Stop fighting your law firm. Make it work for you.
The Set-Up is Available Now!
Most law firms run on a model where everything flows through the owner, the team follows orders, and nobody sees the big picture. That model is from the Middle Ages—literally—and it’s failing firms of every size.
The Set-Up gives you a different approach: five interconnected pillars—People, Pipeline, Process, Product, and Profitability—that work together to build a firm that doesn’t need you in the middle of everything. I’m a practicing attorney and firm owner who tested this system in my own firm after we nearly went under in 2016. Eleven years since our start, we’ve grown 1,200%. Not by working harder, but by building differently.
With candor, practical tools, and stories every lawyer will recognize, The Set-Up shows you how to build a team that takes ownership, create structure that keeps cases and cash flowing, and shift from constant firefighting to confident, intentional leadership.
If you’re ready to build a firm that sustains itself—and sustains you—this book is your roadmap.
You deserve a law firm that gives back all the blood, sweat, and sobs you’ve given it. And there is a better way.
The Set-Up shows you how to build a firm that actually works for your team, your clients, and you.
“Everything depends on me.”
You’re the bottleneck, the safety net, the final decision-maker for every single thing—and it’s exhausting. The Set-Up gives you the system to build a firm that runs without you in the middle of everything, so your team leads, cases move, and the work gets done even when you’re not there.
“I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and questioning how long I can do this.”
You didn’t build your firm to feel trapped by it, yet you’re carrying all the weight while still wondering why the numbers aren’t adding up. Through real stories, honest insights, and proven systems, The Set-Up gives you a path out of burnout and into sustainable leadership—so you can build a firm that supports both your clients and your life.
“Nothing I try ever sticks.”
You’ve invested in software, coaches, marketing, trainings—yet the problems keep coming back because the real issue is the foundation. The Set-Up’s five-pillar model shows you how to finally fix what’s actually broken instead of piling more tactics on top of a system that isn’t built to hold them.
“Clarity beats overwhelm, and The Set-Up shows you exactly how to get there.”
— Mike Michalowicz, author of Profit First and The Money Habit
Simone Fulmer Gaus is co-founder of Fulmer Sill, a nationally recognized law firm based in Oklahoma City, focusing on personal injury, bad faith, and mass torts.
After seventeen years in practice, Simone was done with burnout and business as usual in the traditional law firm setting. She believed there had to be a better way to run a law firm—one that didn’t cost your soul to succeed. So, in 2014, she started her own firm to find out if it was possible.
That journey led to The Set-Up™, a new model for running a law firm with more focus, more heart, and a lot less noise. In the eleven years since, her firm’s revenue has grown more than thirteen times, proving that you can thrive in this business without sacrificing yourself or your team in the process.
Simone lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, Mark, in a house run by three Doodles and two Ragdolls. They share four grown kids and have recently stepped into their favorite role yet: grandparents.
How The Set-Up Works
Build What Matters
Start with what actually drives your firm forward: the foundation. Using the five pillars, you’ll learn to see your firm clearly—where the structure is strong, where it’s fractured, and where the real work begins. This clarity alone is transformational; it gives you language, direction, and a way to finally understand the chaos.
Fix What’s Broken
Instead of jumping to tactics, you’ll address the real issues—your People, Pipeline, Process, Product, and Profitability—so the entire system works together. The Set-Up helps you rebuild intelligently, strengthen your weak points, and create systems your team can own and follow. When you fix the foundation, everything else starts to hold.
Make It Work
This is where your firm becomes sustainable. The Set-Up becomes your decision-making framework—guiding your leadership, supporting your growth, and keeping your team aligned as you move forward. You shift from constant firefighting to confident, intentional leadership, building a firm that runs whether you’re there or not.
The Five Pillars
The Set-Up is built on five interconnected pillars that replace the outdated, owner-heavy model holding most firms back. Instead of chasing new hires, new software, or new marketing tactics every time something breaks, The Set-Up helps firm owners fix the actual problem: a weak foundation.
When these five pillars work together, the firm becomes clearer, calmer, more profitable—and far less dependent on the owner.
People
Your Core
You hear ‘People’ and think hiring, HR. Yes, that’s part of it, but the People pillar goes deeper. It’s your culture, your daily climate, and the leadership that keeps everything steady. Without it, your team disengages and your firm feels heavier than it should. With a strong People pillar, you get a team that wants success for your firm as much as you do.
Pipeline
Your Framework
Pipeline maps how work moves through your firm: the stages of a case, who owns each step, where responsibilities hand off. Without it, you’re the bottleneck. Nobody else knows what happens next or whose job it is. With Pipeline, cases move without you directing every step.
Process
Your Engine
Process is the repeatable systems that keep your firm running. You might think you have Process because you have checklists. But if your processes only work when you’re there to enforce them, that’s not Process. Without it, small problems become emergencies. With it, the work gets done right whether you’re in the building or not.
Product
Your Service
Product is the legal work itself: the advocacy, the strategy, the client experience. You probably try to fix Product first—most firms do. But Product can only be excellent when all five pillars work together. Without the other pillars, even your best work feels inconsistent and exhausting. With a complete foundation, you deliver quality consistently.
Profitability
Your Results
Profitability isn’t just the outcome. It’s a pillar of its own. Your numbers tell the truth about how your firm is functioning. Without this pillar, you’re guessing about what you can afford and whether you’re making progress. With it, you have clarity to make confident decisions.
“If you want your firm to shift from constant firefighting to consistent, structured growth, read this book.”
— Joe Fried, Founding Partner, Fried Goldberg LLC, and Founder of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (AATA)
Upcoming Publications
The Set-Up Workbook
The Set-Up by Simone Fulmer Gaus gave you the mindset shift. The Set-Up Workbook for Law Firms gives you the tools to make it real.
You know the five pillars—People, Pipeline, Process, Product, and Profitability—now it’s time to build them inside your firm. Through guided exercises, diagnostic tools, and step-by-step instructions, this workbook walks you through the practical work of transforming how your firm operates. You’ll document workflows, map your case pipeline, clarify roles and accountability, define what makes your service distinct, and finally get a handle on the numbers that determine whether you’re profitable or just busy.
Along the way, you’ll:
- turn your team into a self-managing engine that keeps cases moving without constant oversight
- create systems that prevent emergencies instead of reacting to them
- identify where cases stall and fix bottlenecks with simple, scalable solutions
- strengthen cash flow with practical tools you can use immediately
- know exactly where to focus next so nothing important slips through the cracks
With the same candor and practicality that makes The Set-Up essential reading for overworked firm owners, Simone Fulmer Gaus gives you the daily tools to transform theory into practice. The Set-Up Workbook is your step-by-step guide to building the foundation your law firm needs to sustain itself—and in the process, sustain you.
“Simone provides a proven, practical structure for creating your firm’s ideal operations. I only wish I’d had this resource years ago.”
— Susan Carns Curtiss, CEO, Girl Attorney LLC
Schedule Simone Fulmer Gaus
Known for her honest storytelling and actionable insights, Simone Fulmer Gaus speaks nationally on law firm leadership, burnout, rebuilding broken systems, and the five pillars that make firms run without chaos. She’s the guide lawyers trust because she’s still in the trenches—leading a firm, practicing law, and testing everything she teaches.
Simone is available for conferences, bar associations, workshops, retreats, and podcast conversations that challenge the traditional model and show firm owners there is a better, more human way to run a law practice.
