Lawyerist Podcast

Lawyerist Lab member Amber James discusses shifting from a client-focused to a team leader-focused role in her own firm and the mindset and strategy required to make that transition with Stephanie Everett. For more information about stepping into a leadership role in your firm, read our resource page on people management. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Rankings.io, Back Office Betties, and TextExpander for sponsoring this episode!

Discover the five financial numbers you need to know to run your law firm, to scale successfully, and to forecast your future, with Stephanie Everett. For more information about financial KPIs, read our resource page on law firm finances. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to LexReception, TextExpander, Back Office Betties, and Rankings.io for sponsoring this episode!

Author and speaker Adam Markel talks about pivoting your life and career and what it means to be a resilient leader of your firm. For more information about leadership, read our resource page on managing people in your firm. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Rankings.io, Back Office Betties, and TextExpander for sponsoring this episode!

Lawyerist Lab member Tyler Inkster discusses targeting the right clients, leveraging the most powerful referral sources, niching down, and the value of content marketing with Stephanie Everett. For more information about marketing strategy, read our resource page on legal marketing. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Smith.ai, TextExpander, Rankings.io, and Back Office Betties for sponsoring this episode!

Law professor Benjamin Barton discusses how the Great Recession impacted law school admission, performance, and curriculum, and what this means for the future of law schools. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Ruby, Rankings.io, Back Office Betties, and TextExpander, sponsoring this episode!

Our newest Lawyerist team member, Laura Briggs, explains what to know before you outsource, what to look for in a freelancer, and how to hire and work with independent contractors. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Smith.ai, Back Office Betties, TextExpander, and Rankings.io, for sponsoring this episode!

Remote working expert Maryellen Stockton explains how to write a job posting that attracts the best talent, and job descriptions that set employees up for success. Mentioned in this episode: Textio If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Lawyaw, TextExpander, Rankings.io, and Back Office Betties for sponsoring this episode!

Jonathan Hawkins explains how to transition out of your practice, whether you are squashed by an anvil out of the blue or planning to cash out and retire. Plus, common mistakes lawyers make when planning their exit (besides not planning in the first place). If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Rankings.io, Back Office Betties, and TextExpander for sponsoring this episode!

Annie Grace has helped over a hundred thousand people answer a simple question: “Would my life be better if I were drinking less?” (If you’re asking yourself that question, it probably would be.) She explains how to think about your relationship with alcohol and why moderation is harder than just drinking or not drinking. Plus, good manners for drinkers in the company of non-drinkers! Try The Alcohol Experiment yourself. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Smith.ai, Back Office Betties, Rankings.io, and TextExpander for sponsoring this episode!

In learning about his own ADHD, Marshall Lichty realized that he’s not alone. Many lawyers struggle with untreated ADHD, but it can also be harnessed like a super power. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Smith.ai, Back Office Betties, TextExpander, and Rankings.io for sponsoring this episode!

Lawyerist Lab member Jennifer Longtin let us record a portion of a recent coaching call with Stephanie Everrett, so this week you get to eavesdrop on that conversation and learn the strategy they developed to help Jennifer take charge of her firm finances! If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to GNGF, TextExpander, Rankings.io, and Back Office Betties for sponsoring this episode!

Nathan Hightower explains Culture Index, a scientific approach to the “right people, right seats” concept, and why too much distance between your core traits and the behaviors required to do your job well might be hurting you and your law firm. To get an idea of what a Culture Index graph might look like so you can picture it as Nathan refers to it, here is Sam’s: If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to Earth Class Mail, SaneBox, Alert Communications, and ROSS Intelligence for sponsoring this episode!

Dan Pink suggests that your legal work probably isn’t as valuable in the afternoons—the “trough” of your day. (For similar reasons, he avoids afternoon doctor appointments and thinks you should, too.) In this episode Dan discusses the science of timing and productivity, the subject of his latest book, When, and also compensation and motivation, the subject of Drive. Also, Dan says science doesn’t think much of the billable hour: The billable hour is one of the most autonomy-thwarting, controlling, self-direction inhibiting mechanisms that one has. It puts the focus on the clock rather than on the work. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Mentioned in this episode: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing Thanks to PwC Insights Officer, ROSS Intelligence, SaneBox, and Alert Communications for sponsoring this episode!

While we’re not big fans of easily broken resolutions, the end of the year is a great time to reflect on the past year for yourself and your business and set goals for next year. Stephanie Everett explains how she helps Lawyerist Lab members set personal and business goals and follow through to meet them. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Mentioned in this episode: The Small Firm Scorecard Thanks to Smith AI, Alert Communications, ROSS Intelligence, and SaneBox for sponsoring this episode!

