Legal Management Talk

Recognizing the need for succession plans at your firm is a good first step, but what does that plan look like in practice? In this episode, David Wood , a former trial attorney and Principal of David Wood Consulting, talks about the plan he created and used to successfully transition his clients to the next generation of attorneys. He also discusses the role firm administrators play in ensuring a...

Why is change such a tough thing to manage in firms (well, for people in general)? We delve into that question in this episode. Catherine Alman MacDonagh, JD, the Founder of Legal Lean Sigma Institute and a member of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee, discusses steps for managing change, the importance of creating small change “wins,” how to avoid change burnout and more. Plus, we...

What can penguins teach us about instituting change at your firm? Shaun Jardine, lawyer and author of Ditch the Billable Hour , and his sidekick Declan the Penguin answer that question through the lens of shifting your billing method to value-based pricing (VBP). VBP can be a good way to consolidate the many different billable hour policies attorneys have while offering clients the quantity and qu...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Kriti Sharma, Chief Product Officer of Legal Tech at Thomson Reuters, we talk about the questions you should ask when choosing AI software to use at your firm, what the regulation landscape looks like and how AI will change the future of talent recruitment. Speaker Bio Kriti Sharma is Chief Product Officer of Legal Tech at Thomson Reuters, focusing on leveraging...

In the first of our two-part conversation with Kriti Sharma, Chief Product Officer of Legal Tech at Thomson Reuters, we discuss some of the latest ways artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving in the legal space, such as by simplifying research and administrative tasks, as well as how to avoid some of the common AI pitfalls like hallucinations. But don’t worry! The robots aren’t taking over our jo...

No attorney wants to think about what happens when they stop practicing, but it’s crucial to have those conversations now. Debbie Foster, Partner at Affinity Consulting, joined Legal Management Talk to discuss how to bring up those difficult conversations and why it’s important to not only your firm, but your clients, to have a solid plan in place in case a lawyer retires or has to stop working. S...

2023 has been an exciting year for LMT, and we wanted to celebrate by compiling some of our favorite moments from the year’s episodes. Check out snippets from our conversations that covered legal ops, mental wellness, AI and much more. If you want to hear more from these episodes and others, be sure to go to alanet.org/podcast, ALA’s Youtube channel, or download episodes wherever you get your podc...

In this edition of Peek Around the Corner with PDAC (ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee), we talk about the parts of leadership that can impact an employee’s connection and experience at your firm. Christine Wilbur, MBA,Associate Executive Director, Orange County Bar Association and a member of PDAC, discusses what prospective or existing employees really need. From support and reso...

Neurodiversity — especially ADHD — is quite prevalent in the legal industry, but few know how to address it. Casey Dixon of Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson of Stinson LLP joined Legal Management Talk to discuss Stinson’s new program to promote well-being among attorneys and staff with ADHD, as well as what firms can do to help make life easier for employees with executive function disorders....

So many of us struggle with mental health challenges, and admitting it isn’t cause for shame. The fact is, conversations about mental health need to continue in order to dismantle the stigma attached to it. We do just that in this episode with ALA Past President James Cornell, Director of Office Administration at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. James opens up about his own recent mental health struggles...

If you haven’t yet thought about how to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into your firm’s operations, now’s the time before you get left behind. Hamid Kohan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Legal Soft, joins the show to talk about how AI can make your firm more efficient from the intake process through litigation, as well as the risks that AI still poses. We also discuss virtual s...

Today, we’re talking about insurance. Wait, don’t click away yet! Cyber insurance is one of the key ways you can protect your firm if and when you’re hit with a cyberattack. Jeremy King, Partner at Olshan Frome Wolosky and Chair of the firm’s Insurance Coverage Law Practice, walks us through what to look for when choosing or changing your cyber insurance coverage and how policies have changed to a...

Imposter syndrome — we all experience it in our daily lives. Talking about it is one way to get through it. We did just that with Roberta Bauer, Regional Office Administrator of Ogletree Deakins and 2023-2024 Chair of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee. Plus, find out the solid advice The Berenstain Bears offer for working through feelings of insecurity.   Check out the PDAC roundta...

