The Un-Billable Hour: Recent Episodes

Legal Talk Network

Managing your law practice can be challenging. Marketing, time management, attracting clients and all the things (besides the cases) that you need to do, but aren't billable. Welcome to this edition of "the Un-Billable Hour" ...the law practice advisory podcast! This is where you'll get the information you need from expert guests and host Christopher Anderson.

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table:

Our first topic is how to use vacations – including your own breaks – to affirm company culture. How do you get away without fully abandoning ship and leaving your team to fend for itself? You encourage team members to take vacations to renew and regroup, but what about you as the leader of the firm? Company culture starts at the top.

Prevent your email and calendar from running your life and set your own priorities. Don’t let your email own you, and certainly don’t let your team run your life. You run your life. You run your firm. (It’s harder than that sounds

When is it appropriate to let an employee know the relationship isn’t working and it’s time to part ways? And, what’s an appropriate severance package

Plus, let’s talk about how to grade support staff. Set expectations and reasonable goals so staffers know what’s expected and you know what to expect. Mentioned in this Episode: “Come Up For Air,” by Nick Sonnenberg “We Have Met The Enemy And He Is Us,” Pogo by Walt Kelly Join the next Community Table live! What’s on your mind?

Is your marketing missing a key component, say, a way to reach Spanish speaking audiences? Many attorneys miss a large segment of their community that wants legal services, if only they would reach out. Guest Hugo Gomez founded and leads Abogados Now, a digital marketing company that helps connect attorneys in the U.S. with the Spanish-speaking communities around them. This is about more than hiring a translator, this is about understanding different cultures and reaching out to them. Go beyond adding a “Google Translate” button to your website. What works in English often doesn’t work in another language. Even in Spanish the language and nuances vary from country to country, community to community. Think it doesn’t matter? The Spanish speaking market is the fastest growing segment in the U.S., and nearly 1 in 5 people in the country have connections to Spanish speaking communities. The numbers don’t lie. It’s a massive market. But it’s not easy, and it takes experts who understand the cultures. Reaching out, effectively, to the Spanish speaking markets in your area can be your competitive edge. Learn the steps you can take to establish an entirely new arm to your marketing and the services you provide and the people you help. Learn about adding a layer of authenticity, understanding, and honest representation. What works, where do you present yourself, and how do you reach these markets? Mentioned in this Episode: Law360, “Abogados Now Founder On Reaching Spanish Speakers” Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: Our first question turned into a collaborative discussion around the Community Table with input from several other lawyers. How does a longtime attorney with her own firm finally shake things up, turn operations over to someone else, and focus on strategy and the practice of law? It’s hard to let go of control, even with a consultant pitching in. How do you market when money is tight, cash flow is low, and you need more dollars in the door? Start by knowing your practice. What’s the underlying issue, what kind of ship are you leading? From there you can spot opportunities and focus on revenue and marketing. Thinking of making a pivot or expanding from your current area of practice to boost revenue? Consider what you enjoy doing and think about what areas of the law generate consistent, timely cash flow. Mentioned in this Episode: Gino Wickman, “Traction” Michael Morse, “Fireproof” Previously on the Un-Billable Hour, guest Michael Morse, “Your Firm? You Can’t Do It All (And You Shouldn’t Try)” ABA Techshow SMB Team The Rainmaker Institute WealthCounsel estate planning software L. David Marquet, “Turn This Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders” L. David Marquet, video, guest “Texas Business Radio” Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Marketing, acquiring new business, and growing your firm are all important. But ultimately, any law firm has to produce results to scale, and that comes down to who you hire and how you manage, develop, and collaborate with your team. Guest Luis Scott is the owner and managing partner of Bader | Scott Injury Lawyers. In addition to running a firm responsible for millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, Scott devotes time to consulting with other firms to help them grow their own revenue. Based in Atlanta, Scott understands a competitive market for client acquisition, but also for employee acquisition. How do you find, hire, and retain the best team? Hear how Scott and his firm identified and hired employees, then turned the best into leaders, freeing senior partners to focus on strategy. The bigger a firm grows, the more important a strategic, mindful approach becomes. How big do you want to grow? Three million in revenue? Eight million? Bigger? Scott explains how he structures a firm and positions leaders and employees for success. Founders of any firm are only one person. After a threshold, there’s nothing more they can do by themselves. That’s where it’s vital to develop leaders who can oversee individual parts of the business, everything from litigation to HR to marketing. If you lead a law firm of any size, consider this episode your own, personal consulting session that will help you organize and focus your efforts on growing your revenue and expanding your reach. (Plus, you’ll learn “The Five Ps” of law firm management.) Mentioned in this Episode: Un-Billable Hour Community Table Figure Firm Consulting The Guts and Glory Show “The King of Growth,” by Luis Scott “It Has to Hurt,” by Luis Scott

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table:

Interview questions to ask that help you understand an applicant’s true motivations. Questions that dig a little deeper. And how to accept those answers at face value.

Ever had a terrible experience hiring someone? There are tools to help you avoid mistakes, but you have to learn how to use them. But there are no silver bullets. Go boldly, but tread lightly.

Dealing with a new hire who won’t complete required training? Can you really require someone to learn, and if they won’t, is that grounds to terminate the relationship? This question quickly drifts into some interesting territory.

And finally, how long can you keep a new attorney at your firm before they need to start returning a profit to the firm? Maybe while they learn the ropes, you can at least have them do something that delivers value. (You can only wait so long).

Mentioned in this Episode: Malcolm Gladwell, Revisionist History page Malcolm Gladwell, “Hamlet Was Wrong” Using DiSC For Hiring Kolbe The Predictive Index Myers-Briggs personality test Jay Henderson, Real Talent Hiring Real Talent Hiring Wizehire Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

In this episode, we’ll talk “big picture.” Are you ready to scale up, build your client base, and be more successful? Guest Sam Mollaei is passionate about creating scalable law firms and helping others understand and implement his blueprint for going big while disrupting the traditional law firm model. He challenges firms to embrace automation, innovation, offshoring, and move beyond the old fashioned face-to-face, brick and mortar route. Mollaei employs the latest tools to beat the high cost of paid search, create efficient client intake processes, overcome SEO snags, find new ways around labor inefficiencies, and accelerate business development. And he’s just getting started as developments in artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT continue to evolve the business of law. Hear how Mollaei teaches firms to ride the wave instead of chasing it. Changes are coming fast, and everything is on the table. There’s a lot to learn, but adapting to this new environment is not an option, it’s the future. Be a part of it or be left behind. Mentioned in this Episode: Google Ads Seamless food delivery “Virtual Law Firm Secrets” ebook Un-Billable Hour Community Table

In this episode’s discussion around the Community Table:

Getting from “yes” to “signing the check.” How to accelerate and bullet-proof your sales cycle. Getting the client to go from agreeing to hire you to actually turning over that retainer.

Vaccinating the recruiter. Preparing a third-party recruiter with responses to a prospective employee’s objections. How do you arm a recruiter for a prospect’s “Yeah, but I heard they …”

Stalking a specific type of client? Go where they are. If you’re the best in a niche field, where do you find the clients who need you, and how is that different from asking for referrals? And, Facebook vs. LinkedIn, your marketing dollars.

Mentioned in this Episode: Previous appearance of Erik and Elliot Alicea on The Un-Billable Hour, “Marketing is Metrics: The Cost Of New Business Acquisition” Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind?

Let’s talk about practice management, tech, and production. How do you find and apply the right tech tools that help you deliver what you’ve promised to your clients? Acquiring new clients, moving cases through the process, reaching successful outputs, and applying the right business metrics that help you understand your business performance all require the right technologies. Did you know, even the simple habit of waiting until the end of the day to enter your billable time can cost you money? There’s a tech solution for virtually every aspect of your legal business. Tech is racing forward. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we work. Maybe you are being left behind. It’s more important than ever to understand what changed. Payments, marketing data, key points, cloud tech, it’s all a new game. Practice management and success today is about data, how you understand your value, your pricing, key performance indicators, and, ultimately, your profitability. From intake to case management to corporate success, tech is what’s driving the legal profession. Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it – Ferris Bueller

How To Decide A Timeline For Firing An Employee

How To Craft A Good Job Package to Attract Better Quality Applicants

How To Give An Employee An Ultimatum Before Firing Them

Acquisition, getting new clients “from contact to contract,” is vital to your success. So why are so many firms struggling at the most basic levels? Guest Adam Reiman, director of coaching and live events at Lawyer.com, explains. Signing a prospective client starts the instant you pick up the phone. Clients are won or lost in those critical first moments. If you’re waiting to respond to calls or putting people on hold, you may be bleeding contracts. Prospect interest drifts away in minutes, while the average law firm takes more than three days to return an initial call. Is that your firm? It’s not just getting prospects to call, it’s about converting them to clients. Reiman, says, “Treat your leads like Fabergé Eggs.” They are precious and fragile. Reiman, a leader in legal coaching and law firm development, helps firms efficiently manage leads and turn an inquiry into a signed, paying client. In this episode:

The art of being “nice.” The caller is in a tough spot. Respond quickly and show empathy.

