Most business partnerships take months of planning. Christina Goldberg and Julie Luhrsen’s came together over a single weekend.
On Episode 88 of Stir, Aginto sat down with the managing partners of Luhrsen Goldberg, a Sarasota-area firm practicing personal injury, family law, and estate planning. The firm marked its 10-year anniversary in June. We talked about how it started, how two very different attorneys make a partnership work, and what it takes to lead a team through a decade of growth.
Here are the highlights.
A Partnership Born in One Weekend
Christina and Julie’s history goes back years. Christina worked at Julie’s former personal injury firm while she was a student at Stetson. About a decade later, Julie was going through a divorce and looking for a new professional home, so she cold called Christina, who hired her into the firm she shared with a former partner.
The two worked side by side on the injury side of that practice. Then, at an out-of-town continuing legal education conference in 2016, everything changed. Christina’s former partner suspected the two were conspiring, and the partnership ended almost instantly.
“I left town with a partnership and I came back with a new one,” Christina said. She credits Julie with picking her up when the floor gave way beneath her. Julie’s message was simple: the two of them had what it took, and they were going to do this together.
Clients on Day One, but No Pipeline
The new firm had one big advantage. When clients were told the old partnership was ending, most said they were staying with their lawyer. Luhrsen Goldberg opened with a real client base.
What it didn’t have was a pipeline. In the old firm, Christina’s former partner handled bringing in new business. Now that job belonged to two attorneys who mainly wanted to practice law.
The first year meant long hours just to keep the lights on and pay the bills. Hitting the three-year mark was a turning point. Along the way, they learned two lessons every founder eventually faces: you can’t be an expert at everything, so trust others with what you’re not built for, and you still have to step out of your shell and be the face of your business.
Yin and Yang, Without the Egos
Christina and Julie describe themselves as opposites. Julie moves in increments along a clear path. She majored in liberal arts, worked as a paralegal, and decided on law school at 23. Christina knew she wanted to be a lawyer around age 12, after watching the O.J. Simpson trial.
Those differences are a strength. Their skills fill in each other’s blanks, and each one reins the other in when she starts going down a rabbit hole. Just as important, neither brings a big ego to the table, which is rare in a profession that often attracts them. Their attitude is “tell me I’m wrong, I want to learn.”
Their team has even learned to use the contrast. When a new call comes in, staff know which partner fits the client. Some clients need Christina’s directness. Others need Julie’s patience and willingness to hold their hand through the process.
Walking Side by Side With Clients
Personal injury and family law clients often arrive during the hardest chapter of their lives. Julie reminds herself that the people in her office aren’t at their best, and that this moment isn’t who they really are.
The firm’s approach is partnership, not instruction. The attorneys walk side by side with clients, make sure they feel heard without judgment, and educate them on what the law and their real choices are. Clients often come in with ideas of what’s “fair” that they’ve picked up from friends or the internet.
That honesty can be heavy. Christina admitted that some custody cases have left her in tears before big hearings, because sometimes she knows how a case will turn out and nothing she does can change it. As they put it, they are counselors at law first, and advocates second.
Boss vs. Leader
Like most growing businesses, personnel has been one of the firm’s ongoing challenges. In a small office of about 10 people, culture fit matters a lot, and it isn’t always easy to tell who will mesh well.
The toughest lesson was learning when to be a leader and when to be the boss. Grant one employee a special privilege for a specific reason, and soon others are asking, “What about me?” Both partners said learning to switch between those two roles was incredibly difficult.
It resonated with us at Aginto. Our policies have evolved the same way. When a team member recently welcomed a new baby, we had never needed a paternity leave policy before. We had to figure out what was fair for him while setting the right precedent for everyone. Structure, as with raising kids, isn’t always what people want, but it’s what a business needs to grow.
AI and the Law: Trust, but Verify
Ten years in, the legal industry is still changing, and AI is speeding that up. Julie sees constant change as healthy, since a stagnant firm is one that struggles.
