The Practice Playbook Podcast with Susan Guthrie

There are two words that can make you excellent at your work and quietly sabotage the practice you actually want, and most professionals say them without noticing. A colleague floats an idea, and before they finish the sentence, you are already building the response that starts with "Yes, but." Stephen Seckler calls it the yes, but reflex, and he has spent a career helping lawyers and dispute reso...

The best business relationships have nothing to do with business. Not at the start, not in the room, not over coffee or at a conference. Phil Fornaro, attorney and podcast host, calls what he has built relationship capital, and with a client conversion rate approaching 100%, he has the results to prove that leading with the relationship instead of the business is not just a nicer approach, it is t...

This episode is about what happens to legal and dispute resolution pricing when AI does in twenty minutes what used to take a full day, and why the subscription billing model may be the answer. Clients know their lawyers are using AI, and they want to know why that is not showing up in what they are charged. It is a fair question, and most practitioners do not have a good answer yet. Here is the p...

Imagine a potential client calling your office for a consultation, and before you can even finish saying hello, they say, "I've been following your podcast for two years. You are already my professional. I just came to meet you." That is not a fantasy call. That is what it looks like to win a client before they ever call you, and how a podcast can make it happen.  Susan Guthrie sits down with Denn...

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of the infrastructure of modern professional practice, and it is already reshaping the competitive landscape. The question is no longer whether to use it. The question is what professionalism looks like now that it is here. In this solo episode, Susan Guthrie shares two real conversations that capture the tension so many professionals are feeling right now....

If opening LinkedIn lately has made you feel like AI evolved while you were busy working, you are not imagining it. The changing face of AI has real implications, and things are shifting faster than most professionals realize. We are no longer in the era of asking AI to draft an email. What professionals are navigating now is the movement from AI as a tool to AI as infrastructure, and that distinc...

Every assumption you have made about how clients find, evaluate, and hire legal professionals is being rewritten in real time. How they search has changed. How they evaluate trust has changed. How quickly they expect a response has changed. And if the practice you have built is still operating on assumptions from five or ten years ago, this episode is your wake-up call. Susan Guthrie sits down wit...

Most people think leadership happens because someone notices you. But real influence is built when people learn they can trust you to show up, follow through, and lead when things get hard. Susan Guthrie sits down with her friend and longtime colleague Liz Hill, Director of Communications and Development at MWI and current Chair of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution, for a refreshingly candid c...

For the past three years, most conversations about AI in the legal and dispute resolution professions have fallen into one of two categories: fear or hype. Either AI was coming to replace everyone, or it was being presented as a magical solution that could somehow run your practice for you overnight. But professions are finally moving into a new phase of the conversation, one grounded in practical...

Seven habits. That is what separates the top 10% of practitioners from everyone else. Not talent, not experience, not working harder. Seven specific, actionable habits that most professionals either overlook or avoid entirely. This week, every single one gets unpacked so you can begin implementing them into your practice today. Most professionals believe success comes from doing more. More marketi...

You can be exceptional at what you do, the best lawyer, mediator, consultant, or coach in the room, but if people don’t know who you are or how you can help, building a thriving practice becomes an uphill climb. In fact, if you’ve ever left a conference, networking event, or even a series of great meetings thinking, “That was really valuable… so why aren’t any leads coming from it?” then you’ve al...

Most professionals are busy, capable, doing good work and yet the practice is not growing the way they expected. The issue is not effort. The issue is usually strategy, or lack thereof. Because most professionals are focused on what feels productive, not what actually drives growth. In this solo episode, Susan Guthrie walks through the seven fastest ways to grow your practice in 2026 and beyond. T...

Most people think you can simply stop practicing law one day and become a mediator the next. But as this episode makes clear, building a successful neutral practice takes years of credibility, relationships, and intentional effort. For anyone who has thought about making the transition from litigator to mediator, or who is already building a neutral practice and wondering what it really takes to s...

