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Building a Six-Figure a Month, Client-Centered Probate and Estate Planning Law Practice | Episode 68 | Unbundled Attorney

In this podcast episode, Bridgette Friedman, a probate and estate planning attorney, discusses the evolution of her Probate and Estate law practice that often generates over $100k per month in revenue. She shares insights on adapting her business model, including her approach to enrolling new client leads and providing flexible payment plans. Bridgette emphasizes providing tailored, pay-as-you-go options for estate planning services, and a retainer and payment structure for probate case that has evolved over the years. She also talks about the importance of hiring associates, managing cash flow, and maintaining a client-centered, empathetic approach to legal services.

Click here to watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

In this episode you will learn:

• The steps Bridgette has followed to develop a probate and estate practice that often generates over $100k per month
• How Unbundled Attorney's lead generation service have impacted her practice and revenues
• The value of tailoring service options to meet your clients needs and budget constraints
• The unique pay-as-you-go service options she offers for her estate planning cases
• How using Clio Manage CRM has helped her manage her legal practice
• Her payment structure for her probate services, including how her initial retainer and payment plans have evolved over time
• The value of a developing a client-centered approach to practicing law, emphasizing flexibility and empathy

Timestamps
00:01:16: Starting out in law
00:03:17: Transition to Unbundled Attorney
00:10:02: The impact of direct connect
00:26:21: Technology Integration
00:27:33: Document Automation and Transition
00:33:07: Payment Plans and Client Commitment
00:44:51: Hiring an associate
00:56:33: Building a remote team

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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The Lifestyle Lawyer: Running a $50k Per Month Solo Practice in 30 Hours a Week | Episode 67 | Unbundled Attorney

In this episode, we interview Clay Wilkinson, a long-time Unbundled Attorney from Dallas, TX. Clay reveals how he has been able to build a lifestyle-driven practice that consistently generates $50k a month in revenue, while working about 30 hours a week.

Since we started working with Clay over 7 years ago, his focus has always been on work-life balance over pure profit. What is most important for him is not building a high volume practice, but rather spending more time with his kids, going on trips around the world, and enjoying his family. However, even though he has optimized his law practice for lifestyle, he's still bene able to build a practice that does exceptionally well financially.

During this interview, Clay discusses the importance of direct client contact, an efficient use of technology for scheduling and communication, and the shift to flat fees for streamlined billing.

Clay also emphasizes customizing legal services to client budgets, responding to online reviews while maintaining confidentiality, and the significance of taking vacations without compromising client service with appropriate application of automation. His insights reflect his commitment to a client-centered, efficient, and balanced legal practice.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Clay Wilkinson's journey from working with a large law firm to becoming a successful solo practitioner
• Importance of maintaining a work-life balance and finding fulfillment in practicing law on your own terms
• The tools he uses to enhance the efficiency of his practice
• Why he provides all of his representation on a flat-fee, limited scope basis
• His unique approach to client intake and ongoing communications
• Importance of managing work volume and taking breaks to avoid burnout
• Practical aspects of managing workload while ensuring that clients are still receiving the prompt legal assistance
• And much more...

Resources Mentioned:

• Calendly (41:28)

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 66: The Trifecta of Modern Criminal Law: Three Keys for Building a Highly Profitable Criminal Practice Providing Affordable Representation

In this episode, we interview Robert Wegman, a criminal law Unbundled Attorney from Richmond, VA. Robert explains how he uses three new components, two of which are legal technologies (the trifecta) that enable him to provide affordable criminal representation that is also highly profitable. We discuss each of these three components in detail, including

an online client portal that integrates into his practice management software. He explains how this portal improves his consultation conversion rate, streamlines his workflows, and substantially increases clients’ trust and confidence in the services he provides them.

Click here to watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Rob enrolls his criminal clients with 20% down, and how this has impacted his lead conversion rate
• How using automated recurring payments has enabled him to deliver services with a lower initial deposit and still have exceptionally low account receivables
• Why payment plans haven’t worked in the past for many lawyers, and how modern processing tools now enable them to have a substantially higher success rate
• How the client portal feature of case management platforms can increase client’s visibility into the services being performed and instill more confidence and trust
• How Rob’s online intake form increases his consultation conversion rate, streamlines his workflows, and improves the overall experience for his clients
• How online practice management software enables him to keep him and his staff organized and on task, and effectively manage a higher volumes of cases
• LawPay, Case Management, 20% Down
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned:

• MyCase (16:20)
• LawPay (12:35)

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 65: Criminal Representation on a Payment Plan: How Automated Recurring Payments Are Transforming the Way Criminal Lawyers Get Paid and Practice Law

In this episode, we interview Joshua London, a criminal law Unbundled Attorney from Minneapolis, MN who shares how offering automated recurring payment plans have impacted the way he practices criminal law. He discusses how automating his payment plans has enabled him to lower his initial deposits to as little as 20-25%, which has dramatically increased his lead to retained client conversion rate. As a result, he has been able to provide affordable criminal representation to many more clients, and is already generating an additional $30-40k a month in revenue from his Unbundled leads alone.