She also offered a warning. People turn to AI for legal advice all the time, and judges and big law firms have been caught citing case law that doesn’t exist. She has even had people come to consultations with divorce agreements already drafted by AI.
The group agreed that AI can be fine for a simple question, like whether you can trim a neighbor’s overhanging branches. For a divorce, an injury claim, or a will, you want a real attorney. Christina added that younger and older generations alike can struggle to tell what’s real online. The best rule is trust, but verify.
Routines, Roller Skates, and a Little Fun
Their routines are as different as their personalities. Christina plans her mornings the night before, laying out her clothes because a rushed start makes the whole day feel frazzled, and she loves having a gym at home. Julie, an Army veteran, works out after the workday and needs to go to an actual gym, since home equipment tends to become a towel rack. Both agreed on the value of time that has nothing to do with work, whether that’s an hour on the patio or a quiet morning.
The episode had plenty of lighter moments too:
- Christina’s first job was as a skate guard at Stardust, a local roller rink, and she once
skated in roller derby - Her first big purchase was a used Mazda Protégé, paid for with savings she started at 14
- Julie was a day camp counselor who practiced ski jumps on roller skates
- For dinner with anyone, dead or alive, Christina picked Elon Musk and Julie picked Eleanor Roosevelt
- The pair once hosted their own podcast, That’s What She Pled
What Business Owners Can Take Away
- Christina and Julie’s story is a reminder that opportunity doesn’t always arrive on your schedule. A few lessons stand out:
- Partner with someone who complements you. Different strengths, shared values, and
small egos make a partnership last. - Build your pipeline early. A loyal client base gets you started, but growth depends on
new business. - Know when to lead and when to be the boss. Every exception sets a precedent.
- Make sure clients feel heard. Understanding the problem is only half the job. They have
to know you understand it.
Watch the full conversation with Christina Goldberg and Julie Luhrsen on Episode 88 of Stir,
now on the Aginto YouTube channel.
Stir is Aginto’s podcast featuring entrepreneurs, community leaders, and business owners sharing the real stories behind their success. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Learn more about Luhrsen Goldberg: HERE
Most business partnerships take months of planning. Christina Goldberg and Julie Luhrsen’s came together over a single weekend.
On Episode 88 of Stir, Aginto sat down with the managing partners of Luhrsen Goldberg, a Sarasota-area firm practicing personal injury, family law, and estate planning. The firm marked its 10-year anniversary in June. We talked about how it started, how two very different attorneys make a partnership work, and what it takes to lead a team through a decade of growth.
Here are the highlights.
A Partnership Born in One Weekend
Christina and Julie’s history goes back years. Christina worked at Julie’s former personal injury firm while she was a student at Stetson. About a decade later, Julie was going through a divorce and looking for a new professional home, so she cold called Christina, who hired her into the firm she shared with a former partner.
The two worked side by side on the injury side of that practice. Then, at an out-of-town continuing legal education conference in 2016, everything changed. Christina’s former partner suspected the two were conspiring, and the partnership ended almost instantly.
“I left town with a partnership and I came back with a new one,” Christina said. She credits Julie with picking her up when the floor gave way beneath her. Julie’s message was simple: the two of them had what it took, and they were going to do this together.
Clients on Day One, but No Pipeline
The new firm had one big advantage. When clients were told the old partnership was ending, most said they were staying with their lawyer. Luhrsen Goldberg opened with a real client base.
What it didn’t have was a pipeline. In the old firm, Christina’s former partner handled bringing in new business. Now that job belonged to two attorneys who mainly wanted to practice law.
The first year meant long hours just to keep the lights on and pay the bills. Hitting the three-year mark was a turning point. Along the way, they learned two lessons every founder eventually faces: you can’t be an expert at everything, so trust others with what you’re not built for, and you still have to step out of your shell and be the face of your business.
Yin and Yang, Without the Egos
Christina and Julie describe themselves as opposites. Julie moves in increments along a clear path. She majored in liberal arts, worked as a paralegal, and decided on law school at 23. Christina knew she wanted to be a lawyer around age 12, after watching the O.J. Simpson trial.
