The 80/20 Principle

It's often hard to understand our complex tech-driven world. That's why we need "mental models" to simplify the complex and make it more understandable. Charlie Munger is a famously successful lawyer who popularized the idea of using mental models. In this episode, Ernie explores how lawyers can use this tool to "make their thinking visible" as they do their knowledge work. Show Notes The Psycholo...

To attract better clients you need to give greater assurance that you're someone they'd feel comfortable working with. Or even better that they yearn to work with. The best tool for doing this is your biography, but not via the usual "obituary style" litany of accomplishments. Rather, you need to tell the story of who you really are, and why you really care about helping people. Of course, it's ha...

We need to be constantly mindful of what we're working on because it's easy for important work to slip through the cracks, figuratively speaking . The best way to do this is to make our work visible. Not literally, but figuratively. The thing to keep in mind is that our knowledge work is mostly mental and therefore not visible. And when information is intangible or invisible it's easy to forget ab...

If you're willing to go beyond the superficial and get more personal, you'll attract much better clients. It feels awkward at first, but it's vital. In this episode, I'll share some really personal things that I don't normally share. Not as a "marketing ploy," but to demonstrate that deeper connections come from going beyond the supposedly "safe zone" of superficiality. I'll share the true reason...

The modern world places even greater strain on our mental well-being. How can we become more resilient, strong, and balanced? Sometimes it's not easy to understand. But we can gain useful perspective that helps us stay calm, and make better decisions under pressure. Or just in the everyday stress moments that routinely present themselves to us. Show Notes The Four Agreements , by Don Miguel Ruiz (...

Jury consultants assemble focus groups and then use psychology-based interview strategies to help lawyers get in the minds of jurors. Now they can do it virtually. Elizabeth Larrick is an attorney who also does focus group consulting, and in this episode she shares insights into how this is now done virtually, using Zoom. Show Notes Elizabeth Larrick's website Elizabeth Larrick's PDF Guide checkli...

California attorney Denise Howell reflects on the many changes that technology has brought to the practice of law over the past two decades. Denise Howell was working in a large L.A. firm when started the fourth lawyer weblog. Five years later she went out on her own, and also was the host of probably the first legal podcast. In this episode, she and Ernie examine some of the tech-driven changes t...

A virtual executive assistant can be a boon to your productivity. But how can you get a good EA and what is it like to work with one? One person who knows is Valerie Trapunsky, the founder of a virtual assistance company called ChatterBoss. Her company pairs virtual executive assistants with entrepreneurs, even some lawyers. ChatterBoss is not like most virtual assistance services, because they go...

How can we make better, more effective decisions? It's important to find out because the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our decisions. Many of our decisions are impaired even before we start to make them because of cognitive blind spots. So what are some examples of these cognitive glitches, and how can we overcome them? That's what you'll discover in this episode. Show Notes...

The less you need to rely on other people the greater your flexibility and resilience. The same goes for relying on resources. Keep your needs to a minimum to survive and thrive. In this episode, Ernie focuses on several key principles to help you be as self-sufficient as possible. Show Notes Episode 167 - Crisis Management OODA Loop , cited in Episode 167 John Boyd , cited in Episode 167 Unclutte...

A new law business model is vital now. Ali Katz's book explains exactly how lawyers should revamp their practices to make them more enjoyable and more profitable. Ali's NLBM is most beneficial to lawyers with estate planning or business law practices that use flat-fee pricing, but the principles and tactics she teaches can help any lawyer in any kind of practice area. In this episode, you'll learn...

Learning how to manage a catastrophic crisis like the hurricane that just hit New Orleans (or fires, earthquakes, and pandemics) will help you in everyday life for reasons that are surprising. Even "smart people" wind up making bad decisions in a crisis. But a prepared person who isn't that "smart" can do surprisingly well. In this episode, we examine exactly why that's true. And Ernie's examinati...

When starting a new firm, what types of things are important to get right in the beginning to scale later? That's the question I was asked recently by a new lawyer. The answer is applicable or at least helpful to any lawyer thinking about how to improve their practice. Show Notes Advice to a New Lawyer - blog post that inspired this episode Vision & Traction - blog post about the importance of cre...

