Latest Soloattorney Podcast Episodes
Clarity, Systems & Creativity
The 80/20 Principle - October 18, 2022 08:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsSystematizing your law firm requires you to understand a few important things, one of which is how "creativity" works. In developing systems, you're creating something special for your law business. So you need to understand that the process of creating things is not usually linear or comp...
The Brilliant Tyrant
The 80/20 Principle - October 11, 2022 08:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsIn today's complex, rapidly changing world, thinking past the superficial and obvious is a vital skill. In this episode, I'll tell you about a mentor who taught me how to think better as a lawyer. A lawyer once wrote that my mentor's character could be summed up in two words: "brilliant tyrant...
PDF Bookmarks for Lawyers
The 80/20 Principle - October 04, 2022 08:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsWorking with PDF Bookmarks, Comments, and Text Editing are all essential skills for any lawyer or legal professional because they come into use almost daily. And PDF Forms are also incredibly helpful, so we'll cover that as well. Show Notes 'Inner Circle' (real talk about the common challenge...
PDF e-Briefs for Lawyers
The 80/20 Principle - September 27, 2022 08:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsPDF e-briefs are more useful than paper briefs, and that's why many appellate courts prefer them. But how do you create them? And what are the main considerations to keep in mind when considering the use of e-briefs? Show Notes e-Brief Info from California Court (2nd Appellate Division) ...
PDF Security for Lawyers
The 80/20 Principle - September 20, 2022 08:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsPDFs are vital to any modern law practice, especially PDF security. In this episode, we’ll cover four things: redaction, metadata removal, password protection, and PDF/A archival integrity. Show Notes Redacting Sensitive Information (Northern District of California court website) Common R...
Digital Signatures for Lawyers (PDF Skills Pt. 2)
The 80/20 Principle - September 13, 2022 08:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsDigital signatures are not the same as electronic signatures, but they are mostly used together. In this session, we'll delve into the legalities and practicalities of using digital signatures in your law practice. Show Notes Link to article on E-Signatures mentioned in the show HelloSi...
PDF Essential Skills for Lawyers
The 80/20 Principle - September 06, 2022 08:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsPDFs are essentially a form of “digital paper”—that is, a way to display text and graphics on a computer or mobile device. PDFs have been fully adopted by federal courts for e-filing and are increasingly being adopted by state courts as well. Although PDFs were not created specifically for...
Join the Inner Circle
The 80/20 Principle - August 30, 2022 12:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsThe best way to learn is to watch other people who are doing what you want to do. When it comes to using technology, that's very hard to do. It would be great if you could peer into the practices of many different lawyers who have practices like yours. You can't peer into other lawyers' comp...
How to Have An Amazing Social Media Profile
The 80/20 Principle - August 23, 2022 08:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsAlmost all lawyers now use social media of some variety and to some extent. LinkedIn is the one most used. LinkedIn and other social media services let you create a profile. A photo of you is the minimum, as is a short bio that's well-crafted. Every lawyer needs this. And it’s not that har...
How to Sell Your Law Practice (with Patrick Slaughter)
The 80/20 Principle - August 16, 2022 11:47 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsHave you ever thought about selling your law practice? In this episode, you'll hear from a lawyer named Patrick Slaughter, who successfully sold his family law practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, for double what he thought he could get for it. Show Notes info@patrickslaughter (email to use ...
A Better Way to Collect Documents from Clients & Other People
The 80/20 Principle - August 09, 2022 08:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsA huge pain point for many attorneys is gathering documents from clients & others. Now, there's a better and easier way of doing this. In this episode, we discuss a new service called Pipefile, and you'll hear from Steve Recile, the developer who created it. Show Notes Click here to...
Cyber Security for Small Law Firms (with Tom Lambotte)
The 80/20 Principle - August 02, 2022 08:00 - 47 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsSmall law firms face constant, dangerous cyber threats. Usually, it's too expensive for them to get expert guidance, but Tom Lambotte is a good friend who has been offering affordable cyber security help for solo and small firm attorneys. In this episode he shares his top 3 recommendations...
How to Build An Audience to Better Market Your Law Practice
The 80/20 Principle - July 26, 2022 08:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsA lawyer recently asked what places are best to get the attention of prospective clients. But the question is not where to get attention. Rather it's how to get attention most effectively —i.e., in a way that makes people respect you and then trust you enough to engage you and appreciate y...
Case Study: Effective Marketing for Small Law Firms (with attorney Radlyn Mendoza)
The 80/20 Principle - July 19, 2022 08:00 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsRadlyn Mendoza started an immigration law firm in 2000, focusing on the underserved Latino community in Hampton Roads, VA. She began with a clever approach to newspaper advertising that yielded fabulous results. More recently, she began experimenting with TikTok videos, and that approach a...
The South Indian Monkey Trap (also ensnares lawyers)
The 80/20 Principle - July 12, 2022 08:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsAll of us are highly prone to getting caught in debilitating mental traps, just like South Indian Monkeys in a famous story. In this episode, we examine this insidious mental trap and learn how to avoid getting ensnared in it. Show Notes The South Indian Monkey Trap: How Our Values Comprom...
