Life & Law: Your Practice. Your Life. Your Terms.

Today’s conversation is with fellow attorney Scott Oliver, a Partner at Lewis Kappes. Scott became the youngest equity partner in his firm’s history. But that’s not why we’re talking or what we will be chatting about today. Scott is a big believer that being more “human” as a lawyer leads to greater success and happiness. Which is precisely what we will be getting into today (and more). I first be...

You worked HARD on a pitch for a potential new client. But it felt a bit awkward, they hardly asked any questions, and all you got was a polite "thank you". They promised you'd hear something soon but you haven't heard a word and it's been over a week. You can't help but wonder if this is going to be like the last pitch... "We decided to go with another firm." The truth is this: most lawyers and l...

Having supportive, dedicated mentors is a necessity for your growth, development and success as a lawyer. This is true regardless of how long you've been practicing (yes, even if you've been practicing for 15+ years). Although you likely know at least some of the benefits for having a mentor, you might not be fully aware of them all. And you likely don't realize the big benefits you'll see from se...

How often do you find yourself saying "yes" to something you would prefer to say "no" to? Do you ever recommend yourself for something while thinking... "Why am I offering myself up for this?" Have you ever realized that you're spending a majority - maybe a vast majority - of your time on things that aren't all that important to you (at the expense of what IS important)? If any of the above resona...

By now you've heard a lot of about how important it is to have emotional intelligence for your personal and professional development. But what should you actually be doing to improve your emotional intelligence? That's what we will be tackling today. Listen for 5 practical things you can start doing to exponentially improve your emotional intelligence. *** Learn about ELEVATE Attorney Business Dev...

Ready for a proven (and highly effective) legal billing alternative to the billable hour that isn't flat-fee billing or package-based pricing? That's what today's episode is all about. Listen to learn how to transform your legal billing in a way that will: (1) improve efficiency, (2) strengthen client relationships and (3) increase workflow over the long-term. *** BECOME A NEXT-LEVEL LAWYER Join t...

Most successful lawyers I know: - Aren't any smarter than anyone else. - Don't have any special marketing, sales or business training. - Didn’t graduate from the “top” law schools. - Didn’t start with special connections. - Don’t come from lots of money. The real difference between them and everyone else? Their mindset. Today we get into how to change your mindset to be an explorer, trust yourself...

You know you need to meet certain billing and collection requirements to be consider for partnership. But that's not the only thing that counts. Listen to today's episode to find out the real secret behind getting - and then staying - on partnership track. *** Get the Legal Mindset Mastery Toolkit here: https://www.coursecorrectioncoaching.com/banish-lawyer-burnout-toolkit/ The post #160: Getting...

Ever struggle with what to write about on LinkedIn. Everyone says you should be doing it but... it feels so overwhelming (and time-consuming). You marvel at the attorneys who post almost daily (even weekly) wondering... How do they do that? Are they extra-human? Is there some secret you don't know about? NO, they are not extra-human. Yes, there is a secret. But it won't remain a secret for long. T...

You want to be good at your job but don't love getting feedback - even though you know you need to get it for your professional development. Listen to today's conversation with Leadership Coach Rachael Bosch to learn how to receive feedback and give it more compassionately and effectively. *** BECOME A NEXT-LEVEL LAWYER Join the Next Level Lawyer Newsletter for weekly tips, tools & strategies on h...

You want - no, NEED - to increase your rates but worry about what your clients will think and how they'll react. You keep avoiding having the conversation. And you really don't want to lose anyone over this. Yet you still need to do it. Today you're going to learn how to increase your rates (and fees) without losing any clients or even making them angry. *** Learn About ELEVATE Attorney Business G...

We keep talking about lawyer wellbeing. Most law firms have implemented employee wellness programs. And yet... the numbers don't seem to be changing. In fact, 70% of legal professionals still say that mental health is at a crisis level in this profession. Is there any good news to be had? And what - if anything - can be done about this? Today we get into both. Because yes, there IS some good news....

There are a million attorneys out there that your perfect clients could hire. Which is why your attorney marketing efforts must answer the question "Why you?". Today, you'll learn how to think about this question and - more importantly - answer it in a compelling way (without feeling awkward). *** The post #155: Attorney Marketing – Unlock “Why You?” appeared first on Life and La...

You worked hard to plan, outline, practice and put slides together for a big speech... yet got zero new business out of it (and hardly any discussion). You spent weeks putting together the exact right presentation for a pitch (including all that branding work your marketing team insisted on) and still didn't get the work. What's going on? You're likely making some (very) common business presentati...

You know that your body language can help - or hurt - you when trying to persuade others. But are you aware that your color choices (within the clothing and/or jewelry you wear) can also have an impact? Join me and guest Kerry Heaps for a fascinating discussion around the power of color persuasion. *** RATE, REVIEW & FOLLOW --> "Lawyers need this podcast." --> "Heather hits every relevant topic, g...

Lawyer life can be exhausting, stressful and overwhelming while also feeling exciting, interesting and fun. But can you make it more of the latter and less of the former? Yes. Learn how in today's episode. *** GET THE LEGAL MINDSET MASTERY TOOLKIT 10 evidence-based mindset & stress management tools (you can use in a matter of minutes) that rewire your mind to think, feel and be your best. https://...

I often hear from disillusioned attorneys who became lawyers so that they can make a real impact yet don't feel as if they're making a difference - whether through their work or within their lives. Is that you, too? Maybe you feel like your always busy, often rushed schedule gets in the way. Perhaps you worry about the direction the country (even the world) seems to be going culturally and/or poli...

Do the demands of work, life and business make you feel distracted, unfocused and like you're always jumping from one thing to another (not really getting much done and always behind)? You know that at least part of the answer is to devote more time to your own wellbeing yet struggle to fit proper self-care activities into your day-to-day (things are always so busy). Today's episode was made speci...

One of the top complaints I hear from attorneys is how isolated they feel. They lack support, and mostly frame that in terms of firm/management support. But when you dig deeper, we usually find that the support they lack (and need most) is peer support. Join me for a conversation with guest Rachel Clar around why attorney peer support is so crucial for: --> Your pocket book (she shares a stat that...

Ever struggle with how to properly balance between billable vs. nonbillable hours? You need to bill as much as possible so that you can meet your requirements and collect enough. But you can't NOT do nonbillable work (for a variety of reasons). How do you determine where to focus your nonbillable time? When does it make most sense to prioritize nonbillable work over billable work (and does that ev...

Do you ever struggle with how to skillfully manage young attorneys? This is something I hear about often (it's a real struggle for most of my partner and senior counsel clients). And it's honestly nothing new. We know that older generations tend to struggle to relate to - and then most effectively lead - younger generations (which is a big reason why leadership coaches like me exist). But is it ge...

Does growing your business feel hard? Does it sometimes feel like you're never going to be able to grow your business the way you want? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you're likely making some common business growth mistakes. Listen to learn about the 10 most common business growth mistakes most lawyers make when trying to grow their business and (most importantly) how to effecti...

Marketing isn't something most lawyers embrace (at least, not immediately). And that's especially the case when it comes to digital marketing. But the truth is that, private practice attorneys can't afford not to pay attention to digital marketing (at least a little bit). Join me and guest Travis Hoechlin for an honest discussion around all things digital marketing for lawyers. You'll learn why no...

How often do you wish you had more control... Over your time, your business, your life? If you're like most attorneys, you probably think (or even say) something to that effect daily. What if I told you that this isn't really what you want? Because control is based in fear (and also, is a lot of work). Listen to today's episode to discover why letting go of control is THE foundational answer to ge...

For most lawyers, the practice of law is all-encompassing. Which is why so many lawyers suffer from higher-than-average rates of stress, anxiety, burnout and depression. The good news? It doesn't have to be this way. Join me for an insightful discussion with licensed counselor (and attorney) Bena Stock. Inside today's episode you'll learn how to overcome this all-encompassing nature (hint: it star...