Reboot Your Law Practice

This week Oscar and Scott discuss how some clients may be more trouble than they are worth Even though the money a client is paying you might be attractive at first, the amount of work, stress and frustration the case and client may bring may not be worth taking the case If you get caught up in a situation like this, you can’t complain about it being the fault of the client. It is the lawyers decision to take on the client and you must hold yourself responsible for the quality of the clients that are hiring you It reverts back to what we have always discussed. You are not just practicing law. You are running a legal business and must treat it as such.

This week Scott and Oscar talk about their experiences with the networking site LinkedIn. While both of the podcast hosts agree that all solos and small firm practitioners should have a Linked In profile, Oscar is the bigger fan of the site. That stems from his practice being largely a commercial litigation practice and Linked In being a social networking tool mostly for business and professional people. The hosts talk about how to get the most out of it by being active on it, and using it to find potential referral partners. It’s just another tool to help get your practice and name out there to the community but you want to make sure you are maximizing its effect if you are going to have profile on

This week, we continued our interview with Michelle and Anthony DiPaolo, discussing their decision to hire an office manager. We’ve often talked on the podcast about how to determine when the right time is to take on that first employee. The DiPaolos explain how their practice was ready for the hire and how bringing on an office manager has helped them grow their practice. They offer great insight for listeners on what benefits they derive from having someone else deal with much of the administrative strain on the practice, including billing, client relations and scheduling. We conclude the talk with a discussion of how they have now brought on a second person – a young lawyer to help with the work overflow. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Anthony and Michelle for allowing us and our listeners to peek into their practice and for the many relatable and practical pieces of advice they offered.

This week Reboot Your Law Practice invites married law partners Michelle and Anthony DiPaolo to talk about how they balance their law practice with their home life. While most of us are not married to our law partners (though it sometimes feels that way) listeners can gain lots of insight into work/life balance and law firm organization and structure by checking out this episode. The DiPaolos talk about things that effect all of us – when your work interferes with your home life; planning family time; and dealing with stress. This honest discussion from experienced practitioners is a view into small firm life applicable to all lawyers.

Wouldn’t it be great if we won every motion, every trial, and every case? Or if we went through our entire legal career without ever making a mistake? Sure, but that’s just not realistic. If you make an error on a case or if you just did not get the outcome your client expected how do you deal with it? The podcast hosts not only discuss your need to be honest and direct with your client to meet your ethical obligations, but they also talk about how coming clean with your client will relieve your stress about the case. Having a good history of communication with the client; keeping them informed about the case; and managing their expectations from the outset and along the way will make it easier to handle these crises when they arise. Deliver the news in person or over the phone as soon as you can and plan on what you are going to say – write it out if necessary, that often makes it easier. The main point is that quick and direct communication of what happened is critical.

Every lawyer and firm has come across a difficult client. But in a small firm or solo practice, lawyers don’t have the luxury of blowing off and ignoring difficult clients. You need to have a conversation with the client about the parameters of the relationship. It helps to give the client something to do- tasks - to help the case along – have them track down relevant facts or create timelines. Keep the client informed about the timing of the case and the court docket. Reach out to them when there are gaps in progress to let them know that there is nothing to be done right now. Managing client expectations and keeping the lines of communication open are the best ways to keep a difficult client happy. The hosts discuss a variety of ways to help deal with these clients so that you can keep them in your practice.

Scott and Oscar discuss some recent encounters with lawyers that make for good examples of Dos and Don’ts to rebuilding your practice. On the “Do” side – Scott references a lawyer who used social activism to help develop business leads and eventually a successful law practice. On the Don’t side, Oscar discusses a lawyer who was lamenting that his practice was dying and he had no idea where business was going to come from; meanwhile, Oscar had afterwards met a mutual friend of theirs who was a great source for legal work that the “lamenter” never approached because he just didn’t think it would lead to anything. Back on the “Do” side, the host discuss making use of your down time perhaps by writing articles and getting published in the many legal blogs, magazines, etc that are always looking for content. On the Don’t side, - don’t put your practice in someone else’s hands by going for cheap marketing and advertising ploys. The point is that the main “Don’t” is “Don’t just sit there” and the main “Do” is “Do so

In response to a listener’s question about how to balance your time between legal work and administrative tasks, the host discuss how they strive to find time to do all that is necessary to practice law and run a law practice – two very different things. While discussing the various methods that they use, Scott and Oscar focus on three important points: · Organization and Planning are Key · Put a System in Place That You Will Actually Use · Don’t Procrastinate and Get Things Done This may mean on occasion extending your day (or night) well past your normal working routine, but there is no simple answer here. If you only focus on doing the legal work or get so caught up in office tasks that you stop being a good lawyer attending to clients, then you will not achieve success in your practice.

In today’s world, with all its access to instant information, you must be careful how you tout yourself online. Scott and Oscar discuss a variety of real life cases where lawyers got into serious trouble for overstating their experience or outright lying about their credentials online. If you have no heavy experience to boast of, then build up your accessibility, talk about your commitment to clients, back it up by offering effective and immediate communication. Say something that differentiates yourself and that is valid. Whatever promises or boasts you make online you need to be able to back them up or they can come back and bite you.