What if credibility does not come from sounding like an expert? What if it comes from being understood? That is the question at the heart of this week's conversation and for legal professionals trained to believe that complexity signals expertise, it may be the most important question to sit with. Susan Guthrie is joined by Lee Shainis, founder of Simplify Language, who has trained hundreds of org...

Are you building a firm, or have you really built yourself a very high-paying job? That is a question every entrepreneurial professional needs to confront at some point, whether you are five years into practice or thirty-five. This week, Susan Guthrie welcomes Andrea Steinbrenner for a thoughtful and eye-opening conversation about what it truly means to build something that can sustain itself beyo...

This is not your typical episode on profitability. Susan Guthrie welcomes guest Darren Wurz,CFP®, who brings a fresh and innovative approach to what profit really means for legal professionals. He explains why chasing higher revenue alone can actually leave firm owners feeling more stressed, stretched thin, and disconnected from the life they want their practice to support. Darren is the founder o...

You’re posting on LinkedIn. People are liking and commenting on your posts. And yet, when you look at your practice, nothing has really changed. In this episode, Susan Guthrie unpacks a pattern she sees repeatedly in workshops, retreats, and strategy sessions with experienced professionals using LinkedIn. The effort is there. The consistency is there. But the results do not match the visibility. S...

What trends will shape dispute resolution in 2026? How should mediators and arbitrators adapt right now? And what does this mean for your business plan going forward? In this episode of The Practice Playbook Podcast, Susan Guthrie breaks down the three most important trends shaping dispute resolution in 2026 and explains how dispute resolution professionals can use these shifts to future-proof the...

In a profession increasingly shaped by AI, virtual platforms, and rapid technological change, it is easy to believe that success depends on mastering the newest tools. In this episode, we take a different approach. Susan Guthrie is joined by veteran mediator and arbitrator Lawrence Kolin for a grounded, insightful conversation about what actually gets cases settled and why the core skills of peace...

Technology now sits at the center of modern ADR practice, and the decisions we make about tools, pricing, and security have real consequences for our efficiency, profitability, and client experience. In this episode of the Practice Playbook Podcast, I’m joined by legal tech pioneer Gary Doernhoefer to unpack what actually works for mediators, arbitrators, and dispute resolution firms today. Gary a...

If you want a clearer, steadier, and more grounded start to 2026, this episode offers the essential year-end reflection every legal and dispute resolution professional should be doing. As the year winds down, Susan Guthrie, nationally recognized mediator, legal entrepreneur, and bestselling author,  guides you through a candid, deeply clarifying debrief of your practice. Instead of waiting for the...

If you want more clarity, higher revenue, and a smoother path into 2026, this episode is your essential year-end roadmap. November is the strategic moment for legal and dispute resolution professionals to review their pricing, refine their services, and set the stage for a more profitable year ahead. In this solo episode, Susan E. Guthrie, nationally recognized mediator, legal entrepreneur, and au...

In this special solo episode, Susan shares behind-the-scenes lessons from her appearance on The Oprah Podcast. Discover how years of preparation and purpose can lead to extraordinary opportunities, how to steward visibility with integrity, and how to turn gratitude into growth. This isn’t just an episode about a big media moment, it’s a heartfelt reflection on what it means to stay consistent, sta...

Most professionals in dispute resolution don’t start out dreaming of marketing strategies and social media plans, they become mediators, arbitrators, and facilitators because they want to help people resolve conflict, not “sell” themselves. Marketing done right isn’t about selling at all, it’s about educating, connecting, and building trust. In this episode, Susan breaks down the Top 3 Must-Dos fo...

If you’ve been looking for ways to expand your services, stand out in a competitive market, and deliver greater value to your clients, this week’s conversation is for you. Early Dispute Resolution (EDR) is transforming the way practitioners help clients resolve cases, faster, more cost-effectively, and with higher satisfaction on all sides. It’s also a smart way to grow your practice and position...