Reboot Your Law Practice

Scott and Oscar have long advised listeners that law firms and solo lawyers can learn a lot about business development by listening to experts outside the legal field. In this episode they discuss The Achievement Habit by Bernard Roth. The author talks about the need for people to go after what they want and realize that they are in control of their own lives and businesses. The book admonishes its readers to “Stop Wishing, Start Doing and Take Command of Your Life.” The hosts talk about how to implement the advice Roth gives in his book to a law practice. The attitude in which you take something on is as important as deciding what to take on. The hosts talk about how they had to adjust their attitudes to give their law practices the boost they needed to be successful. The first step is self-contemplation and analysis to determine what kind of person you are and what kind of lawyer you wanted to be. While we are all lawyers we are all not the same lawyer and you need to apply yourself in the manner that best

This week Oscar and Scott talk about two different aspects of “Access to Justice”. First, they discuss Access to Justice in Law Schools. While giving law students much needed real life legal experience, the hosts wonder if serving this population will actually allow a student to make a living after graduation. They also discuss a Law Firm that is marketing to this underserved population by offering free documents and information on their site and a unique pricing plan for clients. The hosts discuss these different initiatives and believe this kind of out of the box thinking is needed for the future of law but are still a work in progress.

The key to a successful networking opportunity is being able to create a conversation that holds the interest of the others at the event. Scott and Oscar relate stories they were recently involved in around meeting lawyers and law students at events that offered great opportunities to make connections and maybe even develop some business. They offer suggestions and some “do’s and don’ts,” to help guide the listener through these opportunities. Step 1 is to be engaged – listen to what the other person has to say and build off of that; Step 2 is to personalize your story to match the event’s focus or at least the focus of the conversation you are having; and Step 3 is to be yourself and recognize that the others at the event are likely there for the same reason as you are – to meet people, make connections and try to get business in the future.

A Facebook legal marketing ad sparks a conversation about why you cannot abdicate the responsibility for your law firm marketing. Many legal marketers will try to tell you that some lawyers are simply just not meant to be entrepreneurs and therefore they must rely on professional marketers to build their practices. The podcast hosts discuss that it can sound very enticing to not have to worry about this aspect of your business and let someone else worry about driving business to your practice. But it can be dangerous placing all of the marketing decisions and content in a third party’s hands. Scott and Oscar go through examples of disasters that can happen when you relinquish that control. They finish the podcast by discussing suggesting listeners take a look at some authentic and genuine legal websites and compare them to those that have canned content and are merely the by-products of some third party’s vision of that lawyer’s website. Nothing replaces authenticity and value as the foundations of a marketin

Scott and Oscar discuss how a solo or small firm practitioner has an obligation to protect the practice’s electronically stored information and digital media – including the firm’s website material and of course client data. The hosts discuss examples of how the both have dealt with cyber-attacks; hacks; and “ransomware” that have hit their practices in recent months. It’s important in today’s digital world to make sure that you stay current on the current risks that exist and the software and knowledge that can help fix your system if you get hit or even better avoid them in the first place.

Time management is the biggest issue for solo or small practice lawyers. We have to be lawyers, mangers, paralegals, accountants, marketing experts, all at the same time. The podcast host talk about using the new “gig’ or “share” economy to help take some of the load off of you so that you can spend more time on job #1 – developing and growing your practice. In today’s economy more people are looking for this type of work and there are plenty of sites where lawyers can find the extra help they need on a case-by-case or project-by-project. The host talk about the thought processes involved in deciding what can be outsourced and what must be done by your personally. Scott and Oscar talk about some of the tasks they have outsourced:- Developing graphics for the firm’s website- Routine court appearances- Crafting design of cards and brochures- Transcription of the podcastRemember the goal of this is to allow you spend more time in practice development!