Historically, the flat fee was the only "ethical fee" for lawyers. Now, it's more often the most sensible type of fee—both for clients and lawyers. The question is: what kind of flat fees are most successful and profitable for lawyers?  In this episode, Kristin Tyler shares insights gleaned from her own practice and from helping other lawyers understand the ins and outs of flat fee billing (and ei...

Kim Felton had her first child in law school, then figured out how to be a lawyer and build an online Immigration practice, using technology as much as possible. In this episode, she shares her challenges and how she met them using exceptional wile and grit, and by discovering how best to leverage the power of technology. Show Notes Innovation Litigation (Kim's website) Onward Immigration (Kim's o...

Making your work visible is vital for knowledge workers (like lawyers), and the best way of doing that is by using a Kanban Board. Task managers just can't cut it. In this episode, Ernie talks with John Grant a consultant who helps fellow lawyers fix their legal workflows using Kanban Boards to help them manage tasks more effectively and collaborate better. Show Notes Agile Attorney (John Grant's...

You are a brand. The only question is whether you want to understand it and improve so your reputation is enhanced? Or do you prefer to leave things to chance? If you prefer the former, then reading Mike Kim's new book "You Are The Brand," is your starting point. In this episode Mike shares some of the key lessons from his book, but in a way that relates to lawyers with solo or small firm practice...

Clients are the lifeblood of your business, but they can also be frustrating and annoying. You must manage clients very well if you want a happy law practice . The simplest, most important business goal you can have is to optimize for happy clients. But you must understand what that actually means in practice. I learned a lot about what this means as a waiter at a prestigious New Orleans restauran...

If you want to make steady, powerful improvements to your law business, in a way that's super effective and surprisingly easy, you should leverage the principle of "Kaizen." It's a Japanese business philosophy of continuously improving operations in small incremental steps. But it's also a powerful tool for solo and small law firm owners in the modern tech-driven world Show Notes Atomic Habits , b...

PKM is a new term, but an important one for all knowledge workers (i.e. lawyers and others who think for a living and solve problems by thinking). Here are some basics of PKM, which will probably seem alien to many lawyers. But it's worth making the effort to grasp the power of PKM. Show Notes Nick Milo's PKM story (article published on Medium) Nick Milo's YouTube channel What is PKM (Nick MIlo's...

Unfortunately, most lawyers don't know how to write persuasively, and their marketing copy is boring. And surprisingly, many marketing folks (who supposedly are experts in persuasive ad writing and marketing writing) also do a really poor job. So don't feel bad if you struggle to write persuasively. It's not something you were ever taught to do, certainly not in law school. In this episode, you'll...

Discover how he approached the creation of his solo practice, and which tools and resources he has found most useful in the process. Show Notes Episode Transcript (via Otter.ai) Team Desk (database software) ScanSnap iX1600 scanner Paperless Lawyering course (that Bin took to learn to become paperless) Zoho CRM TextExpander (amazing keyboard macro software) SweetProcess (process documentation soft...

You need to train yourself to understand how the most common attacks work. That's how you avoid them. So that's what we're going to talk about, with a special focus on phishing attacks & ransomware. Show Notes Episode 154: Security for Lawyers Beyond Fear  (recommended book by Bruce Schneier) LastPass (free password manager) Password Management Policy (good overview of using passwords effectively)...

In this episode, Ernie speaks with an anonymous associate at a large firm about resistance she faces in her attempts to get her firm to adopt technology. Ernie shares some strategies and tactics for getting buy-in. Human nature is a bigger factor than cold logic and well-pled arguments. Show Notes The free preview to my Working Smarter course contains the discussion about using automated calendari...

We must learn to think sensibly about security in order to properly implement it and manage it. According to Bruce Schneier, a renowned security expert, there are 5 elements to consider when making security decisions. Show Notes Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World , by Bruce Schneier General Resources The 80/20 Principle  (my email newsletter) The 5 Pillars of a Tec...