Those differences are a strength. Their skills fill in each other’s blanks, and each one reins the other in when she starts going down a rabbit hole. Just as important, neither brings a big ego to the table, which is rare in a profession that often attracts them. Their attitude is “tell me I’m wrong, I want to learn.”
Their team has even learned to use the contrast. When a new call comes in, staff know which partner fits the client. Some clients need Christina’s directness. Others need Julie’s patience and willingness to hold their hand through the process.
Walking Side by Side With Clients
Personal injury and family law clients often arrive during the hardest chapter of their lives. Julie reminds herself that the people in her office aren’t at their best, and that this moment isn’t who they really are.
The firm’s approach is partnership, not instruction. The attorneys walk side by side with clients, make sure they feel heard without judgment, and educate them on what the law and their real choices are. Clients often come in with ideas of what’s “fair” that they’ve picked up from friends or the internet.
That honesty can be heavy. Christina admitted that some custody cases have left her in tears before big hearings, because sometimes she knows how a case will turn out and nothing she does can change it. As they put it, they are counselors at law first, and advocates second.
Boss vs. Leader
Like most growing businesses, personnel has been one of the firm’s ongoing challenges. In a small office of about 10 people, culture fit matters a lot, and it isn’t always easy to tell who will mesh well.
The toughest lesson was learning when to be a leader and when to be the boss. Grant one employee a special privilege for a specific reason, and soon others are asking, “What about me?” Both partners said learning to switch between those two roles was incredibly difficult.
It resonated with us at Aginto. Our policies have evolved the same way. When a team member recently welcomed a new baby, we had never needed a paternity leave policy before. We had to figure out what was fair for him while setting the right precedent for everyone. Structure, as with raising kids, isn’t always what people want, but it’s what a business needs to grow.
AI and the Law: Trust, but Verify
Ten years in, the legal industry is still changing, and AI is speeding that up. Julie sees constant change as healthy, since a stagnant firm is one that struggles.
She also offered a warning. People turn to AI for legal advice all the time, and judges and big law firms have been caught citing case law that doesn’t exist. She has even had people come to consultations with divorce agreements already drafted by AI.
The group agreed that AI can be fine for a simple question, like whether you can trim a neighbor’s overhanging branches. For a divorce, an injury claim, or a will, you want a real attorney. Christina added that younger and older generations alike can struggle to tell what’s real online. The best rule is trust, but verify.
Routines, Roller Skates, and a Little Fun
Their routines are as different as their personalities. Christina plans her mornings the night before, laying out her clothes because a rushed start makes the whole day feel frazzled, and she loves having a gym at home. Julie, an Army veteran, works out after the workday and needs to go to an actual gym, since home equipment tends to become a towel rack. Both agreed on the value of time that has nothing to do with work, whether that’s an hour on the patio or a quiet morning.
The episode had plenty of lighter moments too:
- Christina’s first job was as a skate guard at Stardust, a local roller rink, and she once
skated in roller derby - Her first big purchase was a used Mazda Protégé, paid for with savings she started at 14
- Julie was a day camp counselor who practiced ski jumps on roller skates
- For dinner with anyone, dead or alive, Christina picked Elon Musk and Julie picked Eleanor Roosevelt
- The pair once hosted their own podcast, That’s What She Pled
What Business Owners Can Take Away
- Christina and Julie’s story is a reminder that opportunity doesn’t always arrive on your schedule. A few lessons stand out:
- Partner with someone who complements you. Different strengths, shared values, and
small egos make a partnership last. - Build your pipeline early. A loyal client base gets you started, but growth depends on
new business. - Know when to lead and when to be the boss. Every exception sets a precedent.
- Make sure clients feel heard. Understanding the problem is only half the job. They have
to know you understand it.
Watch the full conversation with Christina Goldberg and Julie Luhrsen on Episode 88 of Stir,
now on the Aginto YouTube channel.
Stir is Aginto’s podcast featuring entrepreneurs, community leaders, and business owners sharing the real stories behind their success. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Learn more about Luhrsen Goldberg: HERE
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