevin Kennedy:

I do my once a day? And I'll come in and they had

Jay Berkowitz:

you know, she have an idea for you? Or do you keep her ideas? Well,

Kevin Kennedy:he Kennedy law firm. It's not:Jay Berkowitz:

way successful kids come to learn about what trial is teaching how to go about

Kevin Kennedy:

and the school system actually buses, the children there. And so we put it together and we do a little mock trial. It's entertaining, and it's fun. And I will say this, I had a beautiful assistant one time I said baby, you're gonna be the defendant on a shoplifting case. So we had these fifth graders they're really smart. I'm telling what America's kids are real. Make no mistake about it. And see, I think the day we had that it might have been a group from Fort Campbell. All their daddies. Well, yeah, that's it. Let's put it so anyway, I have the real pretty girl, the defendant, and I was trying to prosecute hurt, and I had one of my large defending her. And we got it and I was wearing her out. You know, we prayed the back so I'm gonna slam it. We got down on that. And this one boy stood up We made a poll the jury found him guilty, not guilty. And then we asked why. So they all go through this one kid. He's into fifth grade, he stood up. Not guilty. I said, Don't. Why did you not find? He said, She's too pretty to go to jail. I said, that's my way ain't putting all those pretty girls in jail, in that, and that's a true story.

Jay Berkowitz:

True story. So he ideas for the TIkTOKs. She gives you some ideas. Yeah. Now Scriptum? Or do you just yeah, he just go with an idea. And then, and then she added some. That's pretty much it. Words and edits in some pictures and whatnot. Yeah. So what

Kevin Kennedy:

I like to do is when I come in with these ideas, it's a very sophisticated, thank you. You may think, oh, he just gets on there and acts silly sometimes. But it is sophisticated, deep. Thank you. I

Jay Berkowitz:

think it resolves to something legal, right? Yes.

Kevin Kennedy:

And you can't move and billions of people on a consistent basis. You know, John F. Kennedy said, you can trick people, all the people some of the time, some of the people all the time, but you can't trick all the people all the time. Well said, because you can. America is really, really smart. What the Tick Tock does, we can throw out some ideas. But there's usually some hidden job subliminal and camp, I work in the subliminal. And I go in and make that eye contact and you say, how'd you win all those jury trials, I would connect with the jurors, I'd walk in a little swag or a little desk and make eye contact. And if there was people that didn't want to connect with me, then I had to challenge them, because I could see it in their eyes and the great F lee Bailey That's why we love this meeting. Now. F lee Bailey, he's the one that defended OJ Simpson, we got to me, and a few months, I said, Tell me something I can take back and teach my lawyers. I'm a teacher by heart. And he said, Kevin, you look him in the eye. You look him dead. And you'll always find the truth in their eyes. I've had teachers tell me to take a kid, you pull them around, and you look them day and night. And you tell daddy, did you come home at this time? Because psychologists say that you can't tell the truth without looking one way or the other objection. They say while we have taught cross examination, you can't tell the same lie twice. The same way. That's why lawyers elaborately ask the question, then we ask you again a different way. And we asked you to get a different way. Did we get what's known as the inconsistent state. And then that's when Kevin Kim that comes on host. So

Jay Berkowitz:

if you could start all over again, and you're given advice to a young lawyer, yep. Here's the best, big firm Watch out earning a P I pray, God, here it comes. Here

Kevin Kennedy:

you are, I would tell him to do what I did. I would tell him to get into church, I would tell him to start listening to synagogue, synagogue, Sunday school as a man praise the Lord brother. So you know, we're all saying God, so anybody, and then I would use that technique, and you're talking every week, you perfect your skill of persuasion. Now, a lot of people don't know this. When I was working through my way through the law school. I was actually a car salesman, hello coming in. And I held the

Jay Berkowitz:

records as a call me wouldn't believe that.

