BE THAT LAWYER

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Darren Wurz discuss: Learning skills outside of just the law.  Niche down to stand out in the crowd.  Top struggles lawyers have around money.  Making the changes that will make the biggest difference in the future.    Key Takeaways: Awareness of your money is the first step. You have to know where it is going in order to understand what is happening. In a law fi...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Whitney Harper discuss: Why so many law firms still use the billable hour.  Deliverables-based billing.  Getting clear about what your deliverables are.  Building the playbooks to increase your profitability.    Key Takeaways: Most tech for lawyers are based on hourly billing, which makes it difficult for those wishing to switch without creating new software.  Ho...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Jason Ciment discuss: Building and maintaining relationships.  Going solo versus having a partnership.  Outsourcing components of your business that were previously not possible to outsource.  Top tips to ensure a successful partnership.    Key Takeaways: You never know what relationships are going to lead to your next game-changing relationship.  Marketing is gr...

- What does it mean to Live Big? - How does creating connect to living big — and what is creativity all about (that most people do not understand or appreciate, or feel intimidated about)? - How we can all be powerful creators of the lives we want to live.    In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Rochelle Seltzer discuss: Why lawyers need creativity.  What does it mean to Live Big? How creativity con...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Kerri Coby White discuss: How KerriJames was created and how they assist law firm growth. The compounding power of data. The harsh realities attorneys should accept and address. The four fundamentals for law firm growth.   Key Takeaways: If you have the right systems in place, your systems will put out the right outputs, and you can focus your time and energy on...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Ben Paul discuss: Importance of just being active in your business development.  Taking action and executing on your conversations.  The three steps to building your business development successfully.  Top tips to improve your business development and the questions to ask to get referrals.    Key Takeaways: Being active in business development will get you far. H...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Alexandra Watkins discuss: The profession of naming.  Brand, personal, and business naming.  Identifying what makes you unique and your brand personality.  Creating a consistent message across your brand, social media, and all aspects of your business.    Key Takeaways: People fall in love with brands, but it doesn’t happen overnight.  The name is the soul of you...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Bob Green discuss: Bob’s experience in stopping a murder trial and how it lead to his current professional role.  Making progress by solving at least one problem each month.  Who are you when you’re not famous?  Connecting with peer networking groups for personal and professional growth.    Key Takeaways: Be willing to do things you have never done before. If you...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and John Ross discuss: Differentiating yourself in your marketing. Client engagement and communication. Networking outside of other lawyers and reciprocating referrals. Hiring a marketer to do what you were doing to build your brand and business.   Key Takeaways: If you’re doing the exact same thing as everyone else, you will not be noticed. Being broke will force in...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Arya Firoozmand discuss: Referrals as a benefit to your clients. Challenges lawyers have when they don’t manage their client databases and relationships. Check-ins with no motive to develop trust. Staying in front of legal tech. Ethical fee sharing between lawyers and how Overture can help you do that.   Key Takeaways: You may get referrals from clients for thing...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Rachel Steininger discuss: The cost of learning how to run a business on your own.  What it takes to scale your law firm and how it differs from your early days of practicing law. The secrets to working on your business.  Avoiding the Curse of the Competent.    Key Takeaways: Personalize the strategies that you have based on where you want to be and who you want...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Merry Neitlich discuss: The evolution of branding over the last 20 years.  Finding your brand essence statement and recognizing how you stand out from others in your space.  Keeping your branding consistent throughout your entire online presence.  The difference between brand, marketing, and business development (and how they all interact).    Key Takeaways: Keep...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Lindsay Ellis discuss: Understanding your core values and honoring them in every aspect of what you do.  Noticing your values by noticing what is important to you in your day to day.  Creating boundaries when you know what you value.  Digging deep within yourself to find the calm in the storm.    Key Takeaways: You are allowed to make up a definition for the valu...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Charlène Gisèle discuss: Taking the time to be, not just to do. Drivers for burnout in lawyers.  The two voices in our head…and our choice on which we listen to.  The 6 tell-tale signs of burnout.  Understanding stress versus stressors.    Key Takeaways: There is little room for anxiety when you are in the moment because you are fully present in the here and now....

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Ben Grimes discuss: What it means to be a good leader (and how to get better if you aren’t currently one). Why leadership is difficult for lawyers. 4 pillars you should look for in a leader. Preparing yourself to lead people and what inspires people in a leader.   Key Takeaways: Like with sales, leadership is not taught in law school, but it is something you can...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Chris Brencans discuss: Getting backlinks to your website from other trusted websites. Taking advantage of the EAT - expertise, authority, trustworthiness. Scaling your local SEO efforts and tracking the traffic and leads. AI and legal marketing.   Key Takeaways: It is hard to refer someone when there is no information. You need to understand and leverage informa...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Wendy Salajka discuss: The sages and saboteurs in our lives and how they affect what we do. How Positive Intelligence is relevant to running a law firm.  Mental health in the legal industry.  The 5 powers of the sage and building the human connection first.   Key Takeaways: Our brains are not reliable. Sometimes they are for us, sometimes they are against us, and...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Katie Burke discuss: Building a brand for yourself and your law firm.  Informing your network about what you’re doing.  Developing strategic partnerships.  Evolving and growing your network and business.    Key Takeaways: If you are interested in more than one, unrelated, area of law, there are ways to make both work, it just takes some creativity and tenacity. ...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin, Ashley Robinson, Conrad Saam, and Roy Sexton discuss: Social media as a tool for engagement.  Deciding the best social media platform for you.  Law firm marketing versus individual marketing.  Connecting with those who already have deep roots in the community.    Key Takeaways: How you use social media matters. Doing nothing but promoting yourself is not going to bu...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin, Ashley Robinson, Conrad Saam, and Roy Sexton discuss: The difference between marketing and business development.  Creating a detailed client avatar.  Marketing in a way that is comfortable for you and is where your audience is.  Utilizing AI in marketing appropriately.    Key Takeaways: Marketing shows you the door and business development helps you to talk through...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Alex McLaughlin discuss: Legal tech at every law firm size.  Challenges lawyers are having with and without legal technology.  The evolution of the legal technology landscape.  Utilizing tech for a better work-life balance and to better serve clients.    Key Takeaways: Find the right technology that works for you, customize it to your firm, and get the proper tra...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Gerald Maatman discuss: Investing in yourself for better business development.  The Darwinism of business development.  Finding your passion and purpose.  Utilizing your skillsets appropriately in marketing.    Key Takeaways: In business development, sweat equity pays dividends. You want to get ahead of the problem and deliver value to the clients who end up with...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Eric Gros-Dubois discuss: Eric’s motivations for starting his law firm (and what held him back from taking the first step). Surround yourself with those who are better than you. Working to the highest and best use of your time. Creatively hiring to suit your law firm’s needs.   Key Takeaways: You can delegate a task, but you cannot delegate the responsibility. As...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Margaret Enloe discuss: Narrowing down what you want to pursue and what drives you.  Thinking about change and better habits.  Stepping out of the weeds of everyday work to look at the bigger picture of your business.  Getting a mentor and/or coach to grow in life and business.    Key Takeaways: Better habits start with becoming more self-aware. As you build bett...

In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Melissa Griffiths discuss: The connection between the brain and body.  The anxieties that we experience today (and why, biologically, they show up in the way they do).  Why lawyers are more prone to stress and anxiety than other professions. How HeartMath can assist in dealing with unwanted emotions.  The single most effective technique people can use when feelin...