The Free Lawyer

Robert Hanna based in the UK, is the Founder & Managing Director of KC Partners, an innovative and world leading legal talent solutions and content creation firm focused on community. He specializes in helping aspiring and qualified legal professionals with their careers and to secure dream jobs with law firms & corporations across the UK, Europe, Middle East, Far East & US.  He b...

Do you ever do this? You see someone who is really proficient, better than you, at something you want to achieve; and you begin comparing yourself to them. We want to be better in our profession, so it makes sense to compare ourselves to those who are the best, doesn’t it? How does that work out for you? In Episode 35 of The Free Lawyer, I will describe in detail the trouble with comparison and ma...

Our guest today is the incredible Jennifer Aternino, a family mediator and divorce coach. If you are a family law attorney, a person encountering a family separation or custody matter, or a professional involved in the field, you will not want to miss this episode. Jennifer shares her insights about: -The biggest hurdles in the divorce process and how to manage them -Tools for helping clients mana...

Do you ever feel that your fear of failing at something professionally hampers your success? Or causes you stress? Despite our confidence, many of us struggle with internal fears. Overwhelmingly, the most challenging and frequent fear is that of failure. We are so talented, so accomplished, yet often we have a mental thought that we will fail. That hampers our success. How do we manage that fear o...

Do you ever feel you work hard, have a great salary but can never get ahead financially? If so, this episode is for you.  Rho Thomas joins us today to share with us her wisdom about how to build financial freedom as a lawyer. Rho  is an attorney and financial coach who believes that true wealth is having control of your time. She helps lawyers master their personal finances to create fre...

Last week we chatted about people pleasing, the signs of it, and how it can cause resentment, stress, anxiety, and the loss of authenticity.  Would you like to break free of that tendency to people please? If so, in Episode 31, I give you 10 tangible tips to overcome people pleasing. Let me know what you think! Are any of you suffering from burnout and a difficulty in setting boundaries? If s...

Laura Frederick is our guest today. Laura has a background in Big Law and as in house general counsel, but courageously opened her own firm and has created a How To Contract Platform to help other legal professionals learn how to effectively navigate the contract world. Laura addresses so many important topics: -How we learn from the challenges in our life -How we can manage fear in our life -How...

Have you ever been asked to do something for someone, said yes, and then resented that you had to do it? Has someone ever complained to you about something, and you said "I'm sorry," when you did not actually think you did anything wrong? If so, you may encounter what is commonly called "people pleasing." In itself, it is not a bad thing, but it can lead to frustration, resentment, and losing conn...

Do any of you encounter someone who is always blaming, has to win at all costs, has to get his way?  And if crossed, lashes out, or gives the silent treatment? Do any of you work in a toxic workplace? Ever have problem clients who are never happy and always attacking? If so you may be encountering someone with narcissistic personality disorder or who exhibits low emotional intelligence, and y...

Mistakes happen, right? Deadlines get missed, papers get filed wrong, an important call is not returned. Those can of course be problems, but the bigger problem is how we respond to it. Do we play the blame game? Or do we take productive steps to understand what happened and to correct it? One of the major problems facing law firms and other offices today is the toxic workplace. A major factor is...

Jeffrey Cunningham joins the podcast today to share some critical thoughts about how to protect yourself and your law firm from potential malpractice claims and grievances. Jeff is a partner in the firm of Goldberg Segalla and a true expert in the field of risk protection for law firms. Jeff provides important advice on; - The key items to have in your retainer agreements - The biggest risk factor...

Have you ever felt angry at someone for something they did to you and feel powerless to stop it or change it? And that feeling keeps coming back, and festering? Resentments are one of the most insidious and harmful negative emotions we feel. But many, even most of us, experience them, and often without knowing or understanding it. In this episode of The Free Lawyer, I will be explaining what a res...

On  this week's episode of The Free Lawyer, we are joined by the incredible Scott Simmons. Scott is a toolbox for turning lawyers into rainmakers. After a successful career in law where he faced similar situations to the lawyers of today, he discovered a love of coaching and training that has seen him coaching young professionals on how to build their own careers, as well as more senior execu...

How serious are you about achieving your dreams? Are you willing to do what is necessary to earn the promotion, go for the raise, or seek a new and better job? What is your biggest professional goal? Why haven't you accomplished it yet? For most of us, the answer is fear. Fear limits us from achieving what we really want. If we do not strive for a professional goal because we are "afraid," we will...

Steve Fretzin, four time author, podcaster, and legal development coach, joins The Free Lawyer to talk about: -How to be a confident, authentic and skilled rainmaker -Building your own book of portable clients -The importance of effective consulting relationships with your clients - How to do what you love to do for others -Creating your own personal and financial freedom This is a can't miss epis...

Seems like a contradiction, doesn't it? Get uncomfortable and be free? When I was young, I always wanted to have a comfortable life. To be safe, to have a relaxed, easy life. That's what some people call our "comfort zone." But is it really enough? Are we really satisfied in our comfort zone? In this Episode, I will explain the comfort zone, what it is, and why it works for many of us. B...

So many of us struggle with this problem. Our partner keeps giving us more work to do. The court schedules unexpected hearings. Our clients call, asking us to help resolve a crisis. We have so much work to do, and seemingly so little time, that we feel overwhelmed and stressed. What to do? In Episode 20 of The Free Lawyer podcast,  I will give you 12 tips to help efficiently manage your work&...

We face so many stresses in our professions. We encounter demands of clients; stresses about money and paying bills; too much work and too little time; and the pressures of the court, other attorneys, and our full calendar. The pressure builds. We work harder. But, we just feel more overwhelmed. We eliminate any time for ourselves. We just do not have any time for self-care. And, so the stress wor...

Our practices can be so stressful, overwhelming at times. But, there is one way to find greater fulfillment in our profession. Do you want to learn and grow as a person? Feel happier? Be more optimistic? Help your practice to become more successful? Manage your stress and feel more fulfilled? Changing our focus from just the grind of the work we do, to consciously trying to serve our clients and h...

We joined the legal profession for many reasons, with great excitement and enthusiasm. But many of us some time later are stressed, burned out and overwhelmed. There is a huge issue of wellness in the legal profession. In Episode 17 of The Free Lawyer Podcast, I discuss some very concerning statistics from some studies that were done about wellness of the legal profession; I explain 4 hallmarks of...

So many lawyers are stressed and burned out, sadly so. And part of the reason is they are tired of the unnecessary conflict that often occurs between lawyers. We are hired to solve problems for our clients, to find solutions; but sometimes the "fighting" gets in the way.  Part of the stress we feel as lawyers comes from unprofessional and discourteous behaviors by opposing counsel, and our re...

Do you ever feel fearful? Worry that something will not work out right? Concerned about what might happen in the future?  Fear can be overwhelming, controlling and powerful. It can hold us back from accomplishing our dreams. Many of us suffer from it, some more frequently and more powerfully than others. But there are solutions. In this episode of The Free Lawyer Podcast,  I will explain...

So many of us struggle with getting enough sleep, don't we? We do not realize how critical it is to our overall wellness and success to have a healthy sleep pattern; and we do not know some of the consequences of sleep deprivation.  In this podcast, I will explain the causes of our poor sleep habits, the terrible consequences of sleep deprivation, and some tangible tools to remedy this proble...

Do you ever feel stressed at work? And not sure how to best manage it so you can enjoy fulfillment in your professional life?  Here, I address the biggest obstacle the legal profession and others face, the stress of our work. I discuss how it impacts us and  provide twelve tangible tips for you to effectively manage stress in your professional workplace. I am now coaching attorneys, entr...

Have you ever felt confused or lost about your direction? Or not sure how to get there? Or, have you ever felt frustrated, and not sure why? Have you felt stressed but are not sure what to do about it? Did you feel that it would be good to ask for support, but are not sure who to ask or how to ask? Those feelings are not at all unusual. In fact, most all of us have felt that way at times. We...