The 80/20 Principle

Show Notes Growing up blind taught Richard Chen how to deal with uncertainty, solve problems creatively, and adapt reflexively to changing circumstances—skills that help him in his day-to-day law practice. Discover how technology helps him do his work, even though he can't use a mouse with his computer. Richard explains why relies heavily on systems and processes to keep his practice running smoot...

Show Notes Stacey Randall Brown is a small business owner who figured out how to generate new clients through referrals BUT without asking for those referrals. She cracked the code to overcoming the decades old advice that says to receive referrals you must ask for them. There are many ways to generate referrals but Stacey's way is the best way. The key thing to understand is that referrals come f...

Getting what you most want in life is important, but many people get derailed, discouraged, or defeated in their attempt. Michael Lewis faced adversity, and so did Ernie. Even Ernie's dad, the psychoanalyst that helped people get what they most wanted had struggles. Understanding other people's struggles helps you realize that you're normal if you struggle. After listening to this episode you'll u...

Your beliefs are the biggest factor in how much success you can achieve, and it's hard for people to adjust their beliefs without help. The people who help you overcome limiting self-beliefs will often make you feel uncomfortable. But if you can't deal with discomfort you'll never achieve your biggest dreams. Michael Lewis' podcast episode about his high school baseball coach , Billy Fitzgerald (a...

Personal development is important if you want to grow and become "your best self." But there are insidious impediments to personal growth, which are important to recognize. And it's important to learn how to get past those impediments if you want to create a law practice that's fulfilling. More importantly, it's vital for creating a LIFE that you truly enjoy. Resources Mentioned Tim Ferriss' inter...

Lawyers, of all modern "knowledge workers," should be highly adept at gathering key information. Sadly, too many of us lack the search skills we need. Mostly, it's a problem of insufficient awareness about where to search or how to search using tools that aren't law-specific. In this episode, you'll learn how to become more aware, and what exactly to focus your "search awareness" on. Tracers for L...

Show Notes In this episode, you'll meet Erik Pickering, whose company (Tracers) helps lawyers and investigators turn up vital information that's often indispensable to the outcome of cases. From doing social media research about jurors or witnesses to finding missing witnesses or missing heirs in probate matters, Tracers is a service that can probably help you more than you might imagine. Tracers...

Show Notes You can plan right now to improve your life and practice, and there's a great way to do that kind of planning. It's probably not a way of planning that you're used to, but it's easy to do and very effective. Especially right now, during this worldwide shutdown of economic activity and social gatherings. Yes, right now is the best time. Download  my Vision Quest Brainstorming Guide (disc...

The Coronavirus pandemic is obviously a disaster, but it's also an opportunity if you know how to capitalize on it . I faced a similar situation when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 and I seized an important opportunity (not without a lot of trepidation, mind you). General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource : https://www.the8020lawyer.c...

Conrad Saam is one of very few legal marketing experts that Ernie trusts. In this episode, Conrad explains what lawyers should and shouldn't do in this current pandemic crisis. He talks about which practice areas are seeing a boost in activity, and why. Conrad's company website: Mockingbird Marketing Ernie's LawFirm Autopilot Slack Group Signup for the (now) 100% Virtual Small Firm Bootcamp Get Er...

Show Notes Mike Whelan was a family law practitioner who realized that many old ways of practicing law don't work anymore, which makes lawyers more stressed today than they've ever been. He identifies the problem as something called "the churn" in his excellent book: Lawyer Forward . In this episode Ernie asks him about how lawyers can overcome the churn to create profitable and enjoyable practice...

Family law practitioner Elise Buie has built a paperless practice that is super streamlined and optimized for remote work. She and Ernie share thoughts about how Hurricane Katrina helped motivate lawyers to adopt technology that improved their practices. Listen in and find out why she says that learning to practice virtually not only helps your firm run smoother but also dramatically improves your...

Here are helpful lessons I learned during the massive social disruption of Hurricane Katrina that are relevant and helpful to you during the Covid-19 situation. The current pandemic is forcing many of us to work from home in isolation. We need to become adept at working remotely and collaborating virtually. Here are 3 vital things that will help you do that better. Twitter ; - sign up for an accou...

David Sparks is a solo business lawyer in Orange County, California. He's been a frequent speaker at bar association conferences around the country, including the ABA TECHSHOW, where he helps lawyers learn to better harness the power of technology to make their practices run more smoothly, with less effort. David is a well-known speaker, author, and podcaster (i.e. Mac Power Users , Automators ;,...

How would your best accountant friend recommend you streamline your law firm's management of bookkeeping, accounting, and general finances? Listen & find out... Show Notes Amanda Aguillard has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2001. She holds a Masters Degree in Taxation from the University of Denver, and loves helping small law firms (and other small businesses) improve their financial dat...

Ernie interviews Mark Homer about effective marketing for small law firms, and how he helps his lawyer clients get better noticed and found, online and offline. Show Notes Mark Homer's GNGF website (GNGF stands for "get noticed, get found") Online Law Practice Strategies: How to Turn Clicks Into Clients , by Mark Homer (the book we discussed in the episode) GNGF.tv ; - Live interviews, updates, an...

What is a "personal brand?" You are a personal brand, so you should understand what it means and how to strengthen your brand in powerful and tasteful ways. Show Notes Mike Kim's website Brand You podcast (Mike shares weekly insights about personal branding here) General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource : https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on...

Getting clients by sending a monthly email is effective and much easier than attending networking lunches. That's what business attorney Erica Pero discovered.   Show Notes Erica Pero's website Erica Pero's sample January Email Newsletter (compiled in Mailchimp) LFA Podcast #81 with John Rafferty Private Facebook group for Email Referral Marketing General Resources Learn to use technology to reduc...

To create a better practice you should leverage technology. Here are my top tech recommendations for simplifying, automating and outsourcing your way to freedom. Show Notes Here's my a link to download my top tech recommendations , and here's my best overall advice: After having worked for over a decade with hundreds of lawyers in all kinds of practices, I've zeroed in on three essential elements...

There are tech companies that take advantage of lawyers by first cleverly gaining their trust. I'll explain how they do this and reveal one of the scoundrels. Show Notes Blog post: Problems with Findlaw? ReadWise ; - app for reviewing Kindle highlights and other articles Link to register for free webinar series General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this r...

The key to avoiding "seemingly good options" that are not actually useful is understanding the tradeoffs in every decision involving technology choice you face. Show Notes Link to register for free webinar series General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource : https://www.the8020lawyer.com/ Focus on these essential tech tools for maximum traction in...

Figuring out how to effectively create systems can be tricky. Ernie addresses a solo lawyer's question why she might be having trouble creating systems. Podcast Episode Show notes: Atomic Habits , by James Clear The Artist's Way , by Julia Cameron Brian Koppleman's podcast (the episode where he talks about doing the 3 daily pages practice that he learned from reading The Artist's Way) General Reso...

Referral marketing is powerful. And done by email it's also ridiculously easy as business attorney John Rafferty discovered. Learn how he cracked the code.   Episode Show notes: John Rafferty's biography ; John's simple template for sending a monthly referral marketing email that gets astonishing results. MailerLite ; - free email for 2,000 or fewer recipients (this is the service that John uses)....

In this episode I talk with Maddy Martin of Smith.ai about why their services are especially beneficial to solo and small firm lawyers. For many attorneys affordability is the primary motivation for signing up. (i.e. plans start at $70/month). But the more you research Smith.ai the more reasons you'll discover for giving it a try. For example, they can make outbound calls for you— everything from...

Working on your business requires focus, and I recommend you focus on simple text automation and basic outsourcing using these tools/services: TextExpander ; - subscription service provides the ability to trigger text macros in any text input field, email or word processing area. If you can't leverage TextExpander it's because you aren't working on your business enough. FancyHands ; - subscription...