The Legal Toolkit

Nowadays, all the cool kids are using customer relationship management (CRM) software, and you should too. It’s not new technology, but if you’ve missed the boat or need a refresher—Jared’s here to fill you in on CRM technology and what it can do for you. He explains different types of CRMs in detail to show you its potential for creating seamless intake experiences and optimizing your workflows....

Getting in front of an audience to communicate on camera certainly doesn’t come naturally to all (most?) attorneys, but if you’re feeling embarrassed by your lackluster video presence, there are ways to overcome those on-camera nerves. Jared talks with Kerry Barrett about how she helps professionals sharpen media skills to increase their visibility and present confidence and credibility to their a...

Jared kicks it off by exploring the biggest players in productivity software you should be using, well, be more productive. But no productivity suite is perfect. So, get to know the strengths and weaknesses of each so you can make the right choice for you. Then, back in the day, lawyers often got their IT services from some independent techie who took care of stuff on an as-needed basis, but that...

AI’s prime directive is to give you answers, buuuut… it might just be telling you what it thinks you want to hear—with no concern over providing actual verifiable facts. This issue (and oodles of others) have initiated a trickle of case law/guidance/opinions/etc. in the legal AI scene, and you, dear lawyer, want to be on the right side of legal ethics on this one. Jared breaks down the latest deve...

Bored with your run-of-the-mill marketing campaigns? Maybe it’s time for you to make a musical! Jared brings on Jacob Sanders to learn all about the recent release of NinjaCat’s Big Data Day – a corporate musical. They talk about the history of these sorts of marketing ventures and their uniquely fun and tactical advantages. They also dig into how super effective use of your data will help you run...

So much of our communications and societal existence is housed online, so e-discovery is the major way we gather evidence. Jared talks with Cat Casey about the AI spectrum within the e-discovery world, explaining the many ways varying elements of machine learning and AI have created more powerful tools for attorneys. They also discuss the promising future of AI in e-discovery and the legal profess...

Sometimes, legal tech is the perfect solution for the needs of your law firm, but sometimes, lawyers need to look outside the legal tech world at other technologies that can serve their legal practice better. Emily Gordon has always been a tech-forward attorney, and she’s got tons of recommendations for non-legaltech tech tools that have become the most effective solutions for her law firm.  Then,...

Adjusting to the new and persistent presence of AI in the legal world isn’t easy, but it is necessary. Jared welcomes brothers Justin and Luc Cary, an attorney and software engineer, respectively, to unpack the current state of AI in business and legal uses. They discuss current safety issues, emerging guardrails, best practices for research, AI in legal tech software, and more.  Later on in the R...

Backsliders are the worst, and if you’re making your employees come into the office after years of successful remote work, then, well… you’re the worst. Jared weighs in on the remote/in-office work debate to help you take a hard look at why you’re doing what you’re doing—and whether your reasoning is utter bullshit. Next, Jared welcomes first-time guest Rob Joyner to talk about how technology adop...

Why is it that law firms are a frequent target for data breaches? Make no mistake, attorneys, you’ve got a lot of sensitive, valuable data that a threat actor would love to get their hands on. If your cybersecurity isn’t effective, you’re opening yourself up to a whole lot of ethical and legal issues. Jared chats with David Aaron about preventative measures lawyers should employ, what to do if you...

If your firm is experiencing operational challenges you just can’t seem to overcome, you might be in need of some C-suite help. Lawyers don’t necessarily want to take on the business responsibilities of running a practice, and there are many flexible ways to get the business guidance you need. Jared talks with Seth Tuman of 2GO Advisory Group about how either fractional or full-time C-suite profes...

Searching for state court data used to be a huge pain in the ass, but data analytics has almost entirely fixed it, giving attorneys searchable databases in just about every state. What else has data analytics done for the profession? Plenty. Jared talks with Nicole Clark about how the aggregation of legal data has given us a much deeper understanding of courts, judges, and law firms—and even gives...

