Lawyerist Podcast

Sam and Jared Corella discuss the impact of smartphones on our daily lives and why it may be best for you to give it up in favor of being in the moment. (And don't worry, you can give up your smartphone without being considered a luddite.)

Sam and Julie Tolek chat about what it means to be a solo lawyerand how to create a brand experience that doesn't intimidateclients. Julie also tells us about how she manages her client tasksand what it takes to maintain a work-life balance in the legalfield.

As more law firms go paperless, using cloud services for billing, timekeeping, and client files is common. But not all cloud services, especially those that offer free packages, will promise to keep your client data secure. Many of these services even reserve the right to use the data you store with them in marketing materials. David tells us what we should do about this and what we should look out for when subscribing to a new cloud service. Links: http://www.forbes.com/sites/schoolboard/2016/03/17/which-top-law-school-will-close-follow-the-money/#7d3edcbf3457

Sam and Andy Mergendahl chat about the ever-increasing prevalance of Internet-enabled devices, otherwise known as the Internet of things, and what impact it will have on your practice and your daily life. The worst part of all this? You may now have to read the Terms of Service that comes with every new software packagae you buy. Links:http://venturebeat.com/2016/04/07/x-ai-raises-23-million-for-its-ai-personal-assistant-plans-to-launch-this-fall/ https://lawyerist.com/103254/introduction-artificial-intelligence-lawyers/

Sam and Tom Mighell talk about how to keep your information—client data, finance documents, and other records—preserved, orderly, and accessible using a data map. Tom also tells lawyers that even though abundant online storage gives you the ability to keep all of your client and business record data, that doesn’t mean you should. Links:Meet Another Day

Sofia Lingos talks with Sam about how her firm provides outside counsel services to startups and small businesses, and the challenges of doing so. Lingos and Sam also take a deep dive into the Access-to-Justice incubator program at the Northeastern University School of Law.

Chad Burton discusses how bar associations can help lawyers run their practices—and whether bar associations need to rebrand. Sam and Aaron also go over what practice management apps stood out to them at the ABA TECHSHOW.

Greg McLawsen discusses how he went about building an agile, virtual immigration law practice. Sam and Aaron also discuss Deloitte's unique acquisition of Conduit Law.

David Zvenyach discusses the reasons lawyers should consider learning to code. But first, Carolyn Elefant asks whether lawyers should shed bar association dues as an unnecessary expense?

Jordan Furlong talks about the changes in store for the legal industry over the next 5-15 years, and what those changes mean for lawyers who will be practicing during (and after) them.

Megan Zavieh explains what's at stake in the FBI's quest to force Apple to build a backdoor to the iPhone. But first, a good story about social media and the law.

Let's face it, a lot of legal conferences are pretty bad. You get a lot of presenters reading their slides and panels where one person hogs the microphone. As Matt Homann explains, the needs of conference-goers have changed, which is an opportunity to do better CLE.

Some people who need to use the legal system want to go it alone, and a lot of those people call Mike Vraa’s free tenant hotline. On today’s podcast, some of his best tips for helping people represent themselves. Plus, we chat about our new guide, How to Set Up Your New Windows Computer.

Sarah Glassmeyer is trying to get to the bottom of open access to law, and Ed Walters is trying to build a company based on access to that law. Both share their frustrations and wishes for open access on today's podcast. Plus, lawyers are terrible at client intake. News at 11.

Billie Tarascio started out trying to build a firm that furthers access to justice, and wound up building a pretty innovative law firm with a software backbone that allowed her to deliver legal services at every price point—and it didn't work. You'll find out why in today's podcast, but first, don't forget that clients and customers are looking for very different things.

Gyi Tsakalakis on what local marketing is, why it matters, and how to do it effectively. But first, don't forget that a client and a customer are looking for very different things.

Bob Ambrogi has had his finger on the pulse of legal technology for a long time, and in this episode he talks about the ten trends that defined 2015. Plus, a reluctant preview of the trends that might define 2016.