Click here to watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why optimizing your criminal firm to be immediately responsive to new leads and requests will substantially increase your client conversion rate
• What automated recurring billing payment plans are, and why they can enable you to accept less than 50% down in a criminal case
• How to structure your recurring payment plans so they have a high rate of processing successfully
• How to determine the ideal initial deposit in each case, and the best payment schedule and payment amount for each payment plan
• The being transparent cultivating an empathetic approach to your consultations will help you convert more clients and create more customer loyalty
• And much more …

Resources Mentioned:

• Calendly (12:37)
• DirectConnect (16:20)
• LawPay (36:23)

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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**Episode 61: From $20k to $200k a Month in 12 Months: A Step-by-Step Guide for Rapidly Scaling Up a Law Practice”

In this episode, we interview Brandon Potter and Robert Foster who are Unbundled Attorneys in Knoxville and Greenville, TN. During our interview, Brandon and Robert share how they were able to successfully scale up their law practice revenue from $20k a month to over $200k a month in a single year. During this period, they opened two new offices, hired 5+ new lawyers, added 2 new administrative staff, and have recently opened their third office in Nashville, TN. This is a step-by-step, in-depth walk-through for how lawyers can take their practice from where it’s at to the next level and beyond.

Click here to watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The four key components that enable their team to effectively enroll clients virtually without having to meet clients in person
• The value from thinking of a law practice like a factory, and setting up systems to process “raw materials” through your firm in the most efficient way possible
• Who is the first and most important hire that firms should make when they are scaling up their practice?
• Importance of creating roles and responsibilities (“lanes”) for each team member in the firm, and why they should stay focused on their key roles
• Why having systems in place to process, manage, and track all payments, plus knowing the critical role firm finances play in sustaining the growth of your firm
• Why do Brandon or a partner in the firm continue to call and convert each of their Unbundled leads, and why they do NOT delegate this responsibility to anyone else
• Who are the three most important people a firm needs to have in place when scaling up from a solo practitioner to a small firm?
• How to generate a consistent source of qualified attorneys to bring into your firm
• The most important considerations when making hiring decisions for associate attorneys
• The value of hiring team members who have complementary skills and personality types to share different types of tasks and responsibilities
• How gaining access to financing and capital investment resources significantly increases the speed that your firm can scale and grow
• How to structure payment plans to ensure your clients consistently make their payments, and what are the payment processing systems that make this possible
• How Brandon and Robert can provide services to 80% of their clients who would otherwise be unable to afford a lawyer
• The value of taking time to implement a document automation system that creates legal documents in a faster and more efficient manner
• How to cultivate a great company culture that motivates each of your team members to sincerely want to be a key part of your firm
• And much more …

Resources Mentioned:

• LawPay (49:00)
• Lawyaw (1:00:00)
• LawClerk (1:03:30)

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit:

https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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**Episode 61: Family and Criminal Lawyers: How to Triple New Client Retention and Law Firm Profits Overnight”

In this episode we interview Aaron Harshman and Rachelle Ponist. They are a married couple and Unbundled Attorneys who work out of Indianapolis, and each of them run their own criminal and family law practices respectively. During our interview, we discuss how they structure affordable service options in their practice areas, and how their model can help you substantially improve client retention and overall profitability for your firm. They provide examples of limited scope services they provide for family law, and how their clients and practices benefit. Aaron breaks down a creative payment approach in criminal representation that enables him to triple client retention and bank increased revenues and profits for his firm.

Click here to watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Critical differences between family law and criminal clients, and how to adapt your consultation and enrollment approach for each practice area
• Phone vs. Zoom vs. In-Person meetings, and which approach works best for each practice area
• Examples of limited scope services you can provide for family law clients
• A step-by-step walkthrough of the best practices for enrolling family law clients on the phone and in-person consultation
• The advantages of enrolling family law clients initially for a limited scope service only, and then allowing those relationships to evolve over time
• The value of implementing document automation software to increase your efficiency and profitability, especially for flat-rate services
• How to provide affordable criminal representation outside of providing limited scope service options (40:00)
• How payment processors like Lawpay provide automated recurring billing features to enable lawyers to offer more flexible payment terms (45:05-49:50)
• Creative payment structures for criminal law that differentiate your firm and substantially improve your client retention rates
• Best practices for an initial consultation in criminal cases that maximize client conversion, and why these strategies differ from family law (56:54)
• The importance of understanding the urgency and critical nature of criminal case issues, and how this informs the way to approach those consultations
• How to determine how much to charge as an initial deposit, and how to structure payment plans
• The financial benefits of how creative payment options improve client conversion and increase revenues and profitability for the firm
• The gap in the marketplace between high-net-worth individuals, and those who qualify for legal aid, and the financial opportunity this represents for lawyers who can profitably deliver legal services to the middle majority sector of the marketplace

Resources Mentioned:

• Lawyaw
• Podcast Interview with Amy Porter, former CEO of LawPay
• Clio Grow

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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In this episode we interview Robert Buchanan, an Unbundled Attorney in Chicago, IL we have worked with for over 5 years.

During the interview we discuss how Robert has been able to successfully scale up the capacity of his firm. From attracting exceptional team members, to developing streamlined systems and automations, Robert covers the steps he has followed and the tools he has implemented to significantly increase the efficiency of his firm.