The value of in person appointments and appointment reminders.

Explaining why you’re the right lawyer. What makes you special.

How much follow up contact is too much, and too little.

The right time to explain your fee (and how to ask for the money).

Bonus: Reiman urges firms to give him a call (602-828-4415) for a free “secret shopper” experience where he’ll call as a prospective client, then provide tips and areas for improvement.

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table: How can a law firm effectively use the non-attorney salesperson in a way that meets client expectations?

Every attorney knows to lock client secrets behind sophisticated cybersecurity. But as guest Rich Hale explains, the data that’s hiding in plain sight, “Dark Data,” is just as important to your client relationships and your reputation. After this important episode, you’ll want to look around your office. What do you see? Passwords taped to keyboards, thumb drives and scribbled notes left on desktops overnight, email exchanges that keep expanding as more people are looped in? Protecting that data both from thieves and ransomware attacks is every bit as crucial as your clients’ secret formula or business plans. As chief technology officer for the data security firm ActiveNav, Hale is surprised how many organizations are swimming in unsecured Dark Data. Just because you aren’t hearing about a security breach at a small law firm doesn’t mean it’s not happening daily. Learn to shine a light on your Dark Data. This may be one of the most eye-opening podcasts you listen to this year.

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table:

What do I need to consider to bring the firm’s outsource bookkeeping in-house?

How can I utilize job boards more effectively to find quality candidates?

What is the best way to script internal messaging to my team about a firing?

Feeling overwhelmed, like you’ve lost control of your life and your practice, like your job runs you instead of the other way around? You’re not alone and there are ways to overcome anxiety, doubt, and feeling overwhelmed. You can put you back in charge of you. Guest Monica Levi is a lawyer and former corporate HR executive who channels what she learned into leadership coaching for attorneys. This episode of the Un-Billable Hour is about you. Learn to listen to yourself, understand your worth, and go after what you want in life, whether that’s managing your own law practice, working within a corporate setting, or doing something entirely different. Lawyers especially feel the pressures of time management, productivity, and reacting and responding to everyone else’s needs. No wonder so many attorneys are struggling to find satisfaction. It’s hard to set boundaries and gain control of your time and goals. But you can do it. And if you’ve got questions and want to be part of the discussion, join us at The Community Table, a live round table Q&A with host Christopher Anderson and guests here!

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table:

How can I minimize the damage of an upcoming employee resignation?

How do I decide which size cases my firm should pursue?

How do I handle two employees that need to be hired/transferred?

Marketing is about message, not volume. Before big advertising spends, figure out who you are and what you want to say. What makes you special? Look inside your firm and understand your culture and passions. You don’t have to dress, act, and talk like every other firm. And you can’t buy authenticity. Guests April and Tyler Roberts are co-founders of NOMOS Marketing. They dig into what makes a law firm unique, building on aspects that forge stronger connections with clients. Lean into what makes you unique. Too often, firms focus on the same, bland messaging. They don’t know what they stand for, so they follow the crowd. Instead, build a real brand. When people need an attorney, they are going through a scary period. Learn how making your firm more personal generates trust and helps clients envision the successful outcome only you can deliver. (Plus, the one thing any lawyer or law firm can do right now, today, to improve marketing results).

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table:

How should I structure a bonus plan for my client intake specialist?

How should I construct a pro hac vice agreement with an out-of-state law firm?

How should I market my newly created educational course to my potential clients?

If there’s a key lesson in this episode, it’s “Don’t try to do it all.” Guest Mike Morse founded the largest personal injury law firm in Michigan. But it wasn’t always that way. He started out trying to do everything himself, from trials to correspondence to hiring assistants to finding office space. Nobody in law school teaches you how to run a law firm – law school doesn’t even admit a law firm is a business. You need to learn how to run your firm like a business. Morse did just that. Learn to delegate. Be a visionary. Be an entrepreneur. Build a brand, scale up, and succeed. If you’re already leading a firm, take the next step. Offload tasks to others who share your values and hold them accountable. Build your business by doing what you’re best at and assigning others to do the things you don’t love. For anyone running their own firm and wants to grow, this episode may be one of the most important podcasts of the year.

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table:

How do I decide which candidate to hire for the office manager position?

How do I attract quality candidates to my small firm when we’re competing against larger law firms?

How do I hold people accountable in a way that doesn’t create a lot of extra work for me?

The COVID pandemic changed our understanding of remote work with new technologies and more efficient management. But does that remote employee need to be in your town, or even country? Guest Brett Trembly is cofounder of Get Staffed Up, a growing firm that provides talented, English-proficient, remote professional legal support staffers from around the world. Some 700 law firms around the U.S. profit from offshore legal support. Look beyond the limited – and highly competitive – talent pool in your region. Limit costs by working with staffers in countries with less expensive economies. Never considered offshoring? Now’s the time, as technologies and attitudes about remote work open new ways to expand your business, tackle new projects, and delegate support services so you can focus on results that matter.

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table:

How do I promote an employee to a part-time position without upsetting the current full-time coworker?

Did I make a mistake hiring a friend?

How do I overcome my reluctance to hand over the drag-in duties to a new hire?

Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Guest Joey Seeber prides himself on bringing out the best in his team in the courtroom, at his legal firm, and as an elected public official. He says finding the right person for the job starts with understanding yourself and your organization’s values. Seeber reflects on what went right and what went wrong when assembling teams. At his company, Level Legal, he focuses on culture and fit by identifying core values and living by them: “Give a damn. Get it done right. Show respect.” Everything starts with the interview, asking important questions that align with the organization’s values instead of checking boxes. What interview questions are you asking? Do they connect to your values? Before you seek a new team member, do you understand what makes your organization work? Hear how Seeber focuses on indicators of success and learned the difference between a “job description” and a “role description.” As he says, “look beyond the resume.” Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Host Christopher T. Anderson meets with lawyers from around the country to discuss issues they are currently facing in their practices. Featured on this episode:

How do I format my invoices so they convey value?

How can I better teach systems to my team?

What should I do when a job candidate has a few red flags?

What is the most efficient way to have my virtual assistant write out processes and procedures?

Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

For guest Jason Levin – author of “Relationships to Infinity” and founder of the firm Ready, Set, Launch – keeping in touch with past connections, friends, and mentors is a lifelong passion and the bedrock of networking and relationship development. Through his work, Levin has developed an intense interest in helping people develop and maintain personal and business relationships. Business, after all, truly comes down to who you know. Levin’s firm Ready Set Launch applies corporate brand management principles to personal and corporate relationships. It’s the stuff they don’t teach in law school but is a pillar of any successful law firm. Hate networking? Learn to overcome. Think you are doing a great job at networking? Maybe you aren’t. Levin helps professionals make new and maintain lifetime connections. Keeping in touch is foundational. “Let’s do lunch” and “keep in touch” have become meaningless phrases, but the art of maintaining relationships has never been more important. Go beyond social media, events, and transactions and start getting real with steps you can take right now. Today is the day. Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Host Christopher T. Anderson meets with lawyers around the country to discuss issues they are currently facing in their practices. Featured on this episode:

How should I market two different areas of focus for my law firm?

How do I find the right call intake employee to hire?

What is the best use of marketing dollars when starting a practice in a new state?

What are the pros and cons of training a new hire vs. hiring an already-experienced candidate?

How do I deal with understaffing as I’m about to go on maternity leave?

Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

This special episode of Un-Billable Hour goes to the heart of your firm’s existence: attracting and signing new clients in a digital world. Guest Jason Hennessey of Hennessey Digital built his company through reverse engineering the Google algorithm. He’s a respected leader in law firm marketing and offers valuable tips you can put to work today. Learn core principles successful firms use to climb Google search rankings. Embrace the variables that help them adapt and shape their marketing to reach more potential new clients. Hennessey’s book, “Law Firm SEO” explains how search engine optimization works and empowers firms when they look to hire a marketer. The book is written for the layperson, explaining in plain language the principles of SEO. If you don’t want to do it yourself, at least hold the teams you hire accountable. Confused by SEO vs. Paid Search? It comes down to understanding marketing spend and outcomes. Learn what potential clients are looking for and how to hook them. Plus, insights into website functionality, purposeful content strategies, and brand awareness. Attract more prospects and convert them to clients. Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Our first episode of 2022 is kind of about everything. It’s about trends, helping law firms leverage tech, outsource routine tasks, and grow their business. Guest Chad Burton is a highly-regarded legal practice futurist. Through his work with Modern Law Practice and CuroLegal, he works one-on-one with practitioners to help them understand what they need and how to engage existing solutions to move them forward. Understanding the capabilities of today’s tech isn’t intuitive. It takes work. Burton shares insights into emerging trends in 2022. Hear what he thinks will happen with non-lawyer owned law firms and the introduction of non-lawyer licensed legal practitioners in specific legal sectors. Other trends include alternative business structures (ABS) such as LegalZoom, Elevate Services, and fee-splitting providing legal services to a vast pool of underserved Americans. He also offers thoughts on outsourcing routine work through emerging enterprises such as Lawclerk, UpWork, and GetStaffedUp, not only outsourcing tasks but offshoring them. Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

We know the pillars of marketing: acquisition, production, and purpose. But in this episode of the Un-Billable Hour, class-action guru Gerald Maatman gets down to basics and talks about your marketing bedrock: your brand. Building your practice starts before you ask for a client’s business. It’s about your brand, what you’re already known – and respected – for. Hear how developing expertise, building knowledge, public speaking, and thought leadership earns you the business before you even make the call. There’s a lot to work on here, from giving every case your all, to learning to see the challenge from your client’s perspective, to creating lasting relationships. It’s not easy, and it’s not fast. But a thriving law practice is not about luck. It’s about hard work that never ends. Learn valuable lessons from a true business leader. Special thanks to our sponsors LawClerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Struggling to find joy and fulfillment in her work at a prestigious law firm, guest Ali Katz thought striking out on her own was the way to go. But she found herself battling the same demons, too busy producing paperwork to achieve work/life balance and find satisfaction by fully serving her clients. Then it hit her. There’s nothing wrong with the legal profession, what’s wrong is the way lawyers run their practice. Author of the new book, “The New Law Business Model: Building a Lucrative Law Practice That You (And Your Clients) Love,” Katz teaches lawyers how to reinvent their practice, build enduring client relationships, and bring the love back to lawyering. Learn the difference between “money debt” and “time debt.” Explore new ways to engage clients and show them the value you provide. Stop doing things the old way and focus on superior client outcomes. Special thanks to our sponsors Law Clerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

With today’s tight, post-pandemic labor pool, trained, quality legal intake professionals are scarce. Law firms are increasingly turning to outsourced intake, receptionist, and onboarding services. Jeff Mosler, CEO of Nexa Receptionist Holdings LLC (you probably already know their Alert Communications brand) explains how law firms leveraging the flexibility of a turnkey, pretrained outsourcing platform can maximize marketing investments, answer calls in just three rings, and carry potential clients from a curious call to a signed retainer. Stop wasting marketing dollars on lost leads. Even for established firms, an outsourced platform – with the ability to engage by phone, web chat, email, and text – can help firms engaged in one-time, mass tort cases as needs ramp up then scale back. For big firms or small, a trained, on-call pool of legal intake specialists could be the answer. Special thanks to our sponsors Law Clerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Guest Mark Rockwell helps lawyers and law firms build purpose, passion, and profit. Learn the five biggest – and crazy simple – mistakes lawyers make every day that undermine their business. Rockwell helps lawyers understand what they want, who they are, and where they want to go. Without structure and vision, what’s the point? When lawyers find themselves spinning their wheels, busy without achieving goals, Rockwell helps create structure and processes that build order and direction. For the first 10 listeners to reach out at (503) 784-7205 or Mark@CoachRockwell.com, Rockwell offers a free one-hour coaching session. He also offers a free e-book, “Five Mistakes Lawyers Make That Kill Their Career,” at www.CoachRockwell.Com.

Special thanks to our sponsors Law Clerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

Initial prospect consultations are lost hours if the prospect doesn’t become a client. Guest Theophan McKenzie is a professional sales consultant who helps attorneys and law firms across the country learn a better way to stop wasting time and stop letting prospects walk out the door. McKenzie’s innovative, nontraditional sales techniques teach attorneys to turn off their “lawyer brain” and build immediate, lasting connections with prospects. Learn how to stop selling yourself and start listening to the prospective client. Special thanks to our sponsors Law Clerk, Alert Communications, LawYaw, and Scorpion.

From the football field to the boardroom, talent development expert Ben Murphy has learned a few moves critical to building a motivated and productive team. Host Christopher Anderson and Murphy discuss how law firms can better hire, train, motivate and retain a team. Murphy explains why 56% of executives fail within 18 months of being hired and how to avoid these common pitfalls. He also details how managers can effectively manage a team working remotely and manage across generational divides. Ben Murphy is vice president of Titus Talent Strategies. Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Lawclerk, Alert Communications and LawYaw.

Giugi Carminati reveals the lawyer traits that show lawyers desperately need legal project management, yet still resist. Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Lawclerk, Alert Communications and LawYaw.

Entrepreneur Jaclyn Foster compares contract versus full-time paralegal services from cost to efficiency and battling turnover.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Lawclerk, Alert Communications and LawYaw.

Success coach Ken Hardison shares what it takes to assemble an A-team for a lucrative and satisfying law practice.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Lawclerk, Alert Communications and LawYaw.

Do lawyers need more client leads? Legal marketing expert Kara Prior has an answer you might not expect.

How business development relates to marketing, sales and client acquisition for lawyers.

How to embrace your role as the CEO, from developing a plan and first hires to keeping control of the roles you enjoy most.

Tracers President Erik Pickering offers a five-part strategy to thrive post-pandemic and shares how data research can make or break a case.

Family lawyer Jenny Bradley shares how a profit-first financial strategy increases profits, saves time, and improves business relationships.

De Novo Review’s lawyer staffing experts discuss growing practice areas amid Covid-19 and increased demand for support during periodic surges.

Legal AI entrepreneur Tom Martin shares how automation adoption by lawyers is accelerating out of necessity and because their clients demand it.

While the pandemic paralyzed many leaders, Michael Mogill offers tips for adopting a growth mindset that will lead you on a path to success.

Eric Farber offers strategies for developing a healthy culture in your law firm.

Tom Lambotte discusses the key tenets of his Optimize Method framework for lawyers.

David Neagle shares tips for developing a mindset that can help bring businesses through difficult economic circumstances.

Kimball Parker discusses solutions to common problems faced by law firms struggling to adjust to remote work.

Scott Wallingford discusses strategies for maximizing per-client profitability in your law firm.

Marco Brown highlights the importance of prioritizing billing for your law firm.

Clio’s Jack Newton discusses his new book and the lessons he’s learned over the last ten years studying successful law firms.

Moshe Rosenblum-Amsel shares strategies for optimizing your firm’s finances.

Greg Garman offers guidance for the future of small firm business models.

Greg Garman shares insights on legal business models and current supply and demand trends in the profession.

Karin Conroy offers guidance for connecting with the right clients for your law firm.

Liz Goddard, co-owner of Cc: My Admin, discusses how virtual assistants help lawyers increase efficiency and grow profits.

Jacob Slowik offers insights for lawyers on how niche specialization can lead to career successes.

Helen Bukulmez explains how investing in the interests of your team creates a culture of unity in your firm.

Sales minus expenses equals profit, right? Wrong! This formula may not be as correct as we thought. Small business profit guru Ron Saharyan joins Un-Billable Hour host Christopher Anderson to discuss how putting profit first helps lawyers be more focused on their clients’ needs. Ron explains the importance of setting aside money for profit, pay, and taxes; then using what is left to run your business.

