The 1958 Lawyer

We’re going to use the phrase ‘from this to that’ a lot because Criminal Defense attorney Lori Levin’s experience is expansive. She started as a prosecutor in the state’s attorney’s office and in 2009 decided to go private and open her own firm. Running a solo practice meant learning lessons about how to operate both as an attorney and a business owner. Now Lori calls her criminal defense solo wor...

InfoLawGroup LLP has offices across the U.S. and covers three major areas of law – advertising, privacy, and technology – but they aren’t a huge firm. They are a boutique law firm and practice in a niche market, where those three practice areas overlap. Jamie explains how their niche powerhouse of firm was built and how they optimize their team’s broad and specialized knowledge.   Finding the ‘swe...

The secret to law practice development? Successful attorneys are using coaches; experts like Amy who know the legal industry inside and out. From law practice partner, to legal educator, to Apochromatik, Amy can offer expertise it’d take decades to learn from books. Which is why her lawyer clients call her their ‘secret weapon.’   Developing Your Law Practice with Actionable Goals: · Driving emplo...

She was inspired by Encyclopedia Brown and once aspired to become a prison warden, now Tracy Coenen is a revered fraud investigator and forensic accountant. Attorneys go beyond certifications when picking an investigator; Tracy proves why so many choose her.   Key moments: · The 3 areas of fraud and Lifestyle Analysis (02:06) · Being the investigator for both sides of a divorce (08:38) · Picking t...

Don’t equate the tech changes that are happening in the courts, like E-Filing and the incorporation of video calls, with your firm having to adopt all new legal tech to keep up with the times. While John D. Risvold likes the tech changes he sees in the legal system, he credits IP—his own pursuit of medical knowledge and expert support from family, friends, and his colleagues—for his practice’s suc...

Faye is teaching female attorneys not to make the assumptions she did: that hard work is all it takes to be seen. Previously a lawyer working within the Canadian government, when her boss retired, her job retired too, which was a shock. She now runs Her Legal Global, an international community which empowers women in law through practical skill development and mentorship, in Canada and the United...

Yes, this title is purposefully corny. Personal injury attorneys are often viewed advertising first, and not in a good way. Think ambulance chasers. Or “all ad spend, no customer service.” These firms do exist. When Sean Park markets though, it’s through building referrals and word-of-mouth. He picks clientele with the same mindset as him; not those asking “how much is my case worth” but rather “h...

Developing powerful SEO for your law firm doesn’t mean catering to the robots at the cost of the human being. Attorneys can differentiate their practices, help people, and gain backlinks. Chris Dreyer explains SEO, new options for attorneys, and offers case examples of brand and law firm marketing that offer personality robots could never mimic.   Quick answers to hot questions: What is SEO? (09:3...

Family law is rife with emotion. Michelle Lawless kept that in mind when she built her solo family law practice, after a 19-year tenure at a successful Chicago family law firm. Balancing kindness with efficient processes, Michelle explains how technology, which is usually on the wrong side of the ‘good for mental health’ equation, actually makes difficult family matters easier to emotionally handl...

Platform tennis, golf, ironman competitions, fishing; no sport is safe in this conversation about marketing and building a book of business as a lawyer. Passionate about helping attorneys reach their full potential, Steve Fretzin is regarded as the premier coach and skills trainer on legal business development.   Key moments: Making changes and taking chances as an attorney (03:57) Succeeding with...

It started as a means to an end. Now it’s a passion filled career. Odell Mitchell III gives us a peak behind the curtain at life as an entertainment lawyer running his own firm, as a single father of two young girls, and as an African American man in the legal industry.   Key moments: A glimpse into Entertainment Law (05:51) Juggling single fatherhood and running a law firm (22:43) Music and perfo...

Trisha Daho has a fun job, she helps attorneys become the people and leaders they want to be. But she also tackles big issues at firms. Like building real diversity and managing a law firm minorities thrive within. The road to partner is getting paved for women and diverse ethnicities, and Trisha is helping firms at every step.   Key moments: Differentiating yourself from other law firms (05:46) D...

Doug Church recently became a Legendary Lawyer at the Indiana Bar Foundation. An incredible honor with intensive qualifications for nominees, including a mandatory 50 years of practicing law. Doug takes us back in time and discusses what he’s seen in law in the past five decades and offers the knowledge he’s learned along the way.   Key moments: 50 years of practicing law: a journey into the past...

You could say Daniel A. Cotter has had an accomplished 26 years so far as an attorney. He’s worked in-house and as outside counsel, taught Insurance Law at the John Marshall Law School, published a book about the Chief Justices, been an Illinois Leading Lawyer and Super Lawyer for four years, and he is active in the Chicago Bar Association and American Bar Association alike. But Dan also makes sur...

Few attorneys build their law firm against the billable hour. Mellisa Grisel is one of those. Atlas Legal Services, LLC, was made to offer flat fee “unbundled” legal services and provide affordable assistance to the under-represented. A set-up that not only helps the average citizen navigate through legal processes but, she argues, will be a huge component in the future of law.   Key moments: “Unb...

Kendra never envisioned herself becoming a lawyer, per se. Like becoming a minister, earning her J.D. and opening her law firm became a way to drive positive change within minority communities – improving access to justice as an agent inside the system. Recently, Kendra also launched The Justice Renewal Initiative, a faith-based non-profit also supporting her singular goal through alternative meth...

Clinton Ind chose a vastly different route in practicing law compared to his wife: he is a solo attorney turned in-house counsel, while she has worked at a large, international firm. However, how they found their paths, he explains, is the same: self-awareness and asking yourself ‘what’s your greatest attribute as a lawyer.’ Key moments: · Large vs. mid vs. solo – finding your niche and support ne...

How do you build a powerful firm? Take Advitam IP as an example – a firm that started with a blank page, then thought so divergently they decided to just throw paper away entirely. Now, eight years running, embracing the pivot and always keeping cost in mind has made their firm thrive. Key moments: Why you should begin with a blank page (5:07) How firms can meet client billing rate expectations (1...

It’s our first episode and the Honorable Erika Orr helped us launch with a bang. Determining what you want and then asking for it is a key driver of personal success and greater social change. Erika’s insights as woman on a journey to becoming a judge – owning her own firm, working in corporate, and tackling motherhood – prove this over and over.   Key moments: Hanging up her own shingle after the...

If you’re a lawyer, you’re familiar with the ABA article “The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” which gives our podcast its title, and its inspiration. That article was the start of the billable hour for law firms...And the last major change to the business of law, 70+ years ago now. Well, it’s past time for another change.   This podcast is all about bucking the status quo of the business of law....