Adriana Linares trains lawyers to use technology, but she often has to back up and teach basic skills. In this episode, she goes over some of those basic skills and how to master them. The second tip alone is worth the download. Before that, Aaron gushes about Making a Murderer. If you’re watching, too, discuss the show with us in the Lab.

Karin Conroy is back to talk about law firm websites. This is also, you might notice, our last podcast of 2015. Call it the end of Season 1. But don’t worry, we’ll be back in 2016, thanks in large part to your contributions.

On today's podcast, we ask security experts Sharon Nelson and John Simek things like how hard is it, really, to hack into someone's email? And what's the greatest security threat for lawyers? Plus, our favorite posts and podcasts of 2015.

Want to automate your documents? Step one is *not* shopping for software. Barron Henley talks about how to get started — without purchasing a thing. Before that, we say goodbye to two Dropbox services we loved.

Here's why cost-cutting measures aren't catching on with firms: many clients care more about the size of the discount than the size of the bill. Plus, how do you know whether the money you are spending on online marketing is getting the results it should?

In this episode we skip the introductory banter in order to get straight to the conversation with John Suh, CEO of the legal-industry bogeyman, LegalZoom. Not only would Suh like to change that, he's got a strong argument for why lawyers should learn to love his company.

Why should you care about typography? That’s like asking why you should practice for an oral argument or wear a tie to court. If you aren’t already using Matthew Butterick’s typography guide for lawyers, you’ll snap up a copy after you listen to this podcast. Crowdfunding Lawsuits Crowdfunding is all the rage, these days, and now it includes lawsuits. We’ve written about two crowdfunding efforts, LexShares and CrowdJustice, and now crowdfunding has hit the news. In Colorado, a court decided crowdfunders are subject to the same lending laws as payday lenders. And Wired wrote about the use of crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo to raise money to pay legal fees and fines. So is this good or bad? We weigh in on today’s podcast.

What does an innovative law firm look like? According to Peter Carayiannis, whose firm, Conduit Law, has been twice nominated for an innovative law-firm award, it’s less about technology and more about clients. And you know what, it’s not your fault that you can’t encrypt your email. Stop trying and just use a secure portal.

Law partners Jayne Sykora and Jennifer Santini have great advice on figuring out if you want a partner to start your practice, and how to choose one. Before that, Sam and Aaron discuss the security of If This Then That and Zapier.

Josh Camson reflects on nearly six years of law practice and the column he wrote when he was just starting out: "The Shingle Life." Plus, Sam and Aaron break down Net Promoter Score, the closest you'll get to a magic number for growing your law practice.

As a well-known lawyer and (former) law professor, Alan Dershowitz gives a lot of advice to young lawyers. At one point, he wrote it all down in Letters to a Young Lawyer. The book has been around for a while, but it is still full of good advice for young lawyers — and so is Dershowitz.

Representing low-income clients can present challenges for lawyers who are not used to it, but learning to meet those challenges is a good lesson in basic client service. While we're on the subject, what is the access-to-justice gap everyone is talking about, and can you really build a profitable law practice serving people who fall into that gap?

Brian Tannebaum’s book, The Practice: Brutal Truths About Lawyers and Lawyering, is a collection of tough-love letters to the new generation of lawyers. During our conversation with Brian about his book, we also talked about his criminal defense practice, the importance of a code of ethics, why some lawyers seem to leave ethics behind when they go online, and much more.

The Internet is a powerful tool for research that few people know how to use well. Carole Levitt and Mark Rosch are two of those people. They move through the Internet like ninjas through a moonless night. Before we talk to Carole and Mark, we argue about whether Nikki Black is right that 50% of lawyers will have an Apple Watch in 2 years.

Dennis Kennedy thinks the real promise of technology is taking away the tedious bits of law practice so lawyers can do more of what matters. And do the numbers show that law school crushed all our dreams?

Jodi Ettenberg left for a vacation, and never came back. On today's podcast, she talks about how to do the same (even if you've got a shorter timeline). But first, did Ohio just issue the dumbest ethics opinion ever?