We also discuss how providing limited scope services has tripled the hiring rate of his new prospective clients, and has substantially improved the quality of his client relationships as well as the overall profitability of his firm.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How having a newborn child has shifted Robert’s perspective and provided additional motivation to increase the capacity and success of his firm
• How Robert has been able to attract and retain exceptional contract lawyers and associates
• Tips for attracting new team members, both through your network and in the marketplace
• The specific processes Robert has put into place to automate and streamline his workflows
• The legal technology tools Robert uses that enable a tremendous amount of automation in his firm
• How implementing limited scope services has dramatically improved his client conversion rate
• A detailed breakdown of the limited scope services he offers and how he offers them during his initial consultations
• And much more …

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 60: How to Automate Client Intake and Legal Document Preparation with Tucker Cottingham, CEO of Lawyaw

Modern legal technology is rapidly changing the way legal services are delivered, enabling lawyers to deliver services faster and more efficiently than ever before. One of the most valuable areas to leverage technology is for client intake and document preparation, especially for lawyers that provide unbundled services. Lawyaw’s document automation platform combines the latest client intake and document preparation technology in one powerful application. Tucker Cottingham, CEO of Lawyaw joins our show and shares the Lawyaw founding story, and discusses how Lawyaw substantially reduces the amount of time it takes to complete clients’ intake and draft legal documents, which significantly improves the profitability of your law practice. He also provides a live demo of Lawyaw so you can learn about the key features of the platform.

To take advantage of the special offer that Tucker and his team put together for listeners of this show, visit https://www.unbundledlawyer.com/lawyaw.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Tucker’s background as a lawyer, the challenges his firm had preparing documents, and what made him decide to launch the Lawyaw platform
• How eliminating repetitive tasks enables lawyers to focus more time on strengthening client relationships and the high value aspects of building their firm
• How Lawyaw automates your document preparation without requiring the use of generic forms and templates
• How improving the efficiency of document preparation can substantially increase the profitability of unbundled and flat-rate services
• The value of Lawyaw’s integration with Clio, and how their platform differs from the document automation that Clio offers
• The practice areas that benefit most from using Lawyaw
• Examples of how automating document preparation can double the effective hourly rate of unbundled services
• The importance of making it as simple as possible for your clients to complete intake forms online using their smartphones
• A live demo of Lawyaw’s core features and how the platform works
• How to use Lawyaw to create custom intake forms for clients to complete online that auto-populate their data directly into your legal forms and documents
• How to request a customized demo with Lawyaw’s team, and take advantage of the special offer for listeners of this podcast
• And much more …

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 59: How Lawyers Can Retain a High Number of New Paying Clients During Any Economic Environment

We are excited to welcome back Anthony Saunders who is an Unbundled family law attorney from Salt Lake City. Anthony has worked with us for over 7 years and has consistently been the highest converting lawyer in our network. His previous podcast interview (Episode 40) is the most often shared and recommended episode in the history of the show.

His client-acquisition strategy begins with this “leading” with limited scope services. Implementing this same approach has fundamentally shifted the way hundreds of lawyers now practice law, and plays a major role in the growth and success of their firms.

Today, Anthony gives a comprehensive breakdown of how this approach enables him to consistently enroll 50-80% of his Unbundled leads as paying clients. He describes how he handles the initial phone consultation, and how he eliminates in-office and virtual appointment no-shows. Anthony also shares specific unbundled service options he offers and how he determines what to charge.

So grab a pen and paper and be ready to take copious notes so that you can take what Anthony shares during this interview and implement it into your practice right away.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How tracking your lead conversion numbers and case volume throughout the year will help project what your staffing and attorney support needs will be in the future
• The numbers and metrics Anthony’s firm tracks, and the method he employs to track them
• Anthony’s exact process for contacting and consulting Unbundled leads that enables him to convert 50-80% into paying clients
• Why Anthony reviews each lead’s case file prior to calling them
• The value of evaluating specific elements of a case that the client needs help with first, and providing services that are initially limited to those elements only
• How Anthony limits phone consultations to 5 minutes, and why this has positively impacted his in-office and virtual-consulting attendance
• Examples that show how Anthony breaks his cases into specific billable segments and how he determines the flat rate to charge for each segment
• How Anthony reduced the number of no-shows for his in-office and virtual-consults by 50%
• The benefits of booking new leads for your office and virtual-consults within 48 hours or ideally the same day
• Why it is better to use the active voice instead of the passive voice during your initial consultations, plus examples that illustrate why
• Why Anthony does not ever give leads a price quote over the phone during the initial 5-10 minute phone consultation
• A live role-play between Dave and Anthony showing how Anthony responds to clients who insist on knowing the cost of services during the initial phone consultation
• The importance of having clients complete intake questionnaires, and why questionnaires should be customized to each client’s case
• Why Anthony provide every new client limited scope services first, instead of full representation
• What Anthony’s “reserve” unbundled service is, and when he offers it to clients
• Why your unbundled services clients become zealous referral ambassadors for your firm
• A detailed explanation of how Anthony breaks down divorce cases, and a review of the specific unbundled services he offers at each phase in a divorce case
• How providing unbundled services impacts your longevity and success as a practitioner
• And much more …

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 58: Designing the Law Firm of Your Dreams: How to “Lead" with Unbundled Services, Run a Virtual Practice from Anywhere, and Provide Affordable Access to Justice

The San Diego, CA Unbundled Attorney we interview today thought she had found her dream job working for a corporate law firm, but soon discovered it was nothing close to what she had imagined. Fortunately, she had the courage and ambition to leave that firm and build her own practice that would both support her ideal lifestyle, and make a significant difference in the lives of the clients she serves. That commitment set her on a path to design a technology-enabled, virtual practice that allows her to operate from anywhere. Imagine heading down to the beach or park, cracking open your laptop and enrolling new clients over the phone while soaking up the sun. This is the kind of location freedom that she has engineered into her practice, and you can too.

