The 80/20 Principle

Creating a paperless practice is vital if you want to reduce friction in workflows, and improve efficiency. Lawyers have some common questions about how to make this happen, and this episode will provide answers.    Show Notes 2017 ABA Article ("How a Paperless Practice May Be Right For You") Check out my 2-page outline : Digital Lawyering ( how to work smarter by using technology effectively ) Ge...

Lawyers keep asking the same fundamental questions about key aspects of running a small law firm. Newbies and experienced lawyers have a lot of the same questions and concerns, in this episode we talk about them.   Show Notes Email me at ernie@lawfirmautopilot.com with your questions, if you want me to address them. Check out my 2-page outline : Digital Lawyering ( how to work smarter by using tec...

In this episode we'll delve deeper into how to avoid toxic clients, or at least minimize their toxicity as much as possible.   Check out the prior episode for a full discussion of the key indicators of toxicity in people.   Show Notes Google "how to spot toxic people" A sample firm policy for accepting clients (i.e. avoiding toxic people) A sample procedure for getting rid of toxic clients A sampl...

How much you enjoy your law practice depends on who you allow to become your clients. The key to avoiding bad clients is learning how to spot toxic people. It's also important to have procedures in place to get rid of toxic clients you already have. That's what we'll cover in this episode. Show Notes Google "how to spot toxic people" A sample firm policy for accepting clients (i.e. avoiding toxic...

If you're serious about managing a successful law practice, you should measure and track your Net Promoter Score.   In this episode, you'll learn what the NPS is, how it's calculated, and how it can lead to you getting more great clients, and fewer bad ones. Show Notes The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results , by Gary Keller The Ultimate Question 2.0: How Net Promo...

Business attorney Andrew Legrand is planning to go rafting in the Grand Canyon for 21 days during September, and will be completely out of touch with his law firm for a full month.   How can he be sure that everything will continue to run smoothly while he's gone? Listen and find out. (spoiler alert: he relies on well-documented systems)   Show Notes Andrew Legrand's Law Firm Website Mindset: The...

If you want to create more freedom, wealth, and happiness in your life, you need to focus the vital few things that matter most, not the trivial many.   This is hard to do, but worth it. Let me share some thoughts about the insights I had as I learned to do this in my business and in my life.   Show Notes The ONE Thing: The Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results , by Gary Keller Free to Focus:...

What are the challenges and opportunities that come with adopting new technology? What are the best practices?   In this episode, you'll learn the ideal process for adopting new technology so you don't waste valuable time or money.   And we'll examine how I recently used this process to evaluate a new tool for processing email better (a tool specifically for folks who use a Google email account as...

There are dangers in getting caught up in the minutiae of technology, and not thinking deeply enough. We need to not let technology confuse us.   The most important things lie beyond the realm of "chauffeur knowledge." We need to go beyond superficial knowledge ourselves, and we need to be able to detect it in others.   Show Notes The Two Types of Knowledge: The Max Planck/Chauffeur Test , by Shan...

Lawyers need to learn the new rules for effective, efficient information processing. These rules have arisen because the information we deal with has become increasingly digital. That part is obvious, but learning how to deal better with digital information is definitely not obvious.   Show Notes A Lawyer's Guide to Processing Digital Information (YouTube video) Episode 13 - Paperless Practice - D...

If you want to delegate more effectively (even to VAs) here are three vital keys. They may seem obvious at first, but they aren't common practice. So you need to make a strong commitment to using them in your delegation processes. Show Notes My 2-minute YouTube video on the 3 keys to effective delegation An example of well-documented procedure (which can, of course, be improved over time with feed...

You need to protect your valuable time from people who want to steal it. Develop strategies for saying no more often, and for filtering out useless information masquerading as news - do this for your sake and the sake of your clients. Show Notes Free To Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less , by Michael Hyatt (see pages 91 - 113) LFA Episode 190 : Text Automation for Law...

Mental blocks are like invisible fences that keep us from progressing and from achieving what we most want in our practices. Or has the old saying goes, "whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." In this episode, we'll get clear about what invisible fences are holding you back, and how to get past those mental barriers. Show Notes Blog post about Professor Regales (my high...

If you want to turbocharge your text output, and triple your typing speed, you need to know about a powerful tool called TextExpander. This is the key to text automation on steroids. Show Notes TextExpander free trial Brett Burney's TextExpander courses for lawyers YouTube video demonstration of TextExpander General Resources The 80/20 Principle  (my email newsletter) The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Power...

If you're looking to save money, increase revenue, attract better clients, and gain more freedom in the long run, then offering flat fee pricing is one of the best things you can do for your practice. But how do you figure out the flat fee? And how do you market your flat fee offer in a way that gets more clients to sign up, especially the higher quality ones? That's what this episode will help yo...

As knowledge workers, we need to think well to solve important problems. Asking the right questions is how we find root causes for problems versus superficial ones. The "5 Whys" is a powerful interrogative process for asking better questions. What is the 5 Whys process? That's a great question!  Show Notes Overview article on The 5 Why's (blog post) Mental Models explained (blog post) Lawyers As K...

Working out the best time to talk or zoom with someone is annoying, but not if you automate the process. Lawyers who do this are flabbergasted at how amazing it is. In this episode, you'll learn about the two best software options for automating your scheduling. And you'll have a clearer idea of why scheduling automation is so powerful. Show Notes Calendly (best scheduling system for most people)...

How do you create a rewarding law practice that earns you a good living, and is also enjoyable? And what's the role of technology in trying to do that? Well, the key is to start with the right frame of mind. If you see this goal as monumental then you'll probably be intimidated. But if you believe that you can figure it out then you'll find the challenge less monumental. Show Notes Everything is F...

Most lawyers do things that decrease the likelihood of getting good clients. Some even spend money on ads that are counter-productive. Don't do that. Instead, do what I'll explain in this episode. It's easy to do the more effective thing once you understand what not to do )and why the more effective method is better). Show Notes Dean Jackson's Nine Word Email (this is but one example of his uncomm...

In this episode, Ernie is interviewed about a longstanding, well-kept secret that finally emerged to the public during a recent episode of NPR's This American Life. Megan probes Ernie in an interview designed to show you how being vulnerable (in some cases because of public revelations) can help people know you in ways that allow them to trust you more. Show Notes The Importance of Meeting Earnest...

If you want to get better clients, consistently, and cost-effectively, you need to focus on this one thing above all else in the coming year.  Megan Hargroder joins Ernie to delve into the thing that will make the best impact on your marketing efforts if you focus on it, and do so consistently. Show Notes The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results , by Gary Keller (bo...

Transforming your practice means focusing on what's most important and consistently improving in that area. Next year I recommend you focus on this one thing above all else. If you're realistic about what it takes to make big improvements you can make them. You also need to proceed strategically, using your critical thinking skills. Show Notes Systems Workshop details General Resources The 80/20 P...

Joel Oster is a comedian who practices law, and he puts on highly entertaining CLE programs that you can access online. Plus he just wrote a funny book. In this episode, Joel explains how he started using comedy to get speaking gigs. His thesis is that "the true role of the law can best be understood with a dose of humor." We discuss that and reveal the best place for getting charbroiled oysters i...

St. Louis estate planning attorney Joe O'Keefe had some questions about optimizing his practice to be more paperless. In listening to this discussion, you'll learn about why you might want to use a digital document management system, and which one is best for lawyers. And many other aspects of being paperless are discussed as well. Show Notes Okeefe Law website  (Joe's biography page) General Reso...

In the last episode, we talked about how mental models are helpful for simplifying our complex world to make it more understandable. Now let's delve deeper.   We'll discuss different types of mental models, focusing on ones that attorney/businessman Charlie Munger believes are the most important for achieving the highest level of success. Show Notes The Psychology of Human Misjudgment , (a YouTube...