There's so much potential for increasing access to legal information online, but only if knowledgeable lawyers are willing to contribute. Which is a challenge. Any project that requires a critical mass of lawyers to contribute is probably doomed from the outset. But somehow, Casetext seems to be thriving, and in this episode, Casetext VP Pablo Arredondo discusses what it takes to get lawyers to collaborate. But first, why law firms shouldn't serve clients.

Judge Dillard is one of a small group of judges who have an active presence on social media. In this episode, he talks about why he joined Twitter, what he gets out of it, and whether it is a good thing. Plus, Microsoft is releasing practice-management software.

What does a law firm look like without the traditional hierarchy? Sonia Miller Van Oort's firm has a flat governance structure, transparent compensation, and offers alternative-fee arrangements to every client. Plus, why it's silly to let your hardware dictate your law-firm policy.

Shantelle Argyle has a non-profit law firm, something many people talk about but few attempt. Well, the non-profit firm Argyle co-founded doesn't just work, it's flourishing. Find out more on today's podcast after we talk about the ridiculous disconnect between law and science — and by the way, should trials be held virtually?

Agile project management is huge in software development, but lawyers can take advantage of Agile, too. John Grant explains how to adapt Agile for law practice. But first, is the legal market really experiencing "modest job gains"?

Brendan Kenny explains what every lawyer needs to know about e-discovery. But first, how to effectively disconnect your phone when you’re on a vacation.

Nicole Bradick explains what a virtual practice is and how to build one. But first, we talk about a baby who is crazy about a local personal injury lawyer, and the difficulty in combating link rot.

Omar Ha-Redeye is (among other impressive things) co-founder of Fleet Street Law, a law practice incubator focusing on innovation and increasing access to justice. In today's podcast, he talks about how the legal industry is changing and what that means for the future of access to justice. But first, we try to figure out why lawyers let receivables become a problem.

David Lat of _Above the Law_ talks about the similarities and differences between BigLaw and solo and small firms, and talks about changes and opportunities in the legal market. But first, Sam and Aaron talk about the new wine fad: rosé.

Deborah Savadra writes for Lawyerist as well as for her own blog, Legal Office Guru. She specializes in making Microsoft Office do what lawyers need it to do, and in today’s podcast she identifies the five things she thinks lawyers ought to know about Microsoft Office and explains why. But first, Sam and Aaron try to figure out to what lengths lawyers will go to avoid turning in their timesheets.

This episode we're trying something a bit different. One of our favorite interviews to date was Sam's conversation with Ed Walters about law and robots, so this week we are replaying it. If you missed it the first time around, you'll want to tune in now.

In today's show, ABA Law Practice Division chair Bob Young talks about being a plaintiff's lawyer in a defense firm, and explains what the ABA LPD is doing to help lawyers with marketing, management, finances, and technology. But first, is solo practice a shitty economic proposition for most people?

In today's show, Allison Shields talks about how to be more productive, also the subject of her new book, How to Do More in Less Time. But first, Sam and Aaron talk about Lee Rosen's advice to block your firm website from your firm computer.

Today Todd Hendrickson talks about how he uses technology to give him an edge against better-funded opponents in his solo med-mal and personal injury practice. But first, Sam and Aaron explain why a shredding service is better than throwing your clients’ files in the trash.

In today’s podcast, David Colarusso, a lawyer and data scientist for the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services, talks about what a legal hacker is, how he incorporates hacking into lawyering, and why lawyers should learn to code. But first, Sam and Aaron try to figure out whether lawyers who bill after working 55 hours in a week are just padding their hours.

According to Ernie Svenson, either you already are paperless or you just haven't committed to it, yet. If you haven't committed, you are just wasting resources maintaining two systems: one for your paper files and and one for your digital clients files. This week Sam and Aaron also talk about why you should never use hotel Wi-Fi without a VPN.

If you are tired of drinking wine with strangers in conference rooms, you're going to appreciate this podcast. Shannon Hoagland's creative approach to entertaining clients is virtually guaranteed never to bore you. This week Sam and Aaron also talk about a brand-new guide to increasing your computer security.