Disclaimer: This episode was originally aired on September 6, 2017. According to Dr. Doug Brackmann, traditional meditation may not work for innovators, entrepreneurs, and other highly “Driven” individuals who may possess characteristics commonly associated ADHD or OCD. Instead he proposes an alternative meditation style and productivity tools better suited to the Driven brain. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to the Law Firm Growth Summit, ROSS Intelligence, Sanebox, and Alert Communications for sponsoring this episode! Show notes: To find out if you are Driven, take the assessment at HighlyDriven.Life. If you want to learn more, pick up Doug’s book, Driven: Understanding and Harnessing the Genetic Gifts Shared by Entrepreneurs, Navy SEALs, Pro Athletes, and Maybe YOU.

According to Vanessa Van Edwards, charisma is charisma is “a compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.” In this episode she explains what factors into charisma—and awkwardness—and how everyone can learn to be more charismatic. Thanks to PwC Insights Officer, Alert Communications, Sanebox, and ROSS Intelligence for sponsoring this episode! Watch Vanessa’s presentation at TEDxLondon in 2017, “You are contagious.” Take the Charisma Quiz and find out where you fall on the charisma scale.

Dr. Sherry Walling helps smart people do hard things, but trauma can get in the way. In this episode she explains what trauma is and where it comes from, how to find out if you have trauma, and how it can be linked to other mental health issues, like depression and anxiety. Thanks to PwC Insights Officer, Alert Communications, Sanebox, and ROSS Intelligence for sponsoring this episode! Sherry’s book is The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together: How to Run Your Business Without Letting it Run You. To learn more about the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research, visit the CDC resource portal.

Maryellen Stockton helps companies figure out how to build healthy, productive remote or hybrid workplaces. In this episode she explains the different kinds of remote workplace arrangements, discusses some of the biggest challenges, and how to hire and manage effectively. Plus, she shares some of her favorite software tools for collaborating remotely.

Todd Herman’s book, The Alter Ego Effect, offers a tool for getting more out of “the six inches between your ears,” as he likes to say. In this episode he explains what the alter ego effect is, and how to use an alter ego to overcome your biggest challenges.

Ben Hudson made a hire for his small firm that really didn’t work out. So he went back to the drawing board on his hiring process. He took the time to outline his core values and build a thoughtful, slow-moving hiring process around them to make sure his replacement was the right person. Ben doesn’t take unscheduled calls, either, because it’s better for him and his clients.

In this episode with Jim and Jamie Sheils, we talk about work-life balance and what it’s like raising entrepreneurial kids.

In this episode with Justie Nicol, we talk about her transition from a solo to small firm, KPI’s, and her Harry Potter-style House Cup system.

In this episode with Geoff Woods, we talk about what the ONE thing means, why we shouldn’t focus on more than one thing, how to pick a “thing”, and how to overcome the challenges along the way.

In this episode with Adriana Linares, we talk about how lawyers can “level up” their tech savviness. We talk about transitioning to the cloud, dropbox versus document management, basic automation, and outsourcing simple tasks to make work and life easier.

In this episode with Rand Fishkin, we talk about Moz, Rand’s book, Lost and Founder, and SparkToro. We go back to the basics about SEO on this podcast, and also discuss how most law firms are bootstrapped and how firms should think about structure services in the age of Uber and Amazon. Lastly, we dive into the difference between having an audience versus retaining attention.

In this episode with Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code and author of Brave, Not Perfect, we talk about the importance of reframing the messages society delivers to girls and women.

In this episode with Stephanie Everett, we talk about our new book, The Small Firm Roadmap and why we wrote it. This podcast outlines major points from the book including why law practice is broken and how we can create successful, future-oriented small and solo law firms.

In this episode with Larry Lessig, we talk about law and context. Larry shares with us the two phases of his work: intellectual property and its impact on culture, and then his focus on political reform with Change Congress, Mayday PAC, Rootstrikers and his presidential campaign. We dive into Larry’s book, Fidelity and Constraint, and how it can help lawyers think about how the Supreme Court decides cases. Lastly, we ask Larry about his fairy novel style of doing slideshow presentations.

On this week's Lawyerist podcast, Sam Glover talks with Jason Rosoff about how to become a better leader and manager by using radical candor. Jason shares how to care personally and challenge directly to break the barrier between employees, clients, and customers to create real, human relationships and a thriving workplace environment.

