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The story of Amaro Law Firm is one of resilience, transformation, and visionary leadership. When early success started to fizzle, James Amaro partnered with Crisp to rebuild his firm into a thriving, high-performing organization. His journey exemplifies how challenges can ignite innovation, ultimately creating a firm that stands out and delivers lasting value to its clients and community.
Revenue Growth
Firm NameAmaro Law Firm
Practice Area Personal Injury
LocationTexas
How Crisp Helped Crisp Coach Crisp Legal Brand Video Crisp Social Stack Crisp Streaming Stack Crisp Recruit
Get StartedJames Amaro founded Amaro Law Firm in 2005. James’s mission from day one was to advocate for injured clients and their families. Once a single-room solo practice, the firm quickly became one of Texas’s most recognized personal injury firms. But while his passion was advocacy, the realities of running a business would test James in ways he never imagined.
When a series of stalled settlements left James with thousands of unresolved cases and no revenue coming in, he nearly lost everything he had built. Faced with the collapse of his firm, he had to make a choice that would define his career: accept defeat or fight back. James refused to surrender. Instead, he made a decision that would completely reshape his career trajectory. The transformation that followed didn’t just save his practice — it altered his entire approach to leadership, growth, and building a law firm that could weather any storm.
By partnering with Crisp through Crisp Coach, Crisp Recruit, Crisp Social Stack, and Crisp Streaming Stack, James helped his practice go from survival mode to being a thriving, high-performance organization. Today, Amaro Law Firm is a multi-office powerhouse with more than 80 employees, national recognition, and a culture built on accountability and relentless advocacy.
Tripled Revenue and Transformed Profitability: Amaro Law Firm nearly tripled annual revenue while shifting profit margins from 5% to 34% in a single year, creating long-term financial stability. This shift gave James the financial runway to invest in growth instead of constantly fighting for survival.
Built a High-Performance Team: Through Crisp Recruit and leadership development, James grew the team to more than 80 employees and 11 attorneys, supported by a COO and CMO. With leadership in place, James could focus on high-value cases and strategy rather than daily operations.
Earned National Recognition: The firm was named among the Best Law Firms in Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (2025), and James was honored as one of Houston’s Top 100 Super Lawyers (2020 – 2024). This recognition reinforced the firm’s credibility in the eyes of both clients and peers.
Strengthened Firm Culture Through Accountability: By embracing key performance indicators (KPIs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), and a culture of excellence, Amaro Law Firm transformed from a personality-driven practice into a scalable organization. Accountability systems created consistency and made excellence the expectation across every department.
Renewed Passion and Legacy: James now focuses on catastrophic wrongful death cases and mentoring through “Amaro University,” building a legacy of advocacy and leadership development. This allowed James to return to the cases he cared about most while shaping the next generation of attorneys.
If you’re done playing small, we’re ready to help. Get in touch with us and take the first step towards unlocking your firm’s full potential.
After founding Amaro Law Firm in 2005, James quickly found his stride, securing a seven-figure settlement on his first major case and winning trials that other attorneys wouldn’t even attempt.
“I thought I was the best thing since sliced bread,” James recalls. “My first case was a million-dollar case. This was easy. Why didn’t I do this a long time ago?”
The firm’s success seemed certain. They handled thousands of Hurricane Ike windstorm cases, then pivoted to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill litigation — signing 500 cases per week. With multiple offices across Texas, Alabama, and New Orleans (and nearly 50 employees), James had built what appeared to be a legal empire. Then the settlements got tied up in the appellate court.
“We were sitting on 10,000 cases with no money coming in and payroll of 40-something people every month,” James explains. “It doesn’t take a math genius to figure out how long you have until you run out of money.”
Faced with predatory lending offers at over 20% interest, James made the tough decision to scale down to just six people, laying off nearly 40 employees in what he describes as “the most brutal two days I’ve ever had as a business owner.”
What followed was two years of what James calls “survival mode”. “Every night, I resisted going to bed because I knew I had to wake up and do it again,” he remembers. “Every day sucked. But I embraced the suck for two years until I got out of it.”
His approach was simple: treat every case as if it were worth a million dollars. James threw himself into depositions with an intensity that court reporters warned might provoke physical confrontation. He tried case after case, rebuilding not just his bank account but his reputation.
“I’m a cockroach,” he would tell himself. “Nuclear devastation has occurred, and I’m going to come out of this one way or another.”