The podcast hosts discuss how using presentations to groups have helped develop their practice. For those lawyers who try cases, speaking in front of groups may be second nature but trying a case and talking to a group about the law are very different things. You need to have a different mindset – come at it from a point of not just delivering information but for development of business. The hosts talk about how to get opportunities to appear before various trade and legal groups as well as public libraries all of which are dying to get speakers -so why not you? Once you get the gig, make sure your content is accurate and helpful. Practice your presentation and time it to see how long it actually takes you because you want to use up the time properly. You need to prepare so that your confidence level is high when you make the presentation. Don’t forget that you want to come across as a confident expert in the area you are discussing. So much like trial, preparation and practice is key. Giving presentations is

This episode focuses attention on a topic the hosts have talked about before – developing a client-centered practice. By recalling things that have happened in their practices, Oscar and Scott discuss steps they have implemented to make sure they are always mindful of their clients’ needs and expectations. As lawyers, it can be easy to fall into the habit of believing that you know best how to handle the attorney-client relationship. But the hosts remind listeners that from the outset, it is the clients’ goals that matter most. For example, the first step is making sure that from the first meeting, you and the client are on the same page as to the level of communication the client wants and what you will commit to. From then on, it is up to you to maintain that promise and build the kind of relationship that will bring you more business.

The use of Social Media can be a great asset to your practice but you need to be aware of the pitfalls. This week join Oscar and Scott as they talk about how negative online client comments can affect your practice. They discuss how to combat negative or untrue comments. It some situations engaging the opposing party may be recommended, in some situations, creating new content will be what is needed.    The hosts have previously (and will continue) to discuss having a more client centered practice and they believe that doing so will minimize negative reviews and maximize positive reviews.     

The podcast hosts were both influenced in their businesses by Seth Godin’s book Tribes: We Need You to Lead. In his book and in Ted talks on the subject Seth Godin discusses that a tribe is “any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea.” This podcast talks about how Seth’s ideas can be applied to building your law practice by thinking of yourself as the leader of a tribe that will follow you by writing and talking about certain topics from a consistent, strong viewpoint. Scott and Oscar break down the steps a lawyer can take to try and become a leading voice in particular legal niche and by doing so, enhance their practice.

Development of a niche practice has been a key focus of Reboot your Law Practice since its inception. Podcast host Scott Limmer talks about his attempts to develop a practice in Cannabis Law. At a recent trip to a Cannabis Convention in Las Vegas, Scott realized it was time to pull the plug on trying to start that niche area and move on to something else and devote more time to his current practice areas.The hosts talk about what Scott learned in the process and why it’s important to know when to walk away from something that isn’t working. The hosts also discuss how even a failed endeavor can reap rewards for the growth and development of yourself as a lawyer and of your practice.

This week Oscar and Scott discuss how to decide how much to put into your marketing budget. While industry surveys report that law firms average between 1.5-3% of gross revenue for marketing, Oscar and Scott discus how the numbers can be deceptive. Firstly, the surveys usually involve big law firms so the numbers will not be applicable to solo or small firm practitioners. Before deciding how much to spend, you have to decide who your target audience is and where can you reach them. Spending money on marketing without a precise game plan as to what kind of business you seek to attract is just throwing money out the window. The hosts also discuss that you should take parts of your current budget that you may not consider to be marketing but which should be used to develop your practice so that the numbers involved are applicable to a marketing budget. For example: • Bar association dues• CLE classes• Tickets to certain fundraisers • And of course – your website costsAll of these items should be keyed toward de

Oscar & Scott talk about the importance of remaining authentic to yourself and your practice in all of your social media outlets. Starting with your website, don’t pretend to be something you’re not or make promises you can’t keep. Your site is usually the first thing that will pop up when prospective clients search your name on the Internet. The hosts talk about some issues they discovered in lawyers’ websites and online communications that must be avoided at all costs. Examples include using a picture of someone other than yourself and giving wrong information on a substantive law issue. Remember that the Internet is forever and a poor social media presence can be devastating to recruiting business and referrals. Listening to this podcast will help you avoid some common and dangerous pitfalls.

