Un-Billable Hour: Business Management Strategies for the Busy Lawyer Around the Community Table

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table: How should I structure a bonus plan for my client intake specialist? How should I construct a pro hac vice agreement with an out-of-state law firm? How should I market my newly created educational course to my potential clients?

If there’s a key lesson in this episode, it’s “Don’t try to do it all.” Guest Mike Morse founded the largest personal injury law firm in Michigan. But it wasn’t always that way. He started out trying to do everything himself, from trials to correspondence to hiring assistants to finding office space. Nobody in law school teaches you how to run a law firm – law school doesn’t even admit a law firm is a business. You need to learn how to run your firm like a business. Morse did just that. Learn to delegate. Be a visionary. Be an entrepreneur. Build a brand, scale up, and succeed. If you’re already leading a firm, take the next step. Offload tasks to others who share your values and hold them accountable. Build your business by doing what you’re best at and assigning others to do the things you don’t love. For anyone running their own firm and wants to grow, this episode may be one of the most important podcasts of the year.

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table: How do I decide which candidate to hire for the office manager position? How do I attract quality candidates to my small firm when we’re competing against larger law firms? How do I hold people accountable in a way that doesn’t create a lot of extra work for me?

The COVID pandemic changed our understanding of remote work with new technologies and more efficient management. But does that remote employee need to be in your town, or even country? Guest Brett Trembly is cofounder of Get Staffed Up, a growing firm that provides talented, English-proficient, remote professional legal support staffers from around the world. Some 700 law firms around the U.S. profit from offshore legal support. Look beyond the limited – and highly competitive – talent pool in your region. Limit costs by working with staffers in countries with less expensive economies. Never considered offshoring? Now’s the time, as technologies and attitudes about remote work open new ways to expand your business, tackle new projects, and delegate support services so you can focus on results that matter.

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table: How do I promote an employee to a part-time position without upsetting the current full-time coworker? Did I make a mistake hiring a friend? How do I overcome my reluctance to hand over the drag-in duties to a new hire? Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Guest Joey Seeber prides himself on bringing out the best in his team in the courtroom, at his legal firm, and as an elected public official. He says finding the right person for the job starts with understanding yourself and your organization’s values. Seeber reflects on what went right and what went wrong when assembling teams. At his company, Level Legal, he focuses on culture and fit by identifying core values and living by them: “Give a damn. Get it done right. Show respect.” Everything starts with the interview, asking important questions that align with the organization’s values instead of checking boxes. What interview questions are you asking? Do they connect to your values? Before you seek a new team member, do you understand what makes your organization work? Hear how Seeber focuses on indicators of success and learned the difference between a “job description” and a “role description.” As he says, “look beyond the resume.” Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Host Christopher T. Anderson meets with lawyers from around the country to discuss issues they are currently facing in their practices. Featured on this episode: How do I format my invoices so they convey value? How can I better teach systems to my team? What should I do when a job candidate has a few red flags? What is the most efficient way to have my virtual assistant write out processes and procedures? Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

For guest Jason Levin – author of “Relationships to Infinity” and founder of the firm Ready, Set, Launch – keeping in touch with past connections, friends, and mentors is a lifelong passion and the bedrock of networking and relationship development. Through his work, Levin has developed an intense interest in helping people develop and maintain personal and business relationships. Business, after all, truly comes down to who you know. Levin’s firm Ready Set Launch applies corporate brand management principles to personal and corporate relationships. It’s the stuff they don’t teach in law school but is a pillar of any successful law firm. Hate networking? Learn to overcome. Think you are doing a great job at networking? Maybe you aren’t. Levin helps professionals make new and maintain lifetime connections. Keeping in touch is foundational. “Let’s do lunch” and “keep in touch” have become meaningless phrases, but the art of maintaining relationships has never been more important. Go beyond social media, events, and transactions and start getting real with steps you can take right now. Today is the day. Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Host Christopher T. Anderson meets with lawyers around the country to discuss issues they are currently facing in their practices. Featured on this episode: How should I market two different areas of focus for my law firm? How do I find the right call intake employee to hire? What is the best use of marketing dollars when starting a practice in a new state? What are the pros and cons of training a new hire vs. hiring an already-experienced candidate? How do I deal with understaffing as I’m about to go on maternity leave? Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

