The Thought Leadership Project

Episode 140: Jay and Tom break down the (polite) battle for control in the business development process. As a lawyer, you have more power and leverage the more unique and differentiated you are from the competition. This impacts pricing power, the ability to avoid RFPs, and dynamics in the attorney/client relationship as well. Lawyers who have “power” aren’t merely order takers—they steer the ship...

Episode 139: Listen in as Jay, Tom, and Curtis Hays do a LinkedIn deep dive. Curtis is the founder of collideascope, a digital marketing agency, and also the host (along with Tom) of the Bullhorns and Bullseyes podcast. This episode was recorded for Bullhorns and Bullseyes, but we thought it was a great conversation so we decided to re-publish it on The Thought Leadership Project. Enjoy!

Episode 137: Creating and sharing thought-leadership content is an effective way to gain visibility and build trust with an audience, and generate billable work for your practice. But what if you could take things to the next level by monetizing your thought-leadership content itself—not merely using it to sell your services? That’s what Laura Frederick and Jay Harrington discuss in this episode....

Episode 136: Adrian Lurssen, co-founder and VP of strategic development at JD Supra, rejoins the podcast to discuss tips and trends for thought-leadership marketing as we look ahead to 2024.

Episode 135: In this episode, legal recruiter, podcast host, and author Scott Love breaks down what it takes to become a rainmaker with Jay and Tom. Scott shares the many lessons he’s learned while helping rainmakers make lateral moves in the legal marketplace, including the importance of consistent effort, truly understanding a client’s challenges, and collaboration. He also shares his perspectiv...

Episode 134: In this episode, Jared Correia, founder or Red Cave Law Firm Consulting and podcaster extraordinaire, shares his expertise on how to run a small law firm like a business and grow it sustainably and profitably. Jared, Jay and Tom discuss Jared’s three-step system for growth, which involves establishing processes and systems, hiring effectively, and learning from data and analytics. At...

Episode 133: Jay and Tom share and discuss content that inspired them in the last month. Learn how a famous Hollywood producer generates movie ideas (without trying) through “curiosity conversations.” Check out a private equity fund that isn’t afraid to have a clear and strong point of view in their writing. Discover what professional writers think matters in the age of AI. These and other topics...

Episode 132: Between the two of them, Jay and Tom have written thousands of LinkedIn posts, hundreds (perhaps 1,000+) long-form articles, and a number of books. In today’s episode, they unpack their writing processes, from how they generate ideas to how they edit their work, so you can learn from their experiences. Want to grab and hold the attention of a reader with your thought-leadership conten...

Episode 131: Law firms sell expertise, and the best way to showcase expertise through marketing is to produce thought-leadership content. Most firms do that to some extent already. However, in today’s episode, Jay and Tom make the case that firms should do much more—in essence, they should build a media company to become the go-to resource for a given industry or topic. They discuss examples of co...

Episode 130: In this episode, Jordana Confino, Positive Lawyering professor, and founder of JC Coaching & Consulting, joins Jay to discuss well-being and the practice of law. They discuss Jordana’s journey from clerkships, to BigLaw, to academia, and her recent transition to entrepreneurship as founder of her own coaching and consulting firm. Jordana also shares her thoughts on how lawyers can bui...

Episode 129: In this episode, Jamie Sternberg, trademark attorney at Saunders & Silverstein LLP, joins Jay to discuss her experience building a legal practice. They discuss the various tactics Jamie has used to grow her practice, including networking, getting involved in groups and associations, content creation, and more. Business development and marketing require experimentation and iteration, a...

Episode 128: In this episode, Phillip Russell, OSHA and employment lawyer at Ogletree Deakins, joins Jay to discuss the importance of client service. Learn about the fundamental principles of client service, why it’s so important to have a one-size-fits-one mindset about client service, how to gain an understanding of your client’s needs, and the role of responsiveness in client service and busine...

Episode 127: When it comes to building a legal practice, mindset is critical. In this episode, Jay and Tom discuss five common mental obstacles lawyers face on their way to becoming a rainmaker, and tips for overcoming them.

Episode 126: In this episode, Jay speaks with General Counsel Heather Stevens about her experience transitioning from private practice to general counsel of an incubation firm for technology companies. They discuss a range of topics, including how Heather made the leap from a premier BigLaw firm to in-house, what she values in outside counsel relationships, and how she approaches content creation...

Episode 125: Jay and Tom cover a range of topics in this episode, including the what the perfect AI tool for legal looks like, LinkedIn’s recent algorithm changes, the importance of responsiveness in business development, and the benefits of the book-writing process.

Episode 124: In this episode, Jay chats with General Counsel Brittany Leonard about her experience transitioning from private practice to general counsel of a multinational corporation .They discuss a range of topics, including how Brittany found contentment, satisfaction and success as an in-house lawyer, what she’s looking for when hiring and working with outside counsel, and her approach to per...

Episode 123: In this episode, Jay chats with Eric Pacifici about his experience leaving BigLaw to build a thriving small law firm serving SMBs. They discuss a range of topics, including how Eric and his co-founders built one of the first law firms that grew almost exclusively through engagement on social media, Eric’s best practices for engaging on social media, his thoughts on the importance of h...

Episode 122: In this episode, Jay has a deep dive discussion on business development with Bradford Hardin, co-chair of the Financial Services practice group at Davis Wright Tremaine. They discuss a range of topics, including how Bradford approached the early stages of building his practice, the importance of having an industry focus, and Bradford’s experience creating content and building relation...

Episode 121: Jay and Tom cover a range of topics in this episode, including the importance of adding value beyond the billable hour in the face of declining legal demand, the implications of declining content visibility on LinkedIn, and their latest thoughts on the intersection AI and the legal industry.

Episode 120: Jay and Tom cover a range of topics in this episode, including the latest developments at the intersection of AI and legal tech, the 5 types of key contacts and how to communicate with them, and the pros and cons of email newsletters.

Episode 119: In this episode Jay has a deep dive discussion with thought leadership consultant Bob Buday about a number of concepts from Bob’s new book “Competing on Thought Leadership.” They address what thought leadership is in today’s era, what distinguishes true thought leadership from much of today’s mass-produced online content, and the power of original research. They also share lots of ide...

Episode 118: Jay and Tom take a deep dive into productivity for business development. They address two obstacles that often come up in Jay’s coaching sessions, which are "I don’t have the time” and “Even if I did I wouldn’t know what to do with it.” Give this episode a listen to learn how to use checklists, overcome the “cold start problem” in relationships, the development and use of a key contac...

Episode 117: Jay has been posting daily on LinkedIn (okay, almost daily—he’s missed a few) for 3+ years. In this episode, he shares some of the most important lessons he’s learned along the way.

Episode 115: Jay and Tom dig into what generative AI like Chat GPT may mean for legal marketing.