Host Christopher Anderson is joined by Deborah Farone to discuss how smaller law firms and legal process outsourcing providers are well positioned to eat the lunch of larger, less nimble firms. They also cover a wide range of subjects including key changes in the industry facing small and midsize practices, the shocking lack of strategy in a large number of firms, and when it’s appropriate to bring on a Chief Marketing Officer.

Are you wasting marketing dollars by not converting prospects into clients? Following up on last month’s discussion about marketing, host Christopher Anderson tackles the equally important subject of sales with the help of Liz Wendling. Together they discuss the many ways attorneys are sabotaging their own efforts to convert prospects into clients, explain how to rethink your approach to closing a sale, and provide invaluable practical tips on how to improve your consultation style.

Host Christopher Anderson talks to Conrad Saam about how lawyers can take full ownership of their firm’s marketing and website. They discuss how the decline of legal directories has reduced visibility for some lawyers, and offer strategies for lawyers to take charge of their online presence. They also outline the best practices for ownership and talk about the benefits of WordPress.

How can artificial intelligence be applied in small law firms, and what are its dangers and benefits? In this episode, host Christopher Anderson talks to Alex Babin and Ryan Steadman of Zero, a company that applies artificial intelligence and smart automation to the most pressing operational challenges of the legal industry. They discuss what Zero can do to save lawyers time, give their clients a better customer experience, and increase security in email processes.

What do Silicon Valley tech companies do that law firms should consider implementing in their business practices? In this episode, host Christopher Anderson talks to Sarah Schaaf, CEO of Headnote, about the key things law firms can learn from tech companies to improve how they operate. They get into the details of how firms can consider data, speed, and ongoing streamlining to allocate firm resources responsibly and efficiently.

Christopher Anderson talks to Bryan Miles, CEO of Belay Solutions, about his book “Virtual Culture, The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore, a Manifesto.” They discuss the challenges of the traditional workplace and outline how Belay Solutions has grown up as an exclusively virtual company. They give advice on how to develop virtual culture in a firm and discuss how virtual assistants can help lawyers focus on what really matters.

How effective is your law firm in its communications? Responsiveness is key, and utilizing a virtual receptionist may help your firm increase efficiency and boost customer satisfaction. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Maddy Martin of Smith.ai about steps small law firms can take to improve their communication. They discuss the many ways virtual receptionists can enhance the capabilities of small law firms and how these services can be customized to serve each firm’s unique needs.

Host Christopher Anderson is joined by Dr. Teresa Albizu, founder and co-president of the R-A Pinnacle Group and Dr. Gerardo (Gery) Rodríguez-Menéndez, co-president of the R-A Pinnacle Group as they discuss attorney wellness, how to see the signs, strategies on how to cope with stress, and when an individual should seek help.

Host Christopher Anderson talks to Andrew Lechter about how lawyers can be wise about leasing their work space. From maintaining a healthy relationship with your landlord to trends in the real estate market, there’s a lot that goes into leasing your own office space. Andrew shares tips about what lawyers should look for in a law firm lease, how to maximize the space you have, and what to do with office space that isn’t working for your business.

Hiring the right employee involves a lot more than looking at a resume. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Molly Hall about the best ways to find and hire quality employees. She shares tips on how to conduct interviews, weed out ill-fitting candidates, and compete with larger firms for talent. She also discusses best practices when letting go of employees that don’t fit.

More clients for less ad spend seems like a distant ideal, but artificial intelligence (AI) may be the tool lawyers need to get their ads in front of the right people. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Keith Dyer about how law firms can use AI to improve their marketing efforts. They discuss the three different types of AI (robotics, natural language processing, and machine learning), their capabilities, and how they could impact the future of legal marketing.

All lawyers want to get paid but keeping track of billable hours can be a challenge for solo and small firm lawyers. Inevitably, some hours may through the cracks resulting in a loss of potential money. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Alan Tuback about techniques and tools that can help lawyers keep track of their billable hours. They also discuss using practice management software to track time and other easy-to-implement software solutions for an overall efficient firm.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is vital if you want your website to be found by the right clients. But SEO can be difficult to understand to those who don’t specialize in online marketing. Host Christopher Anderson talks to Seth Price about the four main components of SEO including high quality content, authoritative links, correct coding, and local. They also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking on a website redesign and identify the differences between good and bad links.

Host Christopher Anderson talks to Tyler Todd about the access to justice problem and how blockchain and other technology could be the key to solving it. They discuss the common issues within access to justice like lawyers not being able to connect with consumers, and how blockchain addresses these issues with transparency, efficiency, and accountability.

For growing solo and small firms, deciding when to use billable resources to hire new employees can be a challenge. Greg Garman talks about when firms should hire freelance lawyers to help them fill in the gaps. What are the benefits and functions of freelance lawyers?

There’s a lot of talk about practice management software in legal circles, but what is it and how can it serve your law firm? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson and PracticePanther CEO David Bitton dive into the details of just how practice management software can lead to a more focused and efficient law firm. From client portals to document generation, they discuss the key benefits of practice management software and how they enhance the client experience. David Bitton is the CEO of PracticePanther, a management and billing software solution that is specially catered to users in the legal profession. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

There are systems to help you run every part of a small law firm, whether it’s billing, marketing, or hiring. But what are systems and how do you implement them in your practice? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson talks to Kristen David about the importance of using systems and how they help law firm owners, staff, and even clients. They discuss crafting checklists, freeing up time, and how systems are sometimes resisted. They also share tips on how an owner can free up their time. Kristen David is law firm management and marketing advisor for How To Manage a Small Law Firm. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

The mindset of a leader can affect an entire team and how they perform. This is especially true in law firms. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson talks to Michael Mogill about the seven mindset habits that lawyers can use to run a more successful and cohesive law firm: Ambition Engagement Accountability Respectfulness Openness to change Openness to learn Set clear expectations They go into detail about the strategies and benefits of each habit while also discussing the difference between a growth or fixed mindset. Michael Mogill is the president and CEO of Crisp Video Group, a national legal video marketing company that produces high-quality and engaging legal videos for attorneys all over the country. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

Currently, there are at least 900 different kinds of cryptocurrencies being traded on the internet. As they have grown in popularity, it has become clear that cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology will inevitably impact the way law is practiced. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson talks to Joshua Lenon about blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and why it is essential for lawyers to know what these technologies are and how they work. They discuss how blockchain can perfect the authentication of digital files and how lawyers can start to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment. Joshua Lenon is an attorney who currently serves as lawyer-in-residence for Clio, providing legal scholarship and research skills to the cloud-based practice management platform. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

Everybody hates those merciless sales emails that fill up your already packed inbox, but marketing via emails and phone calls is an important part of bringing clients through the door. As the owner of a legal business, what’s the best way to balance selling your services and being a lawyer? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Chris Anderson talks to Michael Chasin about what lawyers should be doing to turn leads into clients. They discuss how important it is to create internal processes to handle incoming clients and provide them with the best legal experience possible in order to keep them coming back. Michael Chasin is CEO of Lexicata, a CRM and client intake software designed to help law firms and lawyers increase client satisfaction. Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, and Scorpion.

Everyone has had technology issues. Whether it’s yanking paper out of your printer, restarting your computer for the fifth time this week, or struggling to open certain kinds of files, no law firm operates free from technology challenges. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Chris Anderson talks to Tom Lambotte, CEO of GlobalMacIT, about the effect different technology mindsets have on legal businesses. Some of these mindsets include ignoring smaller tech problems, avoiding issues until they are severe, and lawyers acting as their own IT experts. Ultimately, technology can save you time and money but only if you look at it with a healthy mindset. Tom Lambotte founded GlobalMacIT in 2007. He is renowned nationwide as an author, speaker, trusted IT advisor, and cutting edge, successful provider of the #1 complete end-to-end IT solution for Mac-Based Law Firms in the world. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1 and Solo Practice University.

In order to run a law firm successfully, you need clients and one of the most effective ways to get clients is through referrals, but what’s the best way to get referrals? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson and guest Vikram Rajan, co-founder of PhoneBlogger.net, lay out the four Cs of referability, which are: Credibility Customer service Content Connections They also discuss testimonials, how to get them, and their key benefits in legal marketing. Vikram Rajan is a co-founder of PhoneBlogger.net. He started Practice Marketing Advisors and its blog because he realized attorneys, CPAs, and related professionals required specialized marketing help. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1 and Solo Practice University.

In order to be a good lawyer, you first need clients. And to get clients, you need good marketing. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of marketing courses at law school. So in this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson discusses way to market your law firm with LexBlog CEO Kevin O’Keefe, including how to use social media strategically, online networking, and using technology to facilitate and simplify your marketing process. According to Kevin, marketing is a conversation that involves building relevant relationships and setting goals for your particular business. Tune in for insights on various social media platforms and the best times and situations for each. Kevin O’Keefe is the founder and CEO of LexBlog, a pioneer company that helps lawyers with online marketing and blogs.

So there’s an ice cream shop. This ice cream shop is used to serving quality ice cream to its customers, but recently their vendor has cheated them out of their usual delicious product. But since this is a small business, they can’t cover the cost of litigation even though they have a solid case. What do they do? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, recorded at ABA TECHSHOW 2017, host Christopher Anderson talks to Joshua Lenon and Eva Shang about Legalist, a form of litigation finance underwriting for commercial cases based on algorithms and data. Together they discuss why Legalist was created, how it works, and its integration with Clio. Joshua Lenon is an attorney who currently serves as lawyer-in-residence for Clio, providing legal scholarship and research skills to the leading cloud-based practice management platform. Eva Shang is the co-founder of Legalist, a service dedicated to finance underwriting for litigation. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1 and Solo Practice University.

Everyone has had technology issues. Whether it’s yanking paper out of your printer, restarting your computer for the fifth time this week, or struggling to open certain kinds of files, no law firm operates free from technology challenges. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Chris Anderson talks to Tom Lambotte, CEO of GlobalMacIT, about the effect different technology mindsets have on legal businesses. Some of these mindsets include ignoring smaller tech problems, avoiding issues until they are severe, and lawyers acting as their own IT experts. Ultimately, technology can save you time and money but only if you look at it with a healthy mindset. Tom Lambotte founded GlobalMacIT in 2007. He is renowned nationwide as an author, speaker, trusted IT advisor, and cutting edge, successful provider of the #1 complete end-to-end IT solution for Mac-Based Law Firms in the world. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1 and Solo Practice University.

Before you read the word “numbers” and cover your ears, consider this your reminder that accounting doesn’t have to be intimidating. On this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson talks to Micky Deming, the director of business development at Kahuna Accounting. Together they explain the common misconceptions attorneys have about bookkeeping and how these can be detrimental to legal businesses at large. In reality, dedicating time and effort to accounting can build your confidence, save you time, and help you make wise business decisions. Plus, it can potentially save you money. Maybe numbers aren’t as intimidating as they seem. Micky Deming is the director of business development at Kahuna Accounting where he has seen first-hand hundreds of attorneys who have taken their financials from a place of anxiety to a place of clarity. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1.

It can be difficult to set your course in marketing when you don’t know where your firm has been. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson talks with Marketing Vice President Chelsey Lambert from How To Manage a Small Law Firm about building successful marketing campaigns. Together, they discuss the money-saving attributes of planning in advance and the components needed to drive business to your firm including key performance indicators, ideal times to attract clients, and much more. Tune in to hear about a blueprint that you can implement into your very own marketing plan. Chelsey Lambert is the marketing vice president for How To Manage a Small Law Firm. Her mission is to help attorneys and legal professionals understand the technology that is available to them, how to use it, and the positive impacts it can have on their business, client relationships, and bottom line. Special thanks to our sponsor, Answer1.

Law firms, attorneys, and legal tech entrepreneurs require certain skills in order to successfully grow their business within the legal marketplace. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Chris Anderson talks with Habitude Executive Director Martin Hurwitz about his tips to help legal practitioners create processes and habits to better leverage their strengths and achieve their goals. Martin Hurwitz is the Executive Director of Habitude and the founder of Transitioneering. He received his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University and his MBA from the University of Michigan.

Many lawyers, more than ever before, are moving toward small law firms or starting solo practices. However, there is another subset of solo attorneys that are often overlooked when discussing small law. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Chris Anderson talks with Now Counsel Network CEO Lisa Solomon about freelance lawyering, the difference between contract and freelance work, and how these lawyers find work and thrive in the world of small law.

When attorneys find themselves needing to take continuing legal education courses, many of them regard the experience as a burden, boring, or simply an unavoidable chore. However, what if the problem isn’t with the CLEs themselves but with the attitudes of the attorneys? What can providers do to change the opinions and perceptions of attorneys regarding the CLEs? In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson speaks with AttorneyCredits.com Director of Legal Education Jason Castillo about how to make the CLE experience a better one. As an attorney and Director of Legal Education with Attorney Credits, Jason Castillo researches diverse legal topics and emerging areas of law to create and produce CLE courses with significant current intellectual content. Jason has also created numerous courses on pertinent topics, including legal ethics and technology, malpractice, elimination of bias, and other key subjects. A graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, he is a licensed member of the State Bar of California.

As a youngster, when someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, how did you respond? Did you tell them that you wanted to be the CFO of a mediocre law firm that does just enough to get by? With so many resources out there, it’s difficult to grasp why so many law firm owners are settling for only doing as much as is necessary to pay the bills. Lawyers should be using their businesses to help as many people as possible, including themselves.

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews small law firm business expert RJon Robins about how to balance seven parts of a law firm business to make it work for you, and not the other way around. While many firms seem to be focused on doing just well enough to get by, RJon Robins is urging legal professionals to take a different approach. He believes that you should set up your law firm as a means to make you happy, and that doing so will create revenue as a byproduct. Christopher and RJon take an in-depth look at the seven parts of every law firm and the ways in which they should be synthesized in order to reach professional and personal goals. These parts consist of marketing, sales, production, people, the physical plant, financial controls, and you, the firm’s owner. Ultimately, RJon says, your business should be a manifestation of who you are. In closing, RJon tells listeners where they can find complimentary resources to help them implement these changes.

Historically, law firms have billed clients exclusively by mailing paper invoices, a slow and relatively time-consuming system. With the increase in technology and credit card billing for almost everything we purchase, billing online is now more professional and more efficient. Furthermore, by accepting credit card systems, your law firm saves money and will likely be paid much more quickly. Despite this knowledge, many lawyers are still hesitant to change their billing system.

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews Amy Porter, CEO of AffiniPay, about how law firms can use online billing to get paid on time, ways to comply with ethical obligations and requirements regarding trust accounts and retainers, and the hesitation many lawyers have concerning processing fees.

Topics include:

The changing stigma of accepting credit card payments for legal services

How billing online saves hours a month

Pre-authorization forms and creating a positive and convenient client experience

Reducing past-due invoices, discounts, and write-offs

Separating earned and unearned fees

Properly handling a chargeback

Law firm payment statistics

As marketers of solo and small law firms, most listeners are aware of the importance of online reviews in today’s marketplace. Almost every potential client will research a lawyer or law firm’s reputation before even picking up the phone. Whether on Facebook, Google, Yelp, or other review sites, every business should know what is being said about them online. Furthermore, we can increase positive feedback and promote it through social media, our websites, and across other platforms. So where should we start?

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews Michael Veinbergs, CEO of Mach4Marketing, about law firm reputation management and marketing, the importance of your website, rankings, and reviews, and specific things lawyers and firm employees can do today to get started.

Topics Include:

Working with your online reputation before marketing

Bad reviews and client snap judgements

Reputation management versus marketing

Reviews as a search engine ranking factor

Syndicating good feedback across social media

Responding to positive and negative reviews

Marketing on all channels including Avvo, MerchantCircle, Yelp

Winning at customer service: give them something to rave about

Solo and small law firm owners spend plenty of time and money marketing their services each year, whether online, through networking, or offline advertising. But many lawyers are not seeing the return on investment that they would like. So with over 600 thousand solo and small firms in the U.S. today, what does it take to stand out among the crowd?

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews Mark Cerniglia from Spotlight Branding, an internet marketing and branding firm for lawyers, about the practical steps attorneys can take to manage their brands and market online successfully.

Topics include:

Building your law firm’s notoriety

Transcending lawyers’ reputation as intimidating

Information and resources to create credibility and trust

How to create the right video content

Using social media for branding

Newsletter marketing and top-of-mind

Blogs to answer potential client questions

Providing value versus giving away your knowledge

Maximizing referral sources

What a marketing funnel looks like

Necessary components of a website

Internet marketing no nos

Christopher Anderson interviews Michael Carroll, a professional liability insurance expert. Carroll describes specific insurance products that lawyers should examine, policies that may or may not benefit a small or medium firm practice, and how making relatively inexpensive changes now can affect your potential malpractice lawsuit later.

Although Lawyers are under increasing pressure to be mobile, transparent, and organized, many solo lawyers and law firms regularly lose money tracking time and expenses, billing, and organizing documents and calendars. Cloud-based practice management solutions are often suggested as a way for lawyers to increase efficiency, track costs, and get paid properly while keeping your clients happy. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews Susan Harman from LexisNexis Firm Manager and attorney and analyst David Houlihan about how practice management technologies can benefit the performance of lawyers and law firms.

Court deadline rules can be incredibly complicated, particularly for civil litigators, and even the most meticulous lawyers and legal assistants can miss an important date. Federal, state, and local courts can all have individual rules, and even some federal courts are different from district to district and within divisions of the district. In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews Carol Lynn Grow and Jack Grow from Law Toolbox about the risks inherent in deadline-driven practices and why it is important to manage law firm risk with rules-based docketing. They discuss malpractice claims and explain how the technology can reduce your firm’s risk which often reduces malpractice insurance rates. Rules-based docketing, they explain, can collaborate with the cloud-based softwares you already use, like Clio, Office 365, or LexisNexis Firm Manager. Tune in to hear about how the software works, which practice areas can benefit from using it, and how lawyers approach cost recovery.

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson interviews Broel Law Group founder Erik Broel about what it means to build an “A Team,” how attorneys should hire and train their staff, and the underlying qualities of becoming a successful leader. Broel suggests that lawyers chart out and develop a position clearly before beginning recruitment. As resumes come in for the position, he says, it is best to create a series of tests for problem solving, attention to detail, temperament, etc. in order to filter through many applicants. Through the interview and selection process, Broel talks about the job, his law firm’s culture, and discusses how the position will improve the candidate’s life. In this way, the person hired is already invested in the improvement of the firm itself. Becoming this type of leader takes a lot of work, but it is worth the time and energy spent. Make changes one step at a time, Broel says.

All lawyers should start focusing on intake and lead conversion, since it is the easiest and cheapest way to increase revenue. For the purpose of this podcast, lead conversion happens when prospective clients are turned into paying clients. Lead conversion is just a part of intake, the process or system that takes a potential client from the point of contact with your law firm to signing up to be a paying or retaining client. Most lawyers believe themselves to be very good at lead conversion, often boasting up to a 92% conversion rate. However, these lawyers are only counting leads that are already sitting in consultations, who need the services the lawyer provides, and with adequate money to pay for them. Actually, a lead is anyone who clicks on the law firm website, calls for information, or is referred by an existing client. If these leads are measured and analyzed properly, there are very simple changes a law firm can make based on that data to dramatically increase revenue.

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews law firm marketing expert Stephen Fairley about the importance of lead conversion and client retention, the mistakes most law firms are making, and some simple and more complicated solutions to increase intake success. Fairley defines a lead as a person with whom the firm has never done business, who needs the services they provide, and who contacts them by phone or online. Once this potential client makes contact, he explains, conversion rate drops by 400% after 5 minutes. He recommends that every firm have an established non-lawyer and non-paralegal employee responsible for responding to every lead and setting up appointments. Tracking your firm's intake process is incredibly important, Fairley explains, because you can use the data to make small changes with big results. If a law firm is looking for a place to start, he says, they should record all contacts and hire a secret shopper to give some outside perspective.

Stephen Fairley is the founder and CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, the nation's largest law firm marketing company specializing in marketing and lead conversion for small to medium law firms. He has developed "The Rainmaker Marketing System" which has helped more than 10,000 attorneys nationwide who have leveraged his system in building their businesses. Fairley has written two international best-sellers and is academically trained as a clinical psychologist. Prior to focusing on the legal marketplace, Fairley ran two successful small businesses and over a period of 14 years and he has become a nationally-recognized legal marketing expert. He has spoken numerous times for over 35 of the nation's largest state and local bar associations and he has a large virtual footprint with a highly successful rainmaker legal marketing blog.

Consumers and clients believe customer service has become increasingly bad, yet most businesses believe their customer service is above average. Lawyers are certainly not exempt from this. However, in the age of Twitter, Facebook, and smartphones, unhappy customers are able to share their bad experiences to hundreds, thousands, even millions of people in real-time. So how do law firms, solo lawyers, and other businesses combat this influx in technology and potentially harmful online information? There's no trick, loyalty program, or hack that will work. Lawyers, and all other people providing service, will just need to create a good experience for their clients and customers across the board.

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews customer service consultant Peter Shankman about how clients are changing the way they respond to bad service, the part technology plays, how businesses should respond to this change, and his view for the future of online reviews. Shankman begins by explaining the change in the way businesses have sold their products and services for the last 60 years. With the advent of the internet, people are more skeptical of advertising, and are able to connect with each other and interact in real-time. If one unhappy client shares his/her experience on social media, hundreds of people will see it. Shankman discusses transparency and genuine apologetic responses as the effective ways for lawyers to respond to these bad client experiences. However, in order to make clients fanatics, lawyers need to simply communicate with them and treat them with respect, and the client will brag about the good service to others. In the next four years, Shankman expects even online review sites like Yelp and Tripadvisor to become less relevant to business reputations than social media sites like Facebook, Google+, or Twitter. The most important point, Shankman emphasizes, is to consistently treat your clients decently and with respect. When your customer has an amazing experience, they will want to share.

Peter Shankman is an author, consultant, entrepreneur, and the owner of several multi-million dollar companies. He speaks to companies all around the world about how to provide amazing customer service and how to take advantage of the social conversation economy that he believes will be driving the global commerce engine over the next 100 years. Shankman has worked with hundreds of well-known companies and brands, as well as many other companies around the world. His newest book is Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans.

Most lawyers are technicians; they want to provide legal services but cringe at the necessary step of selling them. There is a negative connotation of sales and marketing in the legal field. Lawyers often feel like they are trying to convince a potential client to pay for something he or she does not really need. But what if lawyers began to think of marketing as a network of trust and sales as connecting a person with legal needs to the right lawyer? While many lawyers would embrace this as an idea situation, few know where to start. What steps should solo and small firm lawyers take to ethically and effectively sell their services?

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews networking expert Bob Burg who wrote a book about successful marketing techniques called "The Go-Giver." Burg describes a different sort of marketing in which the lawyer provides value to the consumer in the form of comfort and trust. By shifting the focus of the practice to the consumer's needs, the lawyer creates an environment in which people want to pay him/her for the legal services they already need. In order to do this properly, Burg explains, the lawyer must recognize five "laws of stratospheric success," or systems for evaluating the success of their practice: value, compensation, influence, authenticity, and receptivity. These laws are based around the idea that authentically and genuinely putting others first will inevitably be profitable for a valuable legal practice. Burg does not mean giving away services, however. He encourages lawyers to do some research; ask happy clients what qualities about the service they found valuable build upon those qualities for future marketing techniques.

Bob Burg is a sought-after speaker at corporate conventions and for entrepreneurial events. He has written the well known business marketing books Endless Referrals and The Go-Giver. His latest book is entitled, Adversaries Into Allies: Win People Over Without Manipulation or Coercion which discusses how to master the art of Ultimate Influence. Bob is an advocate, supporter, and defender of the Free Enterprise system, believing that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people they serve.

Many lawyers believe they are not benefiting from the time and money spent on marketing their firm. Online marketing can seem complicated and time-consuming and most lawyers do not want to seem self-promoting so hiring marketers seems like the best option. However, the fact is that marketing a personal brand is both necessary and not as hard as it seems. Especially in solo and small practices, lawyers are marketing their reputation every day by building relationships online and in their offline communities. But in a field where everyone is doing the same thing, where should a lawyer start and how does he or she stand out from the crowd?

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher Anderson interviews legal marketing consultant Mary Beth Monzingo about the importance of marketing a personal brand, how lawyers can start building relationships and connections with potential clients, and tips to a successful online marketing strategy. Monzingo encourages lawyers to market themselves at all times whether working with a client on a case or while engaging in outside hobbies and activities. Additionally, lawyers need to attend networking conferences, connect with other lawyers, stay in touch with law school alumni, and be an active part of associations and organizations. Online, lawyers should be available on most social media outlets, create valuable content, have a "call to action" on their website, and always maintain a consistent presence. Monzingo encourages every lawyer to spend 2-5% of their revenue on marketing in order to see an increase of 10% or more. And, don't forget, consistency is key.

Mary Beth Monzingo is the managing partner of Monzingo Legal, a consulting company for legal marketing and management, business development, and law firm recruiting. A specialist in helping lawyers start and build their law practices, she has consulted with hundreds of attorneys in structuring successful firms, implementing marketing departments and strategies, and recruiting top talent for expansion and growth.

Many lawyers are hesitant to regularly look at their finances. In addition to the regular workload and marketing, maintaining a budget seems overwhelming and is often undervalued in time management. After all, when managing a business, there are so many different factors that can affect cash flow and finances: personnel issues, economy changes, client payment plans, marketing and advertising, clerical errors, and many others. Although it may seem difficult to organize and prioritize the finances of a law firm, there are six key categories that break down the budget so that it can easily be managed.

In this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson interviews financial analyst Brooke Lively about the six key numbers every attorney should know. Three are involved with the money that exists or has already been spent: cash position, budget, and accounts receivable. Lively emphasizes the importance of knowing how much the firm has, how much it is owed, and what is being spent. She recommends that an attorney then take these numbers and analyze them to provide cash projections, budget variance, and income variance. Any noticeable changes can lead to modifications to save the company unnecessary losses. By simply paying attention to these six numbers each month, the success of a lawyer's practice could greatly increase.

Brooke Lively currently serves as a CFO to over twenty small and solo law firms around the country through her organization, Cathedral Capital. She focuses on fundamental analysis, firm modeling, and valuation backed by strong quantitative skills. She holds an MBA with a double concentration in Investments and Corporate Finance and has been awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst certification.

While identifying a client base, deciding on office space, and making countless other decisions, assumptions are made when developing a legal business plan that are, at best, educated guesses. Many startups have decided to follow in the path of previous companies only to find that their firm does not thrive in such a structured methodology. In the incredibly complicated world of legal business, social media attorney Scott Malouf argues that the Lean Startup method provides an alternative and relatively efficient approach to identifying the specific needs of potential clients.

Lean Startup is a trial and error based business model in which a startup company makes small, specific assumptions and does vigorous testing on the results rather than depending on a big picture business plan. On this episode of The Un-Billable Hour, Christopher T. Anderson interviews Malouf about the benefits and difficulties of applying Lean Startup to law firms. New law firms can benefit by limiting wasted money, efforts, and time by truly sampling what clients might want and eliminating unnecessary services according to direct feedback. However, there may be challenges in ethical statutes surrounding lack of certain services and the ability to be transparent with clients.

Scott Malouf is an attorney who helps other attorneys turn texts, social media, and web-based information into evidence and advises in social media risk reduction. He has extensive insight into the best practices for startups, challenges that may arise, and examples of how he has personally applied Lean to his practice. He writes the Social Media Law column for the New York Daily Record and can be found on Twitter @scottmalouf.

Stick around to the end for details on how you can learn more about Lean Startup.

As the rate of new technology increases, it becomes more difficult for lawyers to keep up with industry standards for protecting client data confidentiality. In addition to the rigors of day-to-day practice, attorneys are expected to be familiar with terms such as SSL 256, SaS 70, and SSAE 16. On this episode of the Un-Billable Hour, host Chris T. Anderson interviews The Droid Lawyer blogger, Jeffrey Taylor. Together they discuss the importance of attorneys staying current through workshops, blogs, conferences, and state bar associations. In addition, tune in to learn more about the security issues associated with cloud-based vs. server-based practice management software solutions.

Jeffrey Taylor is the author of The Droid Lawyer blog. The blog discusses Android mobile operating system for lawyers. The Droid Lawyer is one of the ABA Journal's Top 100 law blogs, and one of Biztech Magazine's Top 50 Must Read IT Blogs. Jeff is an attorney in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Law firms are beginning to utilize Lean Six Sigma standards to improve service quality for their clients. This two-tiered approach is both paradigm and methodology aimed at increasing organizational efficiency and accuracy of work. It focuses attention and efforts toward changing those behaviors and systems that slow productivity and increase errors. On this episode of the Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher T. Anderson interviews managing consulting expert Debbie Foster from Affinity Consulting Group. Together, they discuss Lean Six Sigma and the 8 main areas where law firms are losing productivity and profitability. Tune in to learn how your firm can benefit from modern day management practices by reducing waste, down time, and much more.

Debbie Foster is a Partner with the Affinity Consulting Group (ACG), where she specializes in practice management, time/billing/accounting and document management software, as well as providing technology audits for firms around the country. She has also trained hundreds of consultants around the country on software programs used in law firms and best practices when consulting on a law firm's specific technology needs. Foster is very active with State Bar Associations, a former Chair of ABA TECHSHOW, and a regular speaker on topics relating to technology, management, finance, and marketing of a law firm.

Nearly every firm has clients who are difficult to collect from. Most lawyers are not trained to deal with that. On this episode of the Un-Billable Hour, host Chris Anderson interviews experts Loretta Ruppert and Jeff Krause. Together, they explore ways to effectively track and manage client billing.

Loretta Ruppert is the current Senior Director of Marketing for the SaaS Product Platform at LexisNexis. She is the subject matter expert for billing and accounting software solutions, including Time Matters, and has been involved in developing software products for law firms for nearly twelve years. She is a current member of the American Society of Women Accountants and the former Controller for the Bliss Riordan Law Offices.

Jeff Krause is a Wisconsin attorney who founded Krause Practice Management, LLC and is a founding partner at Solfecta, LLC. He is a Certified Independent Consultant for software solution Time Matters and a frequent author and speaker on legal technology.

On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, joins Paramjit Mahli, a Development Coach/Consultant for lawyers at The Rainmakers Roundtable, to discuss some of the biggest mistakes lawyers make when it comes to business development and what kind of "skill set" lawyers need in order to be successful when it comes to business development.

Do you use an iPad in your legal practice? On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, chats with Tom Mighell, the author of three books about the use of iPads, iPad in One Hour For Lawyers, iPad Apps in One Hour For Lawyers, and soon to be released, iPad in One Hour for Litigators, about the explosive growth of the use of iPads in the legal profession, and Tom’s favorite productivity and entertainment apps for the legal iPad.

Attorneys can turn into leaders by successfully engaging others during difficult conversations. Learn more about handling these tough talks, how to prepare and how to get the results you want during these conversations on the Un-Billable Hour with host Attorney Rodney Dowell, the Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program and expert guest Karen MacKay, President of the consultancy Phoenix Legal Inc.

Are you on LinkedIn? Un-Billable Hour host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program chats with Dennis Kennedy, lawyer and co-host of The Kennedy-Mighell Report and Allison Shields, author of Legal Ease Blog, about their recently published book, LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers. Dennis and Allison talk about how attorneys are using LinkedIn, and the key features that make LinkedIn a valuable networking and client development tool without consuming all of an attorney’s time.

Find out how document assembly tools can increase efficiency and profits at your firm on The Un-Billable Hour. Host and Attorney Rodney Dowell, Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program and Diane Ebersole, practice management advisor for the State Bar of Michigan explain how document assembly applications have advanced in the last few years and how these applications can increase the bottom line for your law firm.

The largest proportion of attorneys work as sole practitioners, or within small firms and chronic stress is rampant among these attorneys, who face stress from all sides. On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program joins returning guest, Attorney Eric MacLeish, principal of MacLeish & Woolverton, to cite the major stress points for sole and small firm attorneys, steps attorneys can take to reduce the impact of acute and chronic stress, and the benefits of learning to manage stress.

Hiring your first employee can feel like jumping off a cliff, but in some circumstances it can lead to more efficiency and profits. On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program joins Lee Rosen, founder of the Rosen Law Firm, a North Carolina family law firm, blogger and practice management guru and Attorney Scott Stewart, from The Law Offices of Scott David Stewart out of Arizona, to talk about how to make the first hire a successful hire.

How does your firm track time? On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program joins Danny Wen, Co-founder of Harvest Software and Sri Vemuri, Marketing Manager at Harvest Software, to discuss how law firms can track time and invoice clients in a way that captures more time and allows attorneys to receive payment more quickly.

Law firms are increasingly being targeted by hackers seeking to access confidential business and personal information. On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program welcomes Digital Detectives co-hosts Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc. and John W. Simek, Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, to discuss a variety of issues including: computer security, why attorneys are targeted and malpractice and ethics risks related to having inadequate security.

Feeling Stressed? On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program welcomes Attorney Eric MacLeish, principal of MacLeish & Woolverton, to talk about how firms can help their attorneys and staff handle the perils of stress.

One of the biggest challenges facing attorneys is how to acquire and maintain clients. A fundamental method of developing a client base is to create a referral network. On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program welcomes Linda O’Koniewski, the broker/owner of ReMax Heritage , who tells us what it takes to get referrals from another professional. Linda gives tips on how to strengthen your network and how to develop and sustain those relationships.

Law firm administrators are the backbone of every law practice and they are often times met with challenges on a daily basis. On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Executive Director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Director of LCL’s Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program welcomes Joanne Schnare, Executive Director for a Boston law firm and President-Elect of the Boston Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, to take a look at the top issues that law firm administrators need to be aware of in today’s legal environment and how these unsung heroes can help manage the law practice and be a part of a successful law firm.

A vast majority of attorneys in the United States and Canada must keep and maintain IOLTA trust accounts pursuant to very specific guidelines established by the governing body in each state. Despite the clearly defined rules, which in most jurisdictions, have been in place for years, some attorneys continue to put their license at risk. On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program and interim executive director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, talks with David Bilinsky, a Practice Management Consultant/Advisor for the Law Society of British Columbia, about why so many attorneys fail to properly do their IOLTA trust accounting, where they should go to learn how to properly do their accounting and shares his recommendations for trust accounting programs for attorneys.

Podcasts have become increasingly available and cover topics of all flavors. On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program and interim executive director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, welcomes St. Louis based legal technology writer and information technology lawyer and co-host of the Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis Kennedy, to talk about how attorneys can benefit from listening to podcasts, how to find the best podcast that suits you and how attorneys can improve their podcast listening experience. And don’t forget, you can listen to many Legal Talk Network podcasts here and get CLE credit!

Why are the world’s best communicators often unable to have difficult conversations with clients, employees, partners, or even family members? Find out on The Un-Billable Hour, with host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program and interim executive director at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, along with Szifra Birke, counselor, consultant and co-host of Shrink Rap, a syndicated cable TV show. They discuss the impact on success and how legal professionals can start handling difficult conversations in a healthy manner.

Today’s attorney can practice from anywhere at any time with the dramatic improvement in technology, most importantly, the rapid growth of smart phones. Smartphones made by Blackberry have been the big law phone, the iPhone, the hot tech geek phone, but for an affordable alternative we see the Android phones rapidly taking a substantial percentage of the the smartphone market. On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Courtney Kennaday, Director of the Practice Management Assistance Program at the South Carolina Bar, to help explain what an Android smartphone is and how it can make practicing attorneys more productive.

How can legal professionals get better at getting things done in their practice? On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Dr. David D. Nowell, a Clinical Neuropsychologist, to discuss his work with legal professionals and how he helps them reach their practice management goals. Rodney and Dr. Nowell touch upon working with professionals with ADHD, the perks to hiring help and how attorneys can persist and complete tasks in a busy practice.

Can you make your law office more efficient and profitable by using a DMS? On The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Danny Johnson, from NetDocuments, to discuss the use of Document Management Systems (DMS) by attorneys. Rodney and Danny talk about how DMS systems create efficiency and improve knowledge management and can improve case management by integrating with firm practice management systems. They also spotlight some of the players in the industry and provide examples of solo or small firms that have improved efficiency/profitability with DMS.

A sneak peek at ABA TECHSHOW 2011 with The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, and former chairs of the ABA TECHSHOW, Laura Calloway and Jim Calloway. They share what the highlights may be this year, plus hear some of their top law practice management tips from past ABA TECHSHOWS and how attorneys can implement what they learn at the show into their day-to-day practice.

Hear about important law office management issues on The Un-Billable Hour as host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Attorney Alan J. Klevan, founder of Law Practice Strategies. Alan talks about how to analyze and update existing hardware and software and shares useful websites and tips on how to successfully select and maintain law office technology.

On this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Attorney Ernie Svenson from the Svenson Law Firm in New Orleans, to discuss the best practices for moving toward a safe, paperless office. Rodney and Ernie take look at the operating system, certain principles for developing a paperless office and the steps a firm needs to take to move toward a paperless solution.

More attorneys are turning to a MAC instead of a PC for their office needs and want to know more about the critical tools for their practice. On this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, chats with Ben Stevens, from The Stevens Firm, P.A. and a blogger at the MacLawyer, to talk about using a Macintosh computer in your law office. Rodney and Ben look at the rise in popularity of the Mac in the legal community, how to set up a Mac office and the key software and hardware to make it run efficiently.

On this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, chats with Carole Levitt, President and Founder of Internet for Lawyers and Mark Rosch, Vice President of Internet for Lawyers, to talk about their new book, Google For Lawyers: Essential Search Tips and Productivity Tools. They discuss their inspiration for the book, overall thoughts on Google as a search engine for attorneys, free office applications and how Google, in the long run, can save attorneys time and money.

With the inception of YouTube, the video has skyrocketed in popularity from how-to videos to promotional videos, to marketing for businesses and law firms. On this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Lu Ann Reeb, Co-founder and President of Legal Talk Network, LLC, to talk about the value of video and how firms and attorneys can gain exposure with a high quality video.

On this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes JoAnna Forshee, CEO of InsideLegal and Jobst Elster, Head of Content for InsideLegal.com, to take an inside look at the 2010 International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) Conference and findings from the 2010 InsideLegal/ILTA Member Technology Purchasing Survey. JoAnna and Jobst discuss the collaboration between ILTA and InsideLegal, the strategy and marketing sessions offered at the ILTA conference and what these survey results mean to vendors.

On this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Teddy Snyder, Esq, author and a Certified Structured Settlement Consultant at Ringler Associates, to discuss her fourth book, Women Rainmakers Best Marketing Tips-3d Edition. Teddy talks about her new book, the history behind the ABA Women Rainmakers, the importance of branding and networking and shares some marketing tips for running a law practice.

On this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Attorney Channing Migner, to talk about outsourcing work to India. Channing discusses how he got involved in outsourcing, how to find a trustworthy outsourcing company and how outsourcing can benefit your law firm.

On this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Adriana Linares, President of LawTech Partners to discuss Adriana’s blog series on the “10 Critical Computer Skills Every Attorney Should Know”. Rodney and Adriana check out the basic skills that are vital to attorneys, metadata and how it affects the practice of law, the training process and keeping attorneys on top in the world of technology.

A new attorney right out of law school or a lawyer going solo is often met with the challenge of finding new clients. In this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Erik Mazzone, Director of the Center for Practice Management at North Carolina Bar Association, to offer tips on how to find clients for your new practice. Rodney and Erik will discuss the referral network, the power of social networking and ultimately the importance of relationships.

Time management is a key element in running your law practice. In this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes attorney, consultant and coach, Allison C. Shields, Esq. President of Legal Ease Consulting, Inc. to share tips on how to find the time to be a lawyer, the importance of prioritizing, systematizing your law firm and how to market and manage your practice.

In this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, welcomes Reid Trautz, Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Practice and Professionalism Center and Dan Pinnington, Director of practicePro at the Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company, to provide essential tips for lawyers to run a successful practice. Later in the program, special guest, founder of AbacusLaw and author, Attorney Judd Kessler will discuss the advantages of using a case management software program in your law office.

In this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, talks about value billing and using transparent pricing to become more competitive. Rodney welcomes Attorney Jay Shepherd from the Shepherd Law Group, P.C , to discuss his thoughts on value billing and his passion for providing “open/transparent pricing” to deliver value to his clients.

In this edition of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, will talk about the keys to operating a successful solo practice. Rodney welcomes Attorney Carolyn Elefant, a solo and small firm attorney, blogger and author of the book, "Solo by Choice, " to discuss the criteria attorneys should use when selecting clients, the keys to planning a successful start-up and how to develop a successful firm.

In this debut podcast of The Un-Billable Hour, host Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program, will look at how attorneys can successfully market themselves and their practice to maximize their success. Rodney welcomes Attorney Lee S. Rosen, from the North Carolina family law firm, Rosen Law Firm, to discuss the keys to developing a successful marketing program for individual lawyers and law firms.