The 80/20 Principle

(This recording was made with a lesser quality mic, so forgive the atypical quality) The key to a successful practice starts with creating your ideal vision of what you want your firm to be like. As Steven Covey said in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People : Begin with the end in mind. Defining your vision takes time and thoughtful reflection. And you should keep working to refine it. Because once...

The best way to market yourself is to build trust and prove that you're trustworthy. Review & Reputation services can help you do that easily. Online services like  Birdeye  or  Podium  aren't inexpensive, but neither is paid advertising (or other ineffective means of marketing your practice). If you look at the reviews you're collecting as an investment that pays ongoing dividends you'll apprecia...

Lawyers need to be better attuned to what their clients think and feel about their experiences dealing with their lawyers and the legal system as a whole. If you collect feedback with the right process you can easily gather testimonials from your clients as well. And those will be valuable in marketing your practice to get more good clients in the future. General Resources Learn to use technology...

When you commit your goals to writing you'll automatically clarify them and drastically increase your odds of achieving them. Defining your goals by using S.M.A.R.T. attributes is also very beneficial. 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 pract...

Training your mind is one way to boost your chances of success in any endeavor, including running your law practice. Meditation is a learnable skill that can help you improve focus and clarity, as well as increase the number of practical insights you have. I've blogged about the origins and development of my meditation practice . I started out by using a free iPhone app called Headspace , and that...

Starting a new firm is exciting and daunting. Many lawyers get overwhelmed by the decisions and deadlines they face. But you don't have to worry if you work from a well-thought-out checklist used by other lawyers in your position. This episode covers lawyers' common questions when starting a new firm. I've helped dozens of lawyers over the past decades, so I know the most common concerns. Check ou...

Social media is helpful when you use it to complement your strategic referral marketing efforts. Mostly, it's a way to remind potential referral sources that you are a good lawyer, and remind them what kind of law you practice. In this episode, I talk about the perils of automating your social media posting and the proper ratio of promotional to non-promotional posts. And I talk about which social...

The public's perception is that most lawyers care more about making money than helping their clients. Instead of trying to argue against this, realize that: perception = truth. For prospective clients, their  truth is all that matters. To help reorient their perceptions we need to first listen to their concerns. This is called "empathy," and most lawyers are not good at it. We tend to focus too mu...

Most lawyers are burned out juggling both the intense demands of a practicing law AND the administrative details in managing their business. Mostly, they want help streamlining their operations and getting better clients to come through their door in a predictably steady flow. I've created several programs that help attorneys  improve their practices so they can work less, earn more, and spend mor...

Artificial intelligence and the rise of robot lawyers are interesting topics to talk about. But they're not helpful if you are looking for ways to improve your practice. Trying to "innovate" for the sake of innovation is dangerous at worst. And at best it's a waste of time. You should focus on the nuts and bolts of managing your practice better . Using systems is crucial. After you've created good...

The key to improving your law practice is to proceed deliberately . The tendency to rush is strong but must be suppressed. Technology initiatives are particularly challenging because of the complexity and rapid change inherent in digital tools. But all the more reason to be deliberate and patient . In all aspects of developing your law practice, you should seek constant, steady improvement —as opp...

Lawyers must be trustworthy to succeed. And they must prove they're trustworthy because most people are wary of lawyers. Proving this online is hard, but not impossible. It helps to understand the brutal truths about establishing trust—whether doing it online or in person. General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource : https://www.the8020lawyer.com...

We talked generally about systems in episode 8 . This episode goes deeper into the types of systems law firms use, and how to document systems. In law firms, there are two categories of systems : process systems and record-keeping systems. Processes are the most valuable law firm systems because that's how the work gets done. If you want a smooth-running firm, you have to document (i.e. "map") tho...

In episode 4 we talked about how to find good technology consultants. Here I'll tell you about seemingly helpful technology advice that you should avoid like the plague. It comes from well-intentioned people that are sincerely trying to help you. How could that be a problem? Listen and find out.  General Resources Learn to use technology to reduce friction & gain freedom with this resource : https...

Keeping your firm's digital data secure from hackers is absolutely crucial (and not only because of breach notification laws  and ethical obligations to preserve client confidentiality ). Having your data compromised (or ransomed) will seriously disrupt your operations and throw you into a panic. The most common data breaches are the easiest to avoid, once you understand how the attacks work. In t...

When you first start to create a paperless practice you can get by with using the file-organization system built into your computer. You can use a simple file-naming system to automatically organize documents. But as you progress you should invest in document management software. The cloud-based versions are your best option, and they are very affordable now (with prices dropping steadily). If you...

In the last episode, I gave you a general overview of how to create a paperless practice. In this one, we'll cover the best equipment and software. Specifically, I'll tell you about the best scanner for a law office, and the best PDF software options. If you want to learn more about creating a paperless law practice , click this link for a special discount on my online course: Paperless Lawyering...

A paperless law practice is exponentially easier to manage and affords much more freedom and flexibility. The odds are you're already fairly adept at working with less paper. The key is to keep transitioning in the smoothest possible manner. In this episode, we'll tackle the common questions that lawyers have about switching to a paperless practice. And in future episodes, we'll address questions...

The only tasks you should do in your practice are (1) things that require a law license to do, and (2) things you enjoy doing. Everything else should be delegated. Finding good people to delegate work to is easier because of the Internet, and the availability of outsourcing. But finding qualified assistance is still hard because you have to properly vet candidates. It's better to work with VA comp...

Automation is the key to exponential efficiency, but you need to approach it systematically. Simple automation is easy to set up and fine-tune. But complex automation will require the help of a trustworthy consultant. Document creation is the most useful area for lawyers to automate, but there are other areas ripe for automation as well: scheduling, client-intake, initial client communications, an...

Systems are the key to a smooth-running law practice. You need to develop systems with ruthless discipline , and you'll find it's well worth the effort. Your work (and the work of others in your firm) will be better and more consistent. And you'll be able to delegate work more easily —even to people who aren't exceptionally skilled. Read the book E-Myth Revisited , by Michael Gerber, to learn more...

Building trust with people that have never met you (or who barely know you) is excruciatingly difficult. But it can be done using a time-tested method called Direct Response Marketing. Most lawyers have never heard of DRM, and some have heard of it but reflexively dismissed it without bothering to find out why it's so effective. Plus It's not expensive to do. But best of all? Direct response marke...

Referral marketing is the most powerful kind of marketing. Some people call it "networking," or "word-of-mouth" marketing. The reason it's powerful is that it works with the trust you've already cultivated . Even though it works well without much effort, it will work much better if you do it strategically. That means using basic psychology. People need to be reminded of what kind of work you do, a...

If you want to attract a steady stream of great clients you absolutely must understand how to establish trust and then build it up. Most lawyers do not understand this, which is why they fail in marketing their practices. Trust is not based on logic or reason. It's based on emotion and empathy. There are deep-seated psychological principles you need to grasp in order to build trust effectively, an...

To build a successful practice you'll need outside guidance from consultants who can you help you with business strategy, technology and marketing. But finding the best people is challenging. In this episode, we break down the 5 qualities you should look for in every outside consultant that you hire. Marketing consultants are notoriously difficult to find, unless you are looking for opportunistic...