When James came to Crisp, his firm was at a crucial turning point. He needed more than just increased revenue. He required a strategy to rebuild his brand, attract high-value cases, and position his firm uniquely in a crowded legal market. Despite his resilience and determination, the tools and strategies James had in place before Crisp were not enough to achieve the growth he envisioned. Crisp Coach helped James transition from survival mode to strategic planning, with quarterly initiatives and consistent accountability systems.
One of James’s biggest challenges was standing out in a competitive market. Crisp worked with him to redefine his firm’s branding and messaging — focusing on amplifying what made his firm unique. Through high-impact video production and a custom-designed digital strategy, James established a bold, differentiating presence that resonated with his target audience and conveyed the value he brought to clients.
With the help of Crisp Coach, James tackled underlying challenges in areas such as firm culture, decision-making, and succession planning. Crisp Recruit brought in crucial leadership hires, including a COO and CMO — allowing James to focus on high-value cases and mentoring. With a clear vision and stronger leadership, James was able to steer his firm toward sustained growth.
The impact of Crisp’s strategies on James’s firm was immediate and measurable. Crisp Social Stack launched a video-first marketing strategy that positioned James as a trusted advocate and attracted higher-value cases. And the implementation of KPIs and SOPs created what James calls a “culture of excellence where excellence became the standard.” With a revitalized brand, Amaro Law Firm saw enhanced visibility, resulting in a thriving caseload and positive client testimonials.
Through Crisp’s high-impact marketing strategies, personalized leadership coaching, and growth-driven solutions, James was able to evolve his firm into a market leader. His story is a testament to how investing in the right strategies and guidance can turn even the toughest challenges into opportunities for transformation and success.
Today’s Amaro Law Firm bears little resemblance to the practice that nearly collapsed a decade ago. James has evolved from writing opening statements in his car to conducting sophisticated focus groups with AI-assisted analysis.
“We do in-house focus groups, third-party vendor focus groups, and mock trials on big cases,” James explains. “We’re using AI to analyze focus group notes, asking what are the top three defenses they focused on, what are the three strongest parts of our claim.”
But the most significant change isn’t technological. It’s cultural. James has built what he calls “non-negotiable core standards” for each department, backed by rigorous KPI tracking and accountability systems.
“Accountability and KPIs changed our margin and our culture,” he emphasizes. “We went from a practice to a business to an organization to a corporation.”
Over the past two years, Amaro Law Firm has seen remarkable growth, with its case inventory doubling and revenue projected to triple compared to three years ago — prior to partnering with Crisp. James attributes this success to the firm’s results-oriented approach and belief that extraordinary effort delivers extraordinary results.
But James’s transformation goes beyond business metrics. He’s launched “Amaro University” to mentor young attorneys and has refocused his practice on catastrophic wrongful death cases — the work that drives him most.
James’s definition of success has evolved, as well. He says, “Being a game changer means being used and useful to others. Success isn’t about survival anymore. It’s about building a lasting impact — for clients, the team, and the legal community at large.”
The folding tables from his conference room are gone, replaced by the infrastructure of a flourishing organization. But James keeps the lessons from those darker days. Every case matters. Resilience beats talent. And sometimes you have to lose everything to build something truly lasting.
For James Amaro, the collapse wasn’t the end of his story. It was the foundation for everything that came after.
If your law firm faces similar challenges, let’s talk. We’ll help you take the first step towards transformational growth.
"Crisp Coach has exceeded all of my expectations. The people that I’ve met there and the things that I’ve learned have gone far beyond anything I would’ve imagined. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made."
Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys
Alexander Shunnarah
"Crisp holds me accountable. I see other successful law firm owners who are just as busy or busier than me finding time to improve their firms which motivates me to push harder."
Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC
David W. Craig
"We needed a scalable marketing source that fit our brand, and Crisp was scalable. Working with a partner that has the same goals and aspirations as you and understands the importance of growth is critical, and Crisp has that."
Berry Law Firm
John S. Berry
"Since partnering with Crisp, our revenue has tripled, our processes have been cemented, and our training and team development have evolved into a state that was once unimaginable."
Amaro Law Firm
James Amaro
"Now we don’t simply talk about a growth mindset — we have ways to evaluate it. We developed a clearer vision that is now communicated to the firm regularly. And we have developed relationships as owners with other successful law firm owners; these relationships have been invaluable."
Chaffin Luhana
Eric Chaffin
"Every aspect of our organization has been impacted through the partnership. I consider Crisp a true partner with a totally shared value system, vision, and commitment to our success."
TorkLaw
Reza Torkzadeh