In this episode with Neil Tyra, we talk about the difference between being an entrepreneur and being a lawyer, all the things they didn’t teach you in law school, and some of the mistakes Neil made along the way in his own practice that helped him grow. We also talk about real estate planning, the future prospects of that practice area, and Neil’s own podcast, The Law Entrepreneur podcast.

In this episode with criminal defense lawyer Erin Gerstenzang, we talk about how her firm has evolved since the last time she was on the podcast two years ago. Erin fills us in on her vision, what success looks like for scaling, and what is working versus what is not.

In this episode with Haben Girma, we talk about her new book The Deaflind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. We also talk about the state of accessibility and what barriers we still need to remove, the theme of “exclusion” in Haben’s book, and how to change the ableist mindset.

In this episode with Matthew Dicks, we talk about storytelling, and why it’s an important skill to learn in business. Matthew shares tips for better storytelling, how to approach storytelling as a lawyer, and how it can help lawyers teach witnesses how to tell better stories on the stand.

In this week’s episode with Amy Morin, we talk about what it means to be mentally strong and the steps it takes to get there. Some key points we cover are finding independence and resilience, practicing optimism, and learning how to think, feel, and behave as someone who is mentally strong.

In this episode with John Ruhlin, we talk about the overall theory of gift giving, including when to give and how much, the ethics of giving, what makes a good gift for your clients, and lastly, what makes a shitty gift.

In this episode with Nicole Morris, we talk about the Ti:GER program, what it is, how it works, and how it helps law students after graduation. Nicole shares the vision that the Ti:GER program is designed to help prepare students for and the unique skills the program gives law students that other lawyers might not have.

In this episode with Stephanie Everett, we talk about a few ways you can create micro-experiences for your clients. We cover retainers, graphics and video, and drafting briefs all as ways you can offer your unique value proposition and personal touch to win with your clients.

In this episode with Megan Zavieh, we check in on The Playbook as well talk about her content marketing strategies, including her own podcast is going. Megan shares advice for lawyers thinking about starting podcasts, and a few tips about what has worked in her marketing plan and what hasn’t.

In this episode with Jan Glassman, we talk about her law firm business model, her flexible service options, and what challenges she has faced growing a law firm focused on social impact and innovation.

In this episode with Rebecca Sandefur, we talk about why people rarely turn to lawyers or courts for assistance with their problems, how to properly educate civilians on obtaining legal help, and what role small and solo firm lawyers play in the solution.

In this episode with Bob Ambrogi, we talk about the state of legal blogging and podcasting in 2019 and whether or not blogging and podcasting can still be influential. Bob also shares advice for new legal bloggers and podcasters.

In this episode with Jason Fried, we talk about what it means to be a calm company, how to think about remote work and accountability, and how less can be more when it comes to productivity.

In this episode with David Colarusso, we talk about Suffolk University Law School’s Legal Innovation and Technology Lab, what it is and what it hopes to achieve, as well as a concept known as “Chesterton’s fence” and how you can better use risk assessment tools in your firm.

In this episode with Chris Voss, we talk about compromise and deadlines, listening and empathy as a martial art, and a few tips and tricks on negation from Chris’s book, Never Split the Difference.

In this episode with Mark Britton, we talk about how he started Avvo, his vision for the company, and how it changed over the years. Mark also shares his thoughts on rating lawyers and how he would advise the next startup hoping to rate lawyers.

In this episode with Allison Shields, we pick up where left off in Episode #22, talking about productivity mindset, delegation, and how better organization sets lawyers up for success.

In this episode with ABA president Robert Carlson, we talk about what it means to lead a large and multifaceted legal organization in a time of technology change and innovation. We also cover the ABA’s new membership dues structure, what it hopes to achieve, and what a much-diminished ABA membership would mean for the practice of law. Lastly, we talk to Bob about some hot-button ethics issues like non-lawyer ownership and advertising regulations. You’ll also get a glimpse of Robert’s plans after his term as ABA president is over.

In this episode with Kim and Kate, we talk about B Corporations, including what they are, what problem Kim and Kate were trying to solve that they couldn’t with a regular corporation, and what they now know about B Corps that they wish they had known when they first started their law firm.

In this episode with Zach Pousman, we talk about the design process and how it relates to law practice in-depth. Zach walks us through Helpfully’s innovation process step-by-step, including how to pinpoint a client or customer’s needs and how to test whether or not your solution meets that need.

In this episode with Ed Walters, we talk about his book "Data Driven Law", and why law firms should care more about data. We also talk with Ed about some of the bad or pointless uses of data, and how to use your data efficiently.