Legal operations shares many similarities with firm administration, and thinking with a legal ops mindset can help make your firm more efficient. Tom Stephenson, Vice President of Community and Legal Ops at Legal.io, joins us to talk about the six key elements of legal ops and how using those principles allows your firm to streamline processes ranging from billing to client management to e-discove...

The cloud may seem like a nebulous idea, but it could also be one of the best ways to make your firm’s operations more efficient and secure. Amy Kosey, Account Executive at Innovative Computing Systems, joins us to talk about what the cloud is, why firms should transition to the cloud if they haven’t already and what they need to do to prevent any cybersecurity risks. If you’re looking to make the...

Are we in a recession? Yes? No? Maybe so? The fact is, the threat of an economic downfall shouldn’t be what spurs you into taking action. We talked with Dan McCormack, CLM, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Dan McCormack & Associates LLC and a member of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee. He has 18 years of experience in finance, which made him the perfect guest to offer advice on...

Do you send your lawyers to conferences, but they don’t come back having generated any business? They might just be playing the wrong roles. Hear from business development experts and entrepreneurs Ioana Good, Adrien Maines and Peter Johnson about how to use data to identify your lawyers’ characteristics that will help maximize the business they bring in. Whether an attorney is a closer, a network...

Creating a diverse and inclusive culture can put your firm ahead of your competition in both recruitment and business development. Terry Isner, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Jaffe PR, joins us to discuss what that looks like in action and share his experience as a gay man working in the legal industry. Tune in for his insight into how to encourage your employees to bring their whole selves...

What does it mean to build a meaningful Pride campaign at your firm? We sat down to discuss this topic with Laurence Winters, Chief Community Officer, SurePoint Technologies, and Chair, ALA’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility. Through a vulnerable and honest account of his own struggles growing up as a gay man, Winters puts a face to why supporting the LGBTQ+ community in...

How are paper straws related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) efforts? Find out in the second of two Annual Conference-themed episodes, featuring David Sarnoff, Esq., ACC, and Joy Stephens, MBA, of Loeb Leadership. They preview their presentation, “Performative vs. Authentic Allyship,” and we discuss what it means to be a DEIA ally, as well as how DEIA initiatives have falt...

In this episode, Leadership Trainer Julie Holunga, MBA, PCC, and Margee Fawley, Chief Talent Officer at Davis, Graham & Stubbs, LLP, sit down with Legal Management Talk to preview their presentation — “Mastering the Art of Influencing Difficult Conversations” — at ALA’s upcoming Annual Conference. Hear their take on how remote work has affected the ability to talk about serious topics with you...

ChatGPT exploded into the artificial intelligence (AI) scene in November 2022 and quickly became the most downloaded app in history. We sat down with Matthew Sullivan — Chief Operating Officer at Sullivan Law & Associates, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of consulting firm Unravel Legal and a member of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC) — to discuss how this fast-movi...

If you’re feeling stressed amid the transition to hybrid work, you’re not alone. Fortunately, executive coach Laura Terrell joined Legal Management Talk to discuss ways to adjust your mindset so that you can be prepared to take on the challenges ahead. Learn about how best to communicate with your employees to ensure everyone is on the same page and how to balance in-person events with remote work...

Client demands are always changing, which means you and your firm have to keep up. In this episode, Andre Wouansi of Accurate Legal Billing, Inc. discusses how client guidelines have changed in recent years and how it behooves your firm to comply with them. Plus, learn about how new technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), can help you manage complex billing and timekeeping requirements,...

Business development is often overlooked amid the day-to-day bustle of law firm management. In this episode, David Freeman, JD, Founder of Lawyer BookBuilder, talks about how important business development is to the success of your firm and why now — during economic uncertainty — is the best time to ramp up those efforts. Plus, don’t miss Freeman’s advice on how to best measure your and your lawye...