Performing Autopsies (useful advice for lawyers)
The 80/20 Principle - July 05, 2022 08:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsPerforming autopsies isn't something you see lawyers doing. But if you understand the original meaning of the word "autopsy" as used by the early Greeks then you'll understand why lawyers should do this. In this episode, we delve into how you can improve your thinking and decision-making b...
Contrived Enthusiasm (Bad Lawyer Marketing)
The 80/20 Principle - June 28, 2022 08:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsToo many lawyers are too eager to self-promote. So they market in the worst possible ways (i.e. both undignified and ineffective in getting high quality clients) Let's talk about why this happens and how to market yourself the best way. Show Notes Contrived Enthusiasm (my recent blog post) ...
Build Trust More Effectively
The 80/20 Principle - June 21, 2022 12:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsIf you want people to trust you more (and, as a lawyer, you should), then it's vital to learn the keys to creating and building trust — even with complete strangers. Show Notes Write To Build Trust with Complete Strangers (my recent blog post) Working Smarter with Digital Technology (my sh...
My Cousin Vinny - a Practice Guide for Lawyers?
The 80/20 Principle - June 14, 2022 08:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsThe ABA ranks it as the 3rd best legal movie and Justice Antonin Scalia said it was his favorite lawyer movie. It's commonly used to help teach procedure and evidence in law schools. And many lawyers said it's the only Hollywood movie that gets all the procedure details perfectly correct. Af...
The Best Way To Systematize Your Practice
The 80/20 Principle - June 07, 2022 08:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsThe best way to set up systems for your law practice is not obvious to most attorneys. And many choose the less effective way, as opposed to the easier, more effective way. Show Notes Kaizen (Wikipedia article) It’s Time to Embrace Slow Productivity, by Cal Newport (New Yorker article)...
Exceptional Client Service (with John Strohmeyer)
The 80/20 Principle - May 31, 2022 08:00 - 56 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsIf you want a high-level practice, you need high-level clients. The first step is making sure you can deliver exceptional service. John Strohmeyer joins me to talk about how to do that, which he first learned before law school when working as a manager at a Four Seasons hotel. How did that...
Modern Legal Ethics (with Dane Ciolino)
The 80/20 Principle - May 24, 2022 12:00 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsCan you ethically practice New York law if you're licensed there but actually living in Louisiana? Listen and find out. Modern legal ethics is now driven by technology, so how can regulatory bodies keep up with the pace of change? Short answer: in many key areas, they can't and aren't. ...
Digital Workflow Fundamentals
The 80/20 Principle - May 17, 2022 08:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsAfter eliminating inefficient paper, the next question is how can you optimize your digital workflows in your practice to make it more streamlined and automated. That's what's covered this episode. Show Notes Check out the 2-page outline: Digital Lawyering (how to work smarter by using te...
Paperless Law Practice - Common Questions
The 80/20 Principle - May 10, 2022 08:00 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsCreating a paperless practice is vital if you want to reduce friction in workflows, and improve efficiency. Lawyers have some common questions about how to make this happen, and this episode will provide answers. Show Notes 2017 ABA Article ("How a Paperless Practice May Be Right For You...
Fundamental Questions (for the modern lawyer)
The 80/20 Principle - May 03, 2022 08:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsLawyers keep asking the same fundamental questions about key aspects of running a small law firm. Newbies and experienced lawyers have a lot of the same questions and concerns, in this episode we talk about them. Show Notes Email me at [email protected] with your questions, if you wa...
Toxic Clients - Part 2
The 80/20 Principle - April 26, 2022 08:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsIn this episode we'll delve deeper into how to avoid toxic clients, or at least minimize their toxicity as much as possible. Check out the prior episode for a full discussion of the key indicators of toxicity in people. Show Notes Google "how to spot toxic people" A sample firm p...
Getting Rid of Bad Clients
The 80/20 Principle - April 19, 2022 08:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsHow much you enjoy your law practice depends on who you allow to become your clients. The key to avoiding bad clients is learning how to spot toxic people. It's also important to have procedures in place to get rid of toxic clients you already have. That's what we'll cover in this episode. Sho...
The Ultimate KPI (the most important thing to measure in managing your practice)
The 80/20 Principle - April 12, 2022 08:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsIf you're serious about managing a successful law practice, you should measure and track your Net Promoter Score. In this episode, you'll learn what the NPS is, how it's calculated, and how it can lead to you getting more great clients, and fewer bad ones. Show Notes The ONE Thing: The...
199: The Ultimate KPI (the most important thing to measure in managing your practice)
The 80/20 Principle - April 12, 2022 08:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsIf you're serious about managing a successful law practice, you should measure and track your Net Promoter Score. In this episode, you'll learn what the NPS is, how it's calculated, and how it can lead to you getting more great clients, and fewer bad ones. Show Notes The ONE Thing: The...
198: How to Take a 1 Month Vacation (Interview with Andrew Legrand)
The 80/20 Principle - April 05, 2022 08:00 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 80 ratingsBusiness attorney Andrew Legrand is planning to go rafting in the Grand Canyon for 21 days during September, and will be completely out of touch with his law firm for a full month. How can he be sure that everything will continue to run smoothly while he's gone? Listen and find out. (spoil...
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