This week we talk about tried and true big business ideas that you can use for your solo or small practice. Scott read a few business books and he and Oscar talk about how to apply the methods he learned about to your practice.They discuss the following booksThe E Myth by Michael Gerberhttp://www.amazon.com/The-E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses/dp/0887307280The E-Myth discusses the differing, oftentimes conflicting, roles of a business owner as he must take on the duties of the entrepreneur, technician and manager of their small business. Scott and Oscar agree that you must wear many hats as a business owner and you must put time and effort into ll aspects of your practice.Traction by Gino Wickmanhttp://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8What Scott took away from Traction is that the key to growing your business is to plan. Create a Vision statement. Identify Core processes. Create Measurable priorities.Zero to One by Peter Theilhttp://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes

In this episode the podcast hosts talk about developing and transitioning into a new practice area. Scott has Oscar take listeners through how he made a transition into a new practice area when his main practice field –criminal defense - began to decrease. Oscar explains why the need arose and how he adapted and developed as he transitioned. The podcast hosts apply lessons learned from this experience into tools listeners can use and apply to their own practices.

Podcast Host Scott Limmer recently attended Above the Law’s Academy of Private Practice Conference and reports on some valuable insight and information he obtained at the conference. First and foremost, Scott mentions that lawyers have to get comfortable with the current and coming tech boom affecting lawyers and their practice. This has been a running theme on the show and the ATL APP conference just further solidified the need for practitioners to get up to speed – not just with tech for the office and staff but tech such as branded portals that put up clients’ needs and seek legal help for them through these special websites, like Upwork. Lawyers need to think about their practice areas as these sites proliferate and do things like wills; corporate start-ups; and document production. While these things will give people more access to legal services at a low cost – it will financially impact solo and small firms. Some tips to rise above the coming cyber-law-practice model:- Focus on areas where personal int

The hosts continue talking about Getting Lean by discussing how Lean Law relates to your client management and development. Ken Grady, Lean Law Evangelist at SeyfarthShaw, discusses different pricing models for legal services and the price sensitivity that is creeping into the legal profession.  Part of the way that we can provide quality of service at a lower fee is by getting Lean in our practice so that what used to take you 2 hours now takes you 30 minutes. That allows you to:  • Use the extra 90 minutes to do something else that is profitable• Pass the savings onto the client which keeps them happy • Be more flexible in how you charge clients  The Good News that Ken is helping us spread is that “Getting Lean” only requires basic tools: paper, pencil, post it notes, and some tape. It’s not a resource heavy activity. The basic method is to map out the sequence of things you do to fulfill a particular process – say preparing a complaint. Then create a checklist of those things to see which can be eliminated

This week Reboot Your Law Practice hosts Ken Grady – “The Lean Law Evangelist” in the first of two part episode discussing how you make your practice “lean” so that it can withstand economic downturns and be less of a monetary roller coaster. Ken is in charge of the Lean Law Practice at Seyfarth Shaw which helps the national, multi-faceted practice assist its clients in making their businesses leaner. Ken’s prior experience helped form his Lean Law Practice in that after being a partner in a BigLaw firm, he moved in-house to be corporate counsel for various Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 corporations. It was at these corporate positions that Ken first began to encounter “Lean Thinking” in the business world. He then joined Seyfarth Shaw where he serves as the consultant to their Lean Law Practice. “Lean Thinking” is a business process improvement brought over to the states by Toyota in the 1980s that focuses on efficiency; cost control; and quality improvement. About 10 years ago, Seyfarth Shaw developed it f

This week Oscar and Scott discuss how solo and small practices can decide on when its time to bring on a new associate. Hiring another lawyer is a big commitment and not just because of the additional salary. It means you have to evaluate your space, your malpractice coverage and your time.There are some steps you can take before hiring a lawyer to make sure you are ready:- Will a non-lawyer addition help? Can you start by just adding a part-time paralegal or secretary to help with some of the administrative or lower level tasks that are taking up your time?- Is the current workload something that will be a steady presence or is just a temporary influx of business that can be alleviated by farming some of the work out?- Would my workload be eased by hiring per diem or project lawyers as independent contractors to help me with the work- Maybe even writing to a law school for some part-pay part intern basisThese steps will allow you to see if you are truly ready to hire a new associate and will let you operate