This special episode of Un-Billable Hour goes to the heart of your firm’s existence: attracting and signing new clients in a digital world. Guest Jason Hennessey of Hennessey Digital built his company through reverse engineering the Google algorithm. He’s a respected leader in law firm marketing and offers valuable tips you can put to work today. Learn core principles successful firms use to climb Google search rankings. Embrace the variables that help them adapt and shape their marketing to reach more potential new clients. Hennessey’s book, “Law Firm SEO” explains how search engine optimization works and empowers firms when they look to hire a marketer. The book is written for the layperson, explaining in plain language the principles of SEO. If you don’t want to do it yourself, at least hold the teams you hire accountable. Confused by SEO vs. Paid Search? It comes down to understanding marketing spend and outcomes. Learn what potential clients are looking for and how to hook them. Plus, insights into website functionality, purposeful content strategies, and brand awareness. Attract more prospects and convert them to clients. Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Our first episode of 2022 is kind of about everything. It’s about trends, helping law firms leverage tech, outsource routine tasks, and grow their business. Guest Chad Burton is a highly-regarded legal practice futurist. Through his work with Modern Law Practice and CuroLegal, he works one-on-one with practitioners to help them understand what they need and how to engage existing solutions to move them forward. Understanding the capabilities of today’s tech isn’t intuitive. It takes work. Burton shares insights into emerging trends in 2022. Hear what he thinks will happen with non-lawyer owned law firms and the introduction of non-lawyer licensed legal practitioners in specific legal sectors. Other trends include alternative business structures (ABS) such as LegalZoom, Elevate Services, and fee-splitting providing legal services to a vast pool of underserved Americans. He also offers thoughts on outsourcing routine work through emerging enterprises such as Lawclerk, UpWork, and GetStaffedUp, not only outsourcing tasks but offshoring them. Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

We know the pillars of marketing: acquisition, production, and purpose. But in this episode of the Un-Billable Hour, class-action guru Gerald Maatman gets down to basics and talks about your marketing bedrock: your brand. Building your practice starts before you ask for a client’s business. It’s about your brand, what you’re already known – and respected – for. Hear how developing expertise, building knowledge, public speaking, and thought leadership earns you the business before you even make the call. There’s a lot to work on here, from giving every case your all, to learning to see the challenge from your client’s perspective, to creating lasting relationships. It’s not easy, and it’s not fast. But a thriving law practice is not about luck. It’s about hard work that never ends. Learn valuable lessons from a true business leader. Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Struggling to find joy and fulfillment in her work at a prestigious law firm, guest Ali Katz thought striking out on her own was the way to go. But she found herself battling the same demons, too busy producing paperwork to achieve work/life balance and find satisfaction by fully serving her clients. Then it hit her. There’s nothing wrong with the legal profession, what’s wrong is the way lawyers run their practice. Author of the new book, “The New Law Business Model: Building a Lucrative Law Practice That You (And Your Clients) Love,” Katz teaches lawyers how to reinvent their practice, build enduring client relationships, and bring the love back to lawyering. Learn the difference between “money debt” and “time debt.” Explore new ways to engage clients and show them the value you provide. Stop doing things the old way and focus on superior client outcomes. Special thanks to our sponsors Law Clerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

With today’s tight, post-pandemic labor pool, trained, quality legal intake professionals are scarce. Law firms are increasingly turning to outsourced intake, receptionist, and onboarding services. Jeff Mosler, CEO of Nexa Receptionist Holdings LLC (you probably already know their Alert Communications brand) explains how law firms leveraging the flexibility of a turnkey, pretrained outsourcing platform can maximize marketing investments, answer calls in just three rings, and carry potential clients from a curious call to a signed retainer. Stop wasting marketing dollars on lost leads. Even for established firms, an outsourced platform – with the ability to engage by phone, web chat, email, and text – can help firms engaged in one-time, mass tort cases as needs ramp up then scale back. For big firms or small, a trained, on-call pool of legal intake specialists could be the answer. Special thanks to our sponsors Law Clerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Guest Mark Rockwell helps lawyers and law firms build purpose, passion, and profit. Learn the five biggest – and crazy simple – mistakes lawyers make every day that undermine their business. Rockwell helps lawyers understand what they want, who they are, and where they want to go. Without structure and vision, what’s the point? When lawyers find themselves spinning their wheels, busy without achieving goals, Rockwell helps create structure and processes that build order and direction. For the first 10 listeners to reach out at (503) 784-7205 or [email protected], Rockwell offers a free one-hour coaching session. He also offers a free e-book, “Five Mistakes Lawyers Make That Kill Their Career,” at www.CoachRockwell.Com. Special thanks to our sponsors Law Clerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Initial prospect consultations are lost hours if the prospect doesn’t become a client. Guest Theophan McKenzie is a professional sales consultant who helps attorneys and law firms across the country learn a better way to stop wasting time and stop letting prospects walk out the door. McKenzie’s innovative, nontraditional sales techniques teach attorneys to turn off their “lawyer brain” and build immediate, lasting connections with prospects. Learn how to stop selling yourself and start listening to the prospective client. Special thanks to our sponsors Law Clerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

From the football field to the boardroom, talent development expert Ben Murphy has learned a few moves critical to building a motivated and productive team. Host Christopher Anderson and Murphy discuss how law firms can better hire, train, motivate and retain a team. Murphy explains why 56% of executives fail within 18 months of being hired and how to avoid these common pitfalls. He also details how managers can effectively manage a team working remotely and manage across generational divides. Ben Murphy is vice president of Titus Talent Strategies. Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Lawclerk, Alert Communications and LawYaw.

Giugi Carminati reveals the lawyer traits that show lawyers desperately need legal project management, yet still resist. Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Lawclerk, Alert Communications and LawYaw.