During our interview, she shares the systems and technology that make her virtual practice possible. We also discover how she enrolls 99% of her clients for unbundled legal services initially, instead of requiring full representation. This is known in our community as “leading with unbundled”, and she shares how this fundamental shift in approach has transformed her practice.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Her background working in a high-end corporate law firm, which she once thought would be her dream job, and why she left the firm to start her own practice
• The value of engineering a practice around your ideal lifestyle, rather than settling for a lifestyle because of the demands of your practice
• The importance of taking time to create a clear vision for what your ideal practice looks like, and how that vision shapes each decision you make and enables you to build the firm you truly desire from that point on
• Why she decided to build a virtual law firm and the specific systems and technology she and her husband employ that enable her to run her practice from anywhere
• The benefit of keeping up to date with the latest apps and technology available to lawyers, and the valuable tools that she has implemented in her practice
• How she is able to enroll over 90% of her clients for unbundled legal services directly over the phone and examples of the typical unbundled services she provides
• Why offering unbundled legal services is a great option for attorneys who would like to build either a partial or fully virtual law practice
• How providing unbundled services as a flat fee eliminates the need to “micro-bill” your clients, improves the quality of the relationship with your clients, and can significantly increase your profitability
• A detailed breakdown of the factors you need to consider when determining what flat fee to charge your clients for unbundled services
• How she sells unbundling to her clients, including the three main categories of her unbundled services and how she tailors them to fit her clients’ legal needs and financial budget
• The power of explaining to clients the specific ways you help them handle parts of their case on their own to save money, and why this approach can significantly increase the number of clients who retain your services
• Some examples of the types of tasks she empowers clients to handle themselves, and some creative ways she helps them to reduce costs
• The types of clients and cases that are not a typical fit for unbundled legal services and may require full representation
• A walk-through of how she approaches the initial consultation so that 90+% of the clients that enroll do so right over the phone without having to come into the office
• Why she is so passionate about providing unbundled legal services, and her commitment to giving thousands of unrepresented people in this country access to justice that they desperately need and deserve
• And much more …

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundling Resource Center
• Docusign
• Lawyaw

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 57: Streamlining Your Family Law Practice: How to Leverage Legal Technology to Serve Your Clients More Efficiently and Profitably

In the two years since launching his practice in 2016 Bryan Crone has dedicated himself to building a highly efficient and optimized practice. He’s an ambitious guy who is driven to have a significant impact on many people’s lives by engineering his firm to be able to serve a high volume of clients. What makes Bryan truly unique is his investment in learning and implementing legal technology into his practice. He has also been dedicated to learning how to effectively provide unbundled services, which he believes is a key part of bringing his vision to fruition. Bryan’s firm is now on a growth path to double revenues every year, and there are no signs of slowing down. Most importantly, he has put the systems, technology, and team in place that will enable his firm to continue to scale. Today, Bryan joins the show to share the specific systems and technology that enables him to serve a high number of family law clients efficiently and profitably. We identify the exact tools and services he uses, and how they impact daily workflows. We also discuss the creative ways he provides flat rate unbundled services and share some real-life examples of how he delivers them to clients.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• An overview of three main ways you can grow your firm, and how to implement all three
• How Bryan’s approach to calling his family law leads evolved during the first few months, and the process he now follows to book in-office consultations in 20 minutes or less
• The importance of having a streamlined and efficient intake process, especially when you are responding to a high number of prospective clients
• Some clear guidance on how and when to bring on an associate lawyer, including what tasks and cases to delegate and which to manage yourself
• Valuable lessons Bryan learned from CEO’s and mentors he worked with in previous positions and how these lessons inform the way he runs his practice today
• The importance of having all your software tools integrated together, and how to effectively implement these tools in your practice
• The importance of taking time to run the numbers and assign average monetary values to each case type so you can identify the areas where you have the greatest opportunities to grow revenue
• The value of delivering unbundled legal services as a flat rate, and how building efficient systems to deliver flat rate services can make them the most profitable part of your practice
• A complete breakdown of cloud-based practice management software systems he researched and how he settled on the platforms he now uses
• How to engineer your intake system to auto-populate forms and documents you will need for your clients, and how this saves countless hours of administrative time and substantially increases profit margins
• The value of breaking cases down into “bite-sized” chunks by billing one segment at a time
• Bryan’s thoughts on how unbundling positively impacts the affordability of legal services, and helps lawyers build a more profitable practice
• Examples of the gratitude his clients express for providing services to them when they otherwise couldn’t afford it, and the fulfillment he feels from making a difference in people’s lives in meaningful ways
• Bryan’s revenue numbers during his first two years of practice, and conservative projections for growth through 2020
• The overwhelming number of clients that Unbundled Attorney is capturing and the opportunity this offers attorneys to build their practices, plus a direct invitation from our CEO for lawyers to become part of this movement
• And much more …

