The 80/20 Principle

Practice management advisor Jared Correia is back again to discuss how solo & small firm lawyers can meet the common challenges of growing their practices. Show Notes Prior episode with Jared Correia (#47) Red Cave Consulting (Jared's website) The Trillion Dollar Coach , by Eric Schmidt Ernie's blog posts on Systems General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with t...

In this episode Ernie talks with Diana Stepleton about chat services. Ruby Receptionists now offers web chat services that are similar to their phone receptionists. If you want higher conversion rates from your website visitors then you should consider using chat services. General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource : https://www.the8020lawyer.com...

If you have a website then you should understand some basics about what Google and other search engine companies need your website to convey. If you get the basics right then Google will treat you well. And if you are really savvy Google might even love your site in a way that gets you more business. General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource : h...

For your practice to run smoothly you need systems. But why is creating & documenting systems so difficult for lawyers? Listen and discover the "magic" process. Below are links to resources or services that were discussed in this episode: The Power of a System , by John Fisher (downloadable PDF) Systems Brainstorming Worksheet (Based on Patrick Slaughter's process) Dropbox Paper (collaborative doc...

Managing documents is vital for lawyers, but today the documents are mostly digital. So you need a good system for doing this well. Craig Bayer has helped hundreds of solo and small firm attorneys boost their efficiency by better managing their documents. In the past he also helped lawyers with practice management software. So he's in a unique position to offer insight into how you should use prac...

Patrick Slaughter runs a small firm in Knoxville, Tennessee that does mostly family law work and some immigration law. He built his practice quickly relying on marketing skills he gained working as a magician (before law school). He also makes sensible use of technology. We talked about how he grew his practice, and how he manages it today. We talked about the challenges he's faced and how he addr...

Theoretically using practice management software will make your practice easier to manage. In practice, it's not as effective for some lawyers as they thought when they initially decided to use it. In this episode we find out why, as Ernie interviews someone in a unique position to help solo and small firm lawyers figure out the best option for their practice type and overall situation: i.e. Jared...

I studied high performing business leaders who are amazingly proficient at managing email. Then I identified common tactics and strategies they used and then adopted those tactics as my own email processing system. My new system is radically more efficient, simpler and less stressful. Best of all: I can run it easily from my smartphone. Show notes for Email Effectiveness podcast (#46) Resources Me...

Figuring out how to harness [80/20 efficiencies]( https://ernietheattorney.net/strategic-prioritization/ ) takes thought and experimentation. But the payoff of exponential efficiency is always worth the effort.    Sometimes you just need someone to point out a new more effective way of doing things. I feel like that's my role here in this podcast, and in my online programs. General Resources Learn...

The kid played by Ralph Macchio didn't understand that in life you can have what you want if you're willing to work for it. And if you aren't fixated on how you'll get it. Oh, and it helps to have a good guide to help you stay on track. This was good advice for the kid in the movie, but it also relates to building the law practice of your dreams. General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce...

There are several ways to gather client feedback and testimonials. In this episode, we'll discuss the pros and cons of each way. We'll talk about the best tools to use, and the optimal form questions for getting great feedback answers AND testimonials in a single survey. Links to resources mentioned Book: The Ultimate Question 2.0 , by Fred Reichheld: Outline of Discussion ( PDF ) Survey Monkey fo...

To grow your practice you need more than just information. You need timely insight from folks who've been where you are now. Folks who've attained success and have helped others succeed too. The best resource is something called a mastermind group. To learn more about how they can help you listen to this episode. And check out a book called  Mastermind Group Blueprint , by Tobe Brockner. General R...

Your ideal clients are looking for you, their ideal lawyer. But they don't know how to find you, so you have to find them. And strategic marketing is the way you can do that. Unfortunately, too many lawyers have no idea how to market strategically. And copying other folks who aren't properly informed about marketing isn't a good strategy. General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce frictio...

Most lawyers don't understand the proper way to market their practices. There are only two kinds of marketing lawyers should do, and you should not spend a dime until you understand how to properly market. In this episode, I provide a comprehensive overview of effective marketing for lawyers. Here is an outline of the points covered in this session.  General Resources Learn to use technology to re...

If you're looking to work less but earn more, then you must learn as much as you can about the 80/20 principle . And you must strive to leverage it in every aspect of your life—especially in managing your law practice. The best book to learn more is The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch. Also, read this blog post (which includes a short video tutorial). Here's the key thing to understand. If you're...

The human brain is hard-wired to process information in story form. Knowing this helps us see the massive opportunity for better communicating ideas, and better motivating or persuading people to act on those ideas. Obviously, our marketing is one place to use story-based communication. Which is why a clever fellow named Don Miller created his StoryBrand framework. In this episode, I talk to my go...

Today's episode is about a very important topic: namely, how you persuade jurors, judges, and others more quickly and more effectively. Scientific studies establish that visual information is easier for the human brain to process and is remembered for longer periods of time. So we'll be talking about how to create "brain-friendly" presentations. And at the end of the episode, I'll show you a magic...

Today is Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday") in New Orleans so I thought I'd share my thoughts on what living in this great city is really like. If you want to learn more about New Orleans (or plan a trip here), I highly recommend Mark Bologna's excellent podcast: Beyond Bourbon Street . New Orleans is so much more than the superficial notions that many people have, mostly based on facile assumptions popul...

Most lawyers rely on so-called word-of-mouth marketing. Essentially, this means they have no strategy or system for generating referrals in a way that leads to predictable income. What you want is a strategy that produces a great return on the investment of your time, energy and money . That's what this episode is about. General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom w...

How can solo and small firm lawyers most effectively leverage outsourcing, in particular, the job of answering phone calls? I interview Diana Stepleton, the VP of Partner Engagement at Ruby Receptionists, about the service that Ruby actually provides to its customers. ( Hint it goes far beyond the obvious aspect of answering phones in a professional way ). General Resources Learn to use technology...

The best success with outsourcing comes when you hire people to do specialized tasks, that are important and recurring. And if those tasks only require part-time work then they're ideal for outsourcing. 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 your prac...

To succeed in delegating work you need to be realistic about the challenges you'll face, and how to overcome those challenges. One of the most common misjudgments we tend to make is assuming that other people are like we are and know what we know. Understanding the 5 levels of delegation will help you overcome harmful assumptions, and help identify what kinds of tasks can be delegated to different...

Few people are aware of the powerful (but hidden) subconscious forces that guide our decisions and shape our motivations. Understanding this is key if you want to succeed in pretty much every area of your life. And it's especially true when you're trying to succeed in harnessing technology. You need to be realistic about what motivates people and what causes them to resist change. People don't lik...

Automation has great promise for making your law practice run smoother with less overhead. But it has to be approached with the proper perspective. And you need to thoughtfully prioritize your automation initiatives. In this episode, we talk about the five categories of automation, which will help you effectively prioritize those initiatives. To learn more about automation , check out this article...

In this episode, I discuss the reasons why systems are so powerful, and why you need to work to define and document systems in your practice. Technology, in particular, requires a systematic approach. Too many lawyers find technology more frustrating than beneficial—and the reason is almost always that they are haphazard in dealing with it. General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce frict...