Entrepreneur Jaclyn Foster compares contract versus full-time paralegal services from cost to efficiency and battling turnover. Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Lawclerk, Alert Communications and LawYaw.

Success coach Ken Hardison shares what it takes to assemble an A-team for a lucrative and satisfying law practice. Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Lawclerk, Alert Communications and LawYaw.

Do lawyers need more client leads? Legal marketing expert Kara Prior has an answer you might not expect.

How business development relates to marketing, sales and client acquisition for lawyers.

How to embrace your role as the CEO, from developing a plan and first hires to keeping control of the roles you enjoy most.

Tracers President Erik Pickering offers a five-part strategy to thrive post-pandemic and shares how data research can make or break a case.

Family lawyer Jenny Bradley shares how a profit-first financial strategy increases profits, saves time, and improves business relationships.

De Novo Review’s lawyer staffing experts discuss growing practice areas amid Covid-19 and increased demand for support during periodic surges.

Legal AI entrepreneur Tom Martin shares how automation adoption by lawyers is accelerating out of necessity and because their clients demand it.

While the pandemic paralyzed many leaders, Michael Mogill offers tips for adopting a growth mindset that will lead you on a path to success.

Eric Farber offers strategies for developing a healthy culture in your law firm.

Tom Lambotte discusses the key tenets of his Optimize Method framework for lawyers.

David Neagle shares tips for developing a mindset that can help bring businesses through difficult economic circumstances.

Kimball Parker discusses solutions to common problems faced by law firms struggling to adjust to remote work.

Scott Wallingford discusses strategies for maximizing per-client profitability in your law firm.

Marco Brown highlights the importance of prioritizing billing for your law firm.

Clio’s Jack Newton discusses his new book and the lessons he’s learned over the last ten years studying successful law firms.

Moshe Rosenblum-Amsel shares strategies for optimizing your firm’s finances.

Greg Garman offers guidance for the future of small firm business models.

Greg Garman shares insights on legal business models and current supply and demand trends in the profession.

Karin Conroy offers guidance for connecting with the right clients for your law firm.

Liz Goddard, co-owner of Cc: My Admin, discusses how virtual assistants help lawyers increase efficiency and grow profits.

Jacob Slowik offers insights for lawyers on how niche specialization can lead to career successes.

Helen Bukulmez explains how investing in the interests of your team creates a culture of unity in your firm.

Sales minus expenses equals profit, right? Wrong! This formula may not be as correct as we thought. Small business profit guru Ron Saharyan joins Un-Billable Hour host Christopher Anderson to discuss how putting profit first helps lawyers be more focused on their clients’ needs. Ron explains the importance of setting aside money for profit, pay, and taxes; then using what is left to run your business.

Host Christopher Anderson is joined by Deborah Farone to discuss how smaller law firms and legal process outsourcing providers are well positioned to eat the lunch of larger, less nimble firms. They also cover a wide range of subjects including key changes in the industry facing small and midsize practices, the shocking lack of strategy in a large number of firms, and when it’s appropriate to bring on a Chief Marketing Officer.

Are you wasting marketing dollars by not converting prospects into clients? Following up on last month’s discussion about marketing, host Christopher Anderson tackles the equally important subject of sales with the help of Liz Wendling. Together they discuss the many ways attorneys are sabotaging their own efforts to convert prospects into clients, explain how to rethink your approach to closing a sale, and provide invaluable practical tips on how to improve your consultation style.

Host Christopher Anderson talks to Conrad Saam about how lawyers can take full ownership of their firm’s marketing and website. They discuss how the decline of legal directories has reduced visibility for some lawyers, and offer strategies for lawyers to take charge of their online presence. They also outline the best practices for ownership and talk about the benefits of WordPress.

How can artificial intelligence be applied in small law firms, and what are its dangers and benefits? In this episode, host Christopher Anderson talks to Alex Babin and Ryan Steadman of Zero, a company that applies artificial intelligence and smart automation to the most pressing operational challenges of the legal industry. They discuss what Zero can do to save lawyers time, give their clients a better customer experience, and increase security in email processes.

What do Silicon Valley tech companies do that law firms should consider implementing in their business practices? In this episode, host Christopher Anderson talks to Sarah Schaaf, CEO of Headnote, about the key things law firms can learn from tech companies to improve how they operate. They get into the details of how firms can consider data, speed, and ongoing streamlining to allocate firm resources responsibly and efficiently.

Christopher Anderson talks to Bryan Miles, CEO of Belay Solutions, about his book “Virtual Culture, The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore, a Manifesto.” They discuss the challenges of the traditional workplace and outline how Belay Solutions has grown up as an exclusively virtual company. They give advice on how to develop virtual culture in a firm and discuss how virtual assistants can help lawyers focus on what really matters.

How effective is your law firm in its communications? Responsiveness is key, and utilizing a virtual receptionist may help your firm increase efficiency and boost customer satisfaction. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Maddy Martin of Smith.ai about steps small law firms can take to improve their communication. They discuss the many ways virtual receptionists can enhance the capabilities of small law firms and how these services can be customized to serve each firm’s unique needs.