Kevin Kennedy:

I held the records for car sell more cars in a week than anybody in the city. I sell more cars in a month than anybody in the city. And then here it is. I got to be a lawyer. And they call just a KF. They broke your record five years after I'm out. I said no. I said who did it? It's good. It's good. The man I trained broke my record, Mr. Champion where you tore up I said, heck no, I was proud of and I need to my lawyers. I've had some of my lawyers break my record. They said no, yes, they did. They made more money earlier in their careers than I made in my career. Well, they said Kevin, how do you do? I said, Because I trained them and they were at the right place at the right time. Does it hurt my feelings when somebody breaks and Kevin Kennedy record? Now I love Elvis Presley is my hero. I even broke a few of Elvis Presley's records and if you didn't know this, Elvis always

Jay Berkowitz:

tell us what Hills Presley records did you bring please Here

Kevin Kennedy:

we go. I'm ashamed to tell it stopped me Don't let number

Jay Berkowitz:

one records No no no records. Herodias biggest crowds my

Kevin Kennedy:

diamond bracelet is actually bigger than Elvis Presley is there you go. Add more diamonds. To truth. Now Elvis had two farms say praise the Lord for his Riceland in the circle G A kid had five Elvis had two Rolls Royce man bad to the bone. But Kevin Kennedy had three. Elvis had two Ferraris. He was tough. He was good but Kevin Kennedy had three and Elvis and I you know we both love horses and his height. He had 14 Horses say praise the Lord praise looks like champion Candy had 108 So anytime you can break it out, Elvis is my hero. I built my home after Grayson. I love him. We still talk about it. Me and him were out of Tennessee. And we were both dancers that were singers but he beat me off singing I came. But you know Elvis have always wondered

Jay Berkowitz:

what do you think are the

Kevin Kennedy:

tender love be true? Not bad. And I did some MCs or legendary and in my audience one night was Elvis Presley's drummer. Thanks. I said ringing backstage I got to do. I said I want to play with drums while so he said I don't have any drums. I had an assistant male with me that night. I said take that trash can turn it upside down. I said sit out there it started. We had a piano flick. So I sang with Elvis his drummer. I'm doing a TV show in Nashville. They bring Nick Bruno with I said keyup. He's Elvis Presley's piano player. He lived his grace and seven years. I said you to the piano when now. And we love that. I love that last thing about your personality. You know, obviously dress for success. Well, I gotta say eautiful jackets and keys are nice. It's like the story on the ships. Well, listen to this, you're going to have to stand out. Are you going to miss out? If you go the court? There's 25 lawyers blue suits, white shirts, neck and black shoes. Aren't you going to separate yourself from the crowd? Elvis was confronted with the same. So Elvis learned from Liberace to have a little glitters. And Elvis inspired Michael Jackson with his glitter. And all three of them takes, I guess, motivated me to go to the glitter, you're going to have to stand out. You got to separate yourself. Well, no one's going to know how to do business with you unless they know who you are. Now, what am I other secrets? Don't I can't tell this on here. All the people everybody's gonna hear.

Jay Berkowitz:

But it's just a small little YouTube channel, Dory.

Kevin Kennedy:

So don't worry. You know, every time I see a little YouTube channel, I look down there and these guys have chopped me up and put me in all these tech talks. They were getting all these blogs. I don't even remember that. But anyway, on my jackets, I go to a big high society. Major high society. blacktop Viet, the Nashville, only the biggest of the biggest. They all wear black. And that's it. Well, Kev, can you break out? So I have a coat May. It's bad glitter. I asked my girls should I wear it because you know, these rich high society people will probably dogged me out. Yeah. And I said, Well, this is what I'll do. I put it all I'll go to the reception. It's not too much, then I'll wear it to the ball. And one of my girls, they work on me. They worked on the girls work on me. They said Kev, you're the one that told us you go big. You go home. Man. She inspired me with my own words. So I got my white coat with all the gold glitter. I got to the reception. And I did not even take the black coat. It's all in. And that's a whole lot of my work I get

Jay Berkowitz:

everybody probably loved it and came up to you. And if you wanted yesterday at this thing, that's when

Kevin Kennedy:

I got in there. It was all good. In fact, in Nashville, Tennessee, and I was writing an article about it. Their big centerfold photo was yours truly in the glitter, and never backed up.

Jay Berkowitz:

The last questions we asked on the podcast, yeah. Any technology any apps you love? I mean, obviously tick tock. But any anything for your own personal productivity like these days? Well,

Kevin Kennedy:

you know, the truth is, I'm kind of old school, but the whole world loves technology. My generation loves to Facebook. The generation below me tick tock is the killer. I was at the National rodeo. We're in the horse business too. I mean, there's nothing that reaches the educators that reaches the university that reaches the academics and reaches the rodeo crowd, like tick tock. So it's open shot, it's a slam dunk, go to it. It's unbelievable.

Jay Berkowitz:

business books, what are the go to see if you recommend the business book to read?

Kevin Kennedy:

Well, you know, I'd always read all the books Kevin Kennedy wrote many books did you write? I wrote six. My first one was how to make money with Tennessee Walker and Greg and book. I told my wife and I was trading them for horses and 89. That's how large became famous write a book. So and I tried them for saddles, but I did say well Good day, they'll bring some money. So in oh seven, I wrote the book and at 907 Lady calm, she paid $355 for one of my books on Amazon, they were all sold out. And I remember telling Ron, I told him one day that breaks. So if you ever see any of my books, I submit to you. I didn't say they'll happen right away. But I did say it'll happen, that those books will be worth big, big money. So get them. And the better condition you keep them in, the more valuable they'll be wait to see. And that lady told me that she said, I've got one that's autographed. All my good. And here's the last kicker. If you ever get one of my books, try to look and see if it's got calves got you covered. Because that's gonna make you really bad.

Jay Berkowitz:

Who do you follow on Tiktok, webinars, podcasts, YouTube, and anyone you love? Well,

Kevin Kennedy:

I really love Kevin Kennedy. And I spend, by the time I do my TV, I did 10 years of the treatment Kevin show out of Nashville. I just went on that come down. We did contribute singers. We did gospel music singers talk show. I love that show. And then I do ask the attorney out of Nashville now to call in show been doing that for 10 years. And I've got a pause ratings there. So they're gonna say, Kev, what about the others? And I love the national trial long. This is my moment of really regroup and firing up, get the eyes. Yes. And then let me go. I'll go back. When I get back. We go to call a mandatory meeting of all the lawyers and support staff of the Kennedy law firm. I will hear some excuses. But I said mandatory because I got something good. And the truth is, I don't want to tell them to reach down to them. I want to tell them so that their families will benefit. If they can have vacations and new cars, they can get big homes. It's all we're in America, nowhere in the world gives us the opportunity. Really, I did live the American dream. My dad was a barber. And that people find that hard to believe. And I actually went to law school without 25 cents in my pocket. So when you see me now I say praise the look. It may be one of the reasons I'll do like the diamond rings because they weren't realistic in those days. Yeah, so you're trying to enjoy the benefit today. It's great.

Jay Berkowitz:

Last question. You like this one too? Where can people find Kevin Kennedy?

Kevin Kennedy:

Well, first off, go to Kennedy law firm, tiktok. You look start following anytime you see what hit that like button, we like to see it the girls. I always tell him one of my girls down and she gets a little sub every time we hit a me so she's always in every day. Give me Give me your 100 Give me some money. I say come on. Don't y'all love daddy? Can't you just do something? Love and respect? And I'll get one in all the video but there you go. That's it. It's been a pleasure Thanksgiving. Say y'all, I Sunday school. Don't forget it. That's answered prayer to the king. He holds all the riches of the world say you sue. I remember. You'll hear him say, hey, it's got you covered.

Kevin Kennedy:

Awesome. Thanks, Kevin.

Unknown:

Thank you for listening to the 10 Golden Rules of internet marketing for law firms podcast. Please send questions and comments to podcast at 10 Golden rules.com That is podcast at t e n Golden rules.com.