As the podcast hosts celebrate the milestone of their 100th Episode they do not rest on their laurels. Rather, they talk about the need to constantly re-check your website, online profile and other marketing material. It can be very comforting to just sit in a cocoon and think all is well and business is just down. It takes courage and fortitude to routinely and regularly analyze what you are doing about growing your practice. Don’t put aside what seems like monumental tasks once you have determined that they are necessary to your practice’s survival. If you can’t tackle them all at once, break them down into segments that you can accomplish over time. But most importantly, never stop thinking about growing your practice.

After Scott is knocked out for the count by a bad cold, the hosts discuss ways that a solo practitioner can get some back up in the case of an emergency. You must have something in place for contingencies, vacations, sick days or double-booked court dates you can’t attend. Per diem lawyers, office shares, joining websites and listservs that provide that coverage are ways you can build a safety net for yourself and your practice.

We recognize that we push networking a lot – an awful lot. But we bring it up again because it is vital to growing a practice. We have given lots of suggestions about ways to “Get yourself out there” and we do not expect that anyone can do all of them. But in this episode, we talk about ways to explore opportunities for networking in places or in groups that you are already spending your time – Little League, Volunteer Firehouse, Place of Worship. All of these could be a chance to talk about your business and find referral partners. So keep an open mind and look around you for a way to help you network your practice in your community

Rome wasn’t built in a day and the same will be true for your practice. The hosts discuss how they started this podcast after their individual “Reboots” have blossomed and after many ups and downs. Listeners are encouraged to remember that it may take a while for the fruits of their efforts to be noticeable. You may have to adapt, modify, re-tool or even start over completely along the way. It’s hard to keep your chin up while you wait for it to happen, but don’t sit idly by during that period. Keep at improving as many elements of your practice as you can and you will then be ready and in a better place once business starts to come in.

Steven Funari from Law Office Suites wrote a recent article that discussed 7 important things that solo practitioners should do. Steven recognizes how overwhelming it can be to be a small or solo attorney and gives this tips to help attorneys with time management, become lean, grow professionally and personally and just be able to deal with the every day stress of running your own practice. We chime in with our opinions about each of the activities. You can check out Steven’s website at http://lawfirmsuites.com/

When Scott discovers that one of his main phone number somehow stopped working, it leads to a discussion about the need to continually check and update your social media. When you have a small or solo firm it can take very little to derail a month of revenue if something is wrong with your social media or marketing presence. Vigilance is everything. Periodically check your webpage, your phone system and your marketing to make sure things are working. Also, check to see whether the information you are putting out there about yourself and your firm are stale. Finally, a website you put up two years ago will look old-fashioned and send a message to your client that you are dated and out of step with current tools and technology.

Lisa Solomon discusses how attorneys can use nowcounsenletwork.com. Specifically how to initiate contact and get a quote, how billing works and the parameters of the attorney/freelancer agreement. We then discuss how working with an experienced freelance lawyer can help you provide the service that your clients are accustomed to while gaining back time for yourself to build your practice. We also discuss how she vets the attorneys who do work for nowcounsenletwork.com and how an attorney can become a freelancer.

Lawyers who become busy have traditionally had only one option. Hire an associate. But due to technology and shifts in the marketplace, hiring a freelance lawyer is now easier than ever. This week, Scott talks to Lisa Solomon from Now Counsel Network who discusses how hiring a freelancer can help solo and small firms, increase profits, lessen stress and grow their practices. Lisa can be reached at http://nowcounselnetwork.com and @nowcounselnet

Lawyers likely get inundated with ads for client management or practice management software that make numerous promises that will revolutionize your practice. Look past the promises and investigate the validity of the claims made. You need to find the proper program that is streamlined to your needs. Some programs specialize in email drip campaigns; some help you with intake forms; others help you set up an intake system right from your website. It’s not one size fits all and you can spend a lot of money on programs and systems that will give you things you don’t need and won’t fulfill the needs for your practice. The host discuss experiences with these systems and some of the issues they have come across.

Getting properly paid for your time is essential to a successful practice but also one of the most difficult goals to obtain. How do you set the right price? How do you get clients to commit to paying right at the initial consultation? Oscar and Scott discuss what has worked in the past for their practices and provide some concrete tips in dealing with getting retained by prospective clients. You have to be comfortable in quoting fees and finding that right figure for each matter that makes sense to you and your practice. Accessing mentors and referral partners for advice and suggestions about fee ranges will help give you confidence that you are in the right ballpark. The hosts remind listeners that the core themes of authenticity and value still matter the most in that initial consultation.

In this episode, the hosts discuss how they use texting and visual voicemail to help maintain client communication. In today’s world, clients expect a much higher level of connectivity and communication with their lawyer. Scott and Oscar chat about how they decided to give clients their cell phone numbers to ease communication and make themselves more productive and how they manage client expectations about contact and responding to inquiries. That leads to a discussion on how using tech to increase client intake. Without a doubt, maintaining a good flow of communication with clients is central to a growing practice.