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Lexicata/ClioGrow
• Clio
• Lawmatics
• Smokeball
• Practice Panther
• Dropbox
• Google Drive

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 56: The Pioneer of Credit Card Payment Processing for the Legal Industry: How LawPay is Transforming the Way Lawyers Get Paid and Practice Law, with Founder and CEO Amy Porter

It’s easy to forget that when LawPay started in the mid-2000s, few lawyers were accepting credit cards, and for good reason. At that time there wasn’t any way to route credit card funds directly into a lawyer's trust account, which created serious ethical issues. There was also no simple, easy to use platform where lawyers could receive credit card payments online and clients could pay for their services with the click of a button. LawPay changed all of that, and nowadays it’s hard to find a law firm that doesn’t accept credit cards. Today, Founder and CEO Amy Porter joins our show to share the LawPay success story and how LawPay got started. Amy will update us on groundbreaking changes they have pioneered over the past decade that expands the way lawyers accept client payments. We also discuss how the LawPay platform has helped usher in a new era of virtual and digital lawyering, and has enabled lawyers to offer more creative and flexible payment options to make their services more accessible and affordable.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Amy’s background in the payment industry and how the idea for LawPay began
• Why lawyers, and the legal industry in general, were at first resistant to accepting payments via credit cards
• How LawPay was able to overcome ethical concerns by enabling attorneys to route credit card payments into an IOLTA account protected from chargebacks
• How LawPay forged relationships with local bar associations to build credibility and trust in their payment platform and acquire new clients
• The technology that underpins the LawPay platform, and how Amy attracted a development team that built a simple, easy to use payment interface between attorneys and clients
• The importance of making it as easy as possible for clients to enroll in your services and eliminate unnecessary points of friction
• The value of adding a pay link to your website, and sending electronic payment links via email
• How a client’s perception of the value of the services your firm provides changes over time, and why getting paid immediately after services are performed is so important
• How their relationship with Jack Newton, CEO of Clio, was formed, along with other practice management companies, and how it has impacts the way payment processing integrates into a lawyer’s day to day operations
• The value of the “one-click” payment experience and how it improves client conversion
• How the automated payments feature of LawPay has influenced more lawyers to offer payment plans, which has helped to improve the affordability of their legal services
• A breakdown of different types of creative and flexible payment options that LawPay enables attorneys to offer, and the impact this has on access to justice
• An exciting announcement about an innovative new feature LawPay has released that significantly improves the way lawyers accept payments
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• LawPay
• Clio

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 55: How to Make $500-$750 Per Hour Providing Unbundled Legal Services

Dallas, TX attorney Clay Wilkinson’s journey in the practice of law started with a partnership in a law firm, then he became an associate with a large firm, and now he has a new role running his own solo practice. Along the way he has experienced what life is like as a lawyer in these different roles and learned the advantages and disadvantages in each position. Today Clay joins the show and shares the “why” behind each of his decisions, lessons learned, and what finally led to his success as a solo legal practitioner. We take a deep dive into how he has successfully developed unbundled services during his 5+ years as an Unbundled Attorney. Clay shares real-life experiences with clients that involved both uncontested and contested legal cases. He provides a detailed breakdown of how to deliver unbundled services for both kinds of clients, the rates for each, and systems he uses to establish his effective hourly rate at $500-$750 per hour. We also give an overview of the legal technology he integrates into his high-volume practice, and how he streamlines booking appointments and the delivery of his services.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why there was a delay in release of our new podcast episodes and a summary of Unbundled Attorney’s podcast schedule going forward
• Clay’s philosophy of practicing law with integrity and in genuine service to others, and how this influences his decisions
• An overview of how Clay transitioned from being a partner with a new small law firm, to his position as an associate at a large firm, to finally running his own solo practice and what he learned from these experiences
• The importance of growing a practice gradually and not taking on too many clients in the early stages
• Why Clay decided to temporarily reduce the number of clients he was receiving from Unbundled Attorney and focus on remaining a solo practitioner instead of building a small law firm
• The many ways lawyers can grow and scale their practice, including hiring staff, the use of contract lawyers and associates, and how to decide what path is right for you
• Clay’s analysis of the benefits and costs from working for a law firm versus running your own practice based on his own experience in both roles
• How Clay kept a low overhead by working from home and using virtual office spaces when he left his job to begin a solo practice
• What made Clay decide to hire contract lawyers and why this was a win-win relationship for both him and the contract lawyers
• A comprehensive overview of unbundled service options Clay provides that enables him to tailor his services to his clients’ budgets
• Two real-life examples of clients with uncontested and contested legal issues that Clay helped with unbundled services
• Why Clay is able to make $500-$750 per hour delivering unbundled services with a flat rate instead of a billable hours model
• A walk-through that details how Clay delivers unbundled services from start to finish, including how he uses an outsourced virtual paralegal for document preparation
• Best practices that set boundaries with unbundled clients, and how to effectively craft limited scope retainer agreements
• The difference between vertical and horizontal unbundled services, and how they enable creative and flexible delivery of legal services for your clients
• Why providing unbundled services substantially reduces your firm’s accounts receivables
• How Clay uses Google Voice and Calendly to streamline appointment scheduling with prospective clients
• The potential impact of unbundling on the increase in pro se litigants filing in family court and why Clay has become passionate about working with Unbundled Attorney and being a part of this movement
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Calendly
• Google Voice
• Forrest “Woody” Mosten - Unbundled Legal Services Training
• Forrest Mosten’s Unbundled Attorney Podcast Interview
• Clio
• LawPay
• Dropbox
• WhatsApp