As lawyers, you constantly assess the risks of your clients, whether in their business practices, court cases, personal relationships, or a multitude of other things. So, managing risk for your clients is what you do, but when was the last time you took a hard look at your own liabilities? Jared welcomes Mark Bassingthwaighte of ALPS Insurance to chat about common risks in modern legal practice. M...

Whether there’s a generational divide, unhelpful technology, a lack of emotional intelligence, or, really, a whole bunch of other issues—communication is hard. And, when communication breaks down, your business just doesn’t operate like it should. Is there any way to bridge all these gaps and interact effectively in your workplace? Jared talks with Rachael Bosch about her strategies for helping bo...

Document management is a must in legal, and Microsoft 365 has plenty of ways to organize and process your documents for you. So, what do you need to know about it? Jared welcomes Keith Vallely to talk through the uses of SharePoint, OneDrive, and other Microsoft features to help attorneys understand the nuances of Microsoft’s methods for document management. The Rump Roast digs deep into tricky St...

Women attorneys are intelligent and brave, but they still face particular challenges in the legal profession. Jared chats with Rachel Clar of Interconnected Us about her mission to create safe environments for women in law to get the support they need to grow their influence and flourish in legal practice. Later, in perhaps the most uniquely named Rump Roast game yet, Jared and Rachel play “Town i...

Chuki Obiyo has made a science of growing law firm businesses, with plenty of research to back up his time-tested strategies. Jared talks with Obiyo about how to form deeper connections with your network, tips for start-up firms, and leveraging social media and other technology to promote business growth. Later, who knew September had so many stupid holidays? Apparently, Jared did, so you’re in fo...

It’s been 563 days, but we’re finally back in the Playroom with musical guest Mark Oblinger. Mark holds the double distinction of being an Emmy-winning/Grammy-nominated musician AND having a longtime connection with this very podcast! Tune in for Jared and Mark’s chat about his colorful career in music and audio. Mark highlights his time playing with bands like Firefall and Pure Prairie League, hi...

Lawyers, you really actually do need to use KPIs—that’s Key Performance Indicators for those of you who *still* haven’t kept up with good business practices. Do it! And, Jared’s here to help with a breakdown of the 5 KPI categories you need to start keeping track of, like, yesterday. Next, software demos! If you’re paralyzed with indecision about what software to use, a demo could help, but only i...

Integrations, integrations, integrations. You’ve probably heard about integrations for years, but lots of people still struggle to understand just how this stuff is going to change their workflows. Jared explains the whole concept, gives some of the first integrations you need to be using, and warns you away from some missteps. Next, Emil Ali stops by chat with Jared about the unique challenges an...

Why would a law firm hire a PR agency? Well, if you’ve ever wished your firm was known for its expertise and thought leadership, a PR agency might be just the thing. Jared brings on Michelle Calcote King to talk through the lawyer/PR relationship and its potential for improving your credibility, furthering your reach, and growing your business. The rest of the show is a total Succession-fest. Jare...

Adding value for bar association members is always a good idea. Jared chats with Rio Peterson, who has just about seen it all when it comes to bar programming—from cool events to tech offerings to stellar educational programs and more. Listen in for her thoughts on improving bar culture and providing more for members. Jared and Rio also talk about how lawyer side hustles are more common than you m...

Even if you’re a great lawyer, your top-notch skills might be holding you back when it comes to running your business. Jared talks with Steve Seckler about his recent article in the ABA’s GPSolo eReport, Stop Thinking (and Acting) Like a Lawyer, in which he outlines the typical attorney characteristics that work great in legal matters, but kinda suck when you’re trying to network, grow your firm,...

Fastcase and vLex have merged to form the world's largest law library, containing the law from over 100 countries and more than a billion documents. One platform with all these resources means attorneys around the world will have bigger, better, faster access to everything they need to do legal research. Jared chats with Ed Walters of Fastcase about their goals for democratizing the law and what p...

Randa Prendergast takes a “June Cleaver” approach to running a law firm, making every little thing run smoothly without breaking a sweat. Jared and Randa talk through how to identify your workflow needs and develop processes that make it easy for employees old and new to know exactly how to keep things rolling. Later on in the Rump Roast, Jared’s fellow Bostonian Dan Winslow joins to talk about th...