Lawyerist Podcast

Running a law firm can leave very little time to improve it. Client work takes priority, operational problems pile up, and business planning keeps getting postponed. In episode 642 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Lawyerist Business Strategist Richard Carr about finding a manageable starting point when everything feels urgent.  Richard shares why he often begins with a f...

AI has made it easier for lawyers to build their own software. It has also made it easier to underestimate what comes next. In episode 641 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Nick Coleman, founder and CEO of LexMed, about when law firms should build their own AI tools and when buying an existing platform makes more sense.  Nick shares how frustrations in his Social Security disab...

Your firm has AI tools. Your team has questions. In episode 640 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Ben Schorr about helping lawyers and staff get comfortable using AI through practical, collaborative workshops called prompt-a-thons.  Ben shares what happens when people have time to work through common office tasks with AI, including prioritizing email, preparing r...

AI can create a law firm website in minutes. Building a useful marketing strategy takes more thought. In episode 639 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with legal marketing consultant Karin Conroy about why easier content creation is leaving so many lawyers overwhelmed and what to do before asking AI for another post.  Karin shares a five-step approach to putting your marke...

Running two practice areas can feel like running two law firms under one roof. In episode 638 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Megan Burns, managing partner at Mirador Law, about the firm’s decision to focus entirely on plaintiff personal injury after years of also handling criminal defense.  After 20 years as a criminal defense lawyer, Megan knew her...

Most lawyers know relationships lead to referrals. The challenge is keeping those relationships alive when everything else gets busy. In this episode of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Jay Ruane about analog marketing and the simple systems that make staying connected part of running a firm.  Jay explains why offline marketing often falls apart after th...

Law firms spend enormous amounts of time and money winning new clients, then often overlook the relationships they have already built. In episode 636 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with EJ Stern and Katherine Wilson about how intentional client nurturing can lead to stronger relationships, repeat business, and more referrals.  EJ and Katherine explain why clients...

Law firms know change is coming. Knowing what to do about it is harder. In this episode of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Debbie Foster about leading a law firm forward as technology, client expectations, and the business of law evolve.  Debbie explains why strategy often gets pushed aside for urgent client work and day-to-day demands. Together, they explore why...

Law firm leaders are often so busy putting out fires that they never get the chance to prevent the next one. In episode 634 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Debbie Foster about leading operations, the third cornerstone from their book, Be a Next Level Leader (beanextlevelleader.com).  Debbie and Stephanie explore what it means to shift from being the...

Most lawyers are taught how to practice law, not how to lead people. Then one day, they are handed a team and expected to figure it out. In episode 633 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Debbie Foster about leading people, the second cornerstone from their book, Be a Next Level Leader.  Debbie and Stephanie break people's leadership into four essen...

Leaders do not simply enter a room. They change it. In episode 632 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Debbie Foster about leading self, the first cornerstone from their new book, Be a Next Level Leader.  Debbie explains why “leaders bring the weather” and how a leader’s emotions, attention, and energy can shape an entire meeting. Together, the...

When everything feels urgent, meaningful work rarely gets the attention it deserves. In episode 631 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with leadership researcher and author Shawn Vanderhoven about how law firm leaders can create the clarity their teams need to focus and perform at their best.  Drawing from his book, Pause: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World, Sh...

Lawyers may soon spend less time opening applications, and more time simply telling AI what needs to happen next. In episode 630 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with innovation strategist Sam Harden about the rise of agentic AI and how tools like ChatGPT Work and Claude Cowork could reshape the way legal professionals work.  Unlike a traditional chatbot, an age...

Privacy is not just about keeping secrets. It is about protecting your power. In episode 629 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Oxford professor and author Carissa Véliz about how personal data gives companies, governments, and technology platforms the ability to influence our choices and shape our lives.  Carissa explains why seemingly harmless information, from the m...

Law firm marketing does not have to mean paid ads, aggressive sales tactics, or posting constantly online.  In episode 628 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Chad Fox talks with Aaron Thomas about marketing for lawyers who do not think of themselves as marketers. Aaron shares how he went from relying almost entirely on referrals to building a more intentional approach that helped g...

Knowing your communication style is useful. Knowing when to move beyond it is what creates growth. In episode 627 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Zeina Baydoun about how law firm leaders and teams can use DISC to better understand themselves, communicate more effectively, and respond with greater intention.  Zeina breaks down why DISC is not a personality test or a...

Law firms deal with serious issues, but that does not mean every client interaction has to feel heavy. In episode 626 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Jennifer Cargo about humor as an underrated communication skill for lawyers and law firm teams.  Jennifer shares how her experience with comedy training and amateur standup shaped the way she connects w...

Most law firm owners know what it feels like to need help. But needing help and being ready to hire are not always the same thing. In episode 625 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett sits down with Bernadette Harris to talk about the timing, planning, and clarity required to make a successful hire.  Bernadette shares why the biggest hiring mistake is not always choosing the wrong person. So...

AI is not just changing how lawyers work. It is changing how lawyers learn. In episode 624 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with April Dawson, Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and Professor of Law at North Carolina Central University School of Law, about what AI means for legal education, new lawyer training, and the future of law practice.  April explains why law schools can...

Lawyers are trained to spot risk. But when it comes to AI, focusing only on risk may cause firms to miss the bigger opportunity. In episode 623 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser sits down with Bridget McCormack to talk about AI arbitration, legal innovation, and why the future of legal work may be less about replacement and more about reinvention.  Bridget reflects on her time as Chief Justice...

Most lawyers build their firms to serve clients, not to eventually leave them. But every law firm owner will exit someday, whether by choice, necessity, or life change.  In episode 622 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Tom Lenfestey, attorney, CPA, and founder of The Law Practice Exchange, about why exit planning should not be treated as something reserved for retirement. Tom explai...

Hiring offshore staff can transform a law firm, but only if it's done intentionally.   In this episode, Zack Glaser sits down with Raquel Gomes, co-founder and CEO of Stafi, to discuss the most common mistakes law firms make when hiring remote offshore team members. Drawing on her background in psychology and experience supporting hundreds of law firms, Raquel explains why the term "virtual assist...

Claude for Legal is not just something lawyers can install and use out of the box. It is a starting point for building smarter, more intentional law firm workflows.  In this follow-up to last week’s conversation, Zack Glaser continues his discussion with Sam Harden about Claude for Legal, AI skills, and what law firms need to understand before adding automation into their work. Sam explains why la...

Claude is not just another AI tool lawyers can chat with. It may be a preview of where legal work is heading. In episode 619 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Sam Harden about Claude, Claude for legal, and the growing role of AI in law firm workflows.  Sam breaks down how Claude can work with documents, folders, PDFs, Word files, and connected legal tools in ways that go far beyond...

Wrongful convictions and AI privacy may seem like separate issues, but both raise the same uncomfortable question: what happens when the legal system relies on old assumptions in a changing world? In episode 618 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Sunny Eaton about conviction review work, evolving science, and why lawyers should not be so quick to surrender privacy expectations in the...