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 54: Educating a New Generation of Solo Attorneys: The Exciting Future of Legal Incubators and a Practical Overview of the Business Model of Unbundling Legal Services

San Diego, CA attorney, Lee Vernon, is a product of a legal incubator provided by the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. The incubator provided mentoring from attorneys experienced in the practice of law, affordable office space, and the opportunity to collaborate with other attorneys. In addition, Lee was exposed to the concept of unbundled legal services and how it is used to help individuals unable to afford traditional retainer fees. Once Lee launched his solo practice and started working with Unbundled Attorney, he developed a complete business model built around delivering both full representation and unbundled legal services to his clients. Today Lee joins the show to explain why he made the decision to offer unbundled services. He gives an overview of the unbundled service options he provides, the price points for each, as well as the systems and processes he has developed to deliver them efficiently and profitably. Lee also discusses some of the major misconceptions about unbundled services, and why unbundling can positively impact the access to justice problem as these misconceptions are debunked and more lawyers across the country begin offering these service options in their practice.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What legal incubators are, and some of the ways they educate new attorneys and empower them to start their own practice right out of law school
• Common misconceptions about unbundled services that prevent more lawyers from offering these service options in their practice
• How working as a contract lawyer for another firm provides valuable experience to new attorneys
• How law schools can play a vital role in educating attorneys about unbundled services, and the positive impact this could have on access to justice
• How Lee handles the initial consultation, including how much time he spends on those calls, as well as valuable lessons he has learned over the past year calling his Unbundled leads
• Important considerations for deciding whether you should enroll clients over the phone or have them come into your office
• How unbundled services puts both the client and the attorney in control of how much legal services will be deliver
• How providing unbundled services has completely eliminated Lee’s accounts receivables
• The advantages of delivering unbundled services as a flat rate on a task by task basis, and how this can improve your overall profitability
• The value of being able to tell your clients “we can work with almost any budget”
• How to effectively provide hour-by-hour coaching, and why this can be a great starting option to offer your clients
• The processes Lee follows to offer limited appearances, including the form you can use in certain states to notify the court of your limited scope representation
• Why Lee uses practice management software, and how it has positively impacted his practice
• Practical tips for offering payment plans to clients for full representation, including how to find the balance between helping as many people as possible while still maintaining a highly profitable practice
• How to transition from providing full representation to limited scope services when clients can no longer afford to pay for full service
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundled Attorney YouTube Channel
• ABA Legal Incubator Directory
• Center for Solo Practitioners - Thomas Jefferson Law School Legal Incubator Program
• Google Duo Video Calling App
• MyCase
• LawPay

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 53: How to Instill Confidence, Trust and Loyalty With Your Immigration Clients in a Political Climate Characterized by Fear and Uncertainty

When you hear Charles Lee discuss his immigration practice, it becomes abundantly clear that he takes his role as an attorney and advocate for his immigration clients very seriously. Recent changes in our immigration laws and the political climate created by a new administration have introduced a great deal of fear and uncertainty in the hearts and minds of immigrants in the United States. Today Charles joins the show and talks about how he has successfully adapted his practice to overcome these challenges. He also shares some of the beliefs and values that have become the foundation of his practice, and how he communicates them to his clients to win their confidence and trust. We also discuss the legal technology and flexible payment options that enable him to make his services more affordable and profitable.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What Pre-Paid legal plans are and what Charles learned from his experience as a plan-provider attorney
• The importance of being completely honest and transparent with clients, especially in immigration law
• The increased amount of fear and uncertainty that immigrants in the United States have as a result of the new administration and how Charles communicates with clients to alleviate these fears and build their confidence and trust
• How to advise your clients about unlicensed legal service providers to prevent them from being taken advantage of
• Charles’ thoughts about how vulnerable many immigration clients are and why immigration lawyers have a greater responsibility to be rigorously honest and thorough
• How to serve clients in regions that are more distant from your office by “batching” appointments and using other creative and adaptive scheduling strategies
• The process Charles implemented to prevent clients from flaking on appointments
• The email setup he uses so he is notified in real time and in multiple ways whenever he receives a new lead, because as Charles says, “redundancy is security”
• How to find a balance between letting clients talk and be heard while at the same time keeping the conversation relevant and pertinent during the initial consultation
• A breakdown of the flat rate and flexible payment options he offers clients
• The legal technology Charles uses that enables the client to handle some of the data entry work themselves, which helps him lower costs and increase his profitability
• How he leverages an automated payment solution to reduce the administrative time involved in processing credit card payments
• Some cautionary advice about relying too heavily on legal tech software, and the importance of always double checking and reviewing your work
• Changes in forms, laws and procedures because of the new presidency, and how Charles has adapted his practice accordingly
• Why he believes immigration attorneys must be strong advocates for their clients during this ever changing and uncertain political climate
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundled Attorney YouTube Channel
• Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast Episode 16 with Tera Lee: Proven Sales Strategies to Convert More Leads and Eliminate No-Shows
• Docketwise
• INS Zoom
• Immigration Pro
• LawPay

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 52: Earning 7 Figures a Year Serving Lower Income Families by Delivering Unbundled Legal Services

Ardy Pirnia and John Ibrahim are Beverly Hills and Orange County, California family law and personal injury lawyers. You’d expect firms from their regions to be charging high end retainer fees of between $5000 - $10,000+ and hourly rates of $350/hour and more. Instead, Ardy and John have built highly profitable practices offering unbundled and limited scope services with starting fees ranging from as low as $500 - $1500. Today they join the show to share the types of unbundled service options they offer, and when and how they deliver them. They explain why they believe unbundled services give more people access to legal help who otherwise couldn’t afford it, and why offering these options has been a very profitable business decision.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Ardy has been able to build a 7-figure per year practice by leveraging Unbundled Attorney leads and delivering unbundled legal services to his clients
• Some of the most important lessons Ardy and John have learned from collectively fielding over 3000 leads
• Ardy’s feelings about attorneys charging $5000 + retainer fees, and why he chooses not to charge such high up-front fees
• How leading with unbundled services and more affordable up-front fees can significantly improve your client conversion rates
• Creative ways Ardy monetizes cases that other attorneys would typically turn away
• The benefits of handling a higher volume of smaller cases instead of a few big ones
• How to effectively offer flat rate service on a limited scope basis one segment at a time
• How serving clients that otherwise would not be able to afford legal services can positively impact your firm’s reputation and the number of referrals you receive
• The contrast between offering flat rates by the task versus flat rates for the entire case
• How to break your service options into 3 tiers of pricing, and the specific tiers of pricing that John offers his clients
• Ardy and John’s perspective on the new generation of tech-enabled millennial attorneys, and how their values differ from previous generations of lawyers
• How the substantial increase in pro se litigants over the past 10 years presents a unique business opportunity that lawyers can take advantage of
• The importance of taking enough time to thoroughly fact-find during the initial consultation to learn critical pieces of information that improve your ability to qualify and convert your leads into paying clients
• How unequivocally dispelling the false belief that lawyers cannot make money offering unbundled services could result in a substantial shift the affordability of legal services in North America
• The power of a reliable lead generation service, and how quickly a good source of leads can produce a high volume of new paying clients
• The importance of understanding the long-term value of each client
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundled Attorney YouTube Channel
• Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast Episode 40 with Brian Picarello: Experienced Social Worker Turned Practicing Attorney: Active Listening, Cultivating and Communicating Empathy, and Understanding the Lifetime Value of Each Client

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 51: How to Effectively Promote Your Legal Brand Online and Systematically Scale Your Practice

Jacob Sapochnick is a San Diego immigration attorney who has created a highly successful online legal brand. He has over 140,000 followers on Facebook, thousands of subscribers on YouTube, and receives invitations regularly to appear on national media. He has become an expert on how to position and promote your firm and its content on the internet effectively. Today, Jacob joins us to share exactly how he has built his massive following, and what he does day to day to curate content, and distribute it in a way that captures new clients. We also discuss how he effectively manages a high volume of new clients by leveraging his staff which includes 6 attorneys, 15 support staff, and cutting edge legal technology. He shares a number of ways you can systematically scale your practice, such as creating video training modules that show your team how to execute their tasks and processes efficiently.

Click here watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

Click here to read a complete transcript of this interview

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Jacob’s experience running a successful podcast for years and his perspective on podcasting for lawyers
• The unique and innovative marketing strategies he uses to differentiate his firm from the competition
• The value of building a charitable component into your practice to have a positive impact on your community and capture public relations coverage for your firm
• Some of the changes that have been made in immigration law since Donald Trump was elected and the ways Jacob’s firm has adapted their service options and how they serve their clients accordingly
• The importance of developing a consistent content strategy so you can position yourself as an authority in your practice area
• The most important online platforms that lawyers should focus on in 2018 to maximize the reach and exposure of your content
• The most successful strategies Jacob is currently using to promote his firm on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
• How to re-purpose your videos into audio and text so they can be shared on your blog and social media channels
• What Jacob does on a daily and weekly basis to create content and how he shares it through all of his marketing channels
• How Jacob outsources much of the filming, writing, editing and posting of his content
• The value of studying other successful law firms, as well as companies outside of the legal industry, in order to stay up to date on cutting edge marketing practices
• The importance of creating systems and procedures for all the main tasks in your firm
• A complete breakdown of the legal technology that Jacob has implemented to increase the efficiency of his practice
• Why efficiency can be one of the greatest determining factors for the overall profitability of your firm
• How to create written and video training modules that train your team on how to properly perform important tasks and processes
• How Jacob leverages his time by hiring associate attorneys and support staff, freeing him up to travel and focus on other projects
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundled Attorney YouTube Channel
• Jacob Sapochnick's YouTube Channel
• Jacob Sapochnick's Facebook Page
• Jacob Sapochnick's Instagram Account
• Call Rail
• Active Campaign
• PipeDrive
• MyCase
• Simple Citizen
• Sweet Process
• Hansei

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 50: A Comprehensive Breakdown of the Benefits and Ethical Considerations for Providing Unbundled Legal Services in Immigration and Family Law

We are excited to announce the release of our first video podcast episode! We traveled to Seattle, WA recently to film this interview with Sou Bounlutay and Sunny Awla. Both Sou and Sunny are successful Unbundled Attorneys who have a great deal of experience providing unbundled legal services in the immigration and family law space. They share an informed overview of the ethical considerations for unbundling services in immigration law. They identify the types of cases their office offers unbundled services for and which ones they don’t. They also discuss how offering unbundled services has positively impacted their practice, and why they are now strong advocates for the unbundled legal services model. They share why it is critical to have a consistent source of quality prospective clients, especially for solo and small firms, and the important role Unbundled Attorney has played in the development of their own practice.

Click here to watch the video version of this podcast interview on our YouTube Channel

Click here to read a complete transcript of this interview

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The importance of distinguishing between litigation and affirmative cases when providing unbundled services for immigration law
• An overview of the unbundled services Sunny provides for her immigration clients and the types of issues and client circumstances they are best suited for
• Examples of how the Washington courts have supported attorneys who are providing unbundled services, such as offering standard forms that enable attorneys to make limited appearances in court
• How to calculate a flat fee for a trial in family law
• Why Sou enjoys taking trial cases even when they provide her very little time to prepare
• The importance of overcoming the fear of losing a case
• A discussion of the core maxim of unbundled lawyers - clients are better off with some help from a lawyer rather than no help at all
• Why legal access should be a right and not a privilege
• How breaking your cases into billable segments improves your profitability and reduces accounts receivable
• The importance of taking time to quantify tasks involved with each service you provide, how long it takes to complete each task, and exactly what you need to charge for each step in the process
• How communicating with authenticity and radical honesty to build your client’s trust and confidence in your services
• How offering limited scope services helps reduce stress in your practice
• The unique way of “leading with unbundled services” that can significantly increase the number of clients who retain your services
• How unbundling enables you to build a unique and individualized practice, both for you and your clients
• The important role that having a consistent and reliable source of new prospective clients has on the freedom and flexibility you can have in your practice
• Sou and Sunny’s thoughts about Unbundled Attorney, their experience working with our support team, and how the Unbundled leads have positively impacted the growth of their practice
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundled Attorney YouTube Channel
• Unbundled Attorney Facebook Page
• Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast Episode 40 with Anthony Saunders: The “Try It Before You Buy It” Enrollment Strategy: A Unique Sales Approach That Could Skyrocket Your Lead Conversion Rate

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our exclusive, unbundled leads can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Celebrating Our 50th Podcast Episode: A Review of the First 49 Episodes, Announcing Exciting Changes to Come, and Our Vision for the Long-Term Impact of Unbundled Services

As we prepare to launch our 50th podcast episode, Unbundled Attorney's CEO, Dave Aarons, takes a moment to review our show’s accomplishments during the past two years. He overviews the most popular topics from 49 previous podcast interviews. These include scaling up your practice, sales and client conversion strategies, automating and streamlining your practice with legal technology, and much more. Dave unveils new exciting updates to the podcast that will help you get to know our guests in a personal way, and connect with other lawyers in the Unbundled Attorney community. He explores the evolution of unbundled legal services during the past decade, including highlighting recent national trainings on unbundling and innovative new legal incubators that are helping to drive the expansion of unbundled services. Dave shares his vision for a new cooperative alliance of attorneys and legal professionals who will transform the accessibility of legal services in North America.

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• An overview of what we have accomplished with the podcast since launching it almost 2 years ago, including total downloads and the rapid growth of our show in recent months
• A breakdown of the main topics covered during the past 49 episodes, including some of the most popular episodes to date
• The best episodes to listen to for scaling up your practice, sales and client conversion, legal technology, automating your practice, launching a new solo practice, and creative ways to provide unbundled services in immigration law
• A chronicle of the growth of unbundled services over the past decade and a breakdown of new developments that have helped unbundled services gain higher levels of traction in the legal community over the past two years
• Exciting announcements of changes and improvements coming to the podcast starting with the release of our 50th podcast episode
• Why Unbundled Attorney is building a cooperative alliance of attorneys across the country committed to transforming the accessibility of legal services in North America
• Why we believe the serious problem of access to justice can be solved and how this new community will play a critical role in making that goal a reality
• Why unbundled legal services can be even more profitable than full representation
• Why teaching lawyers how to make great money delivering unbundled services plays such an important role in promoting access to justice
• The importance of sharing the stories of how clients lives are being impacted by attorneys who are providing them legal assistance they would not otherwise be able to afford
• How legal incubators are training and mentoring a new era of tech-enabled lawyers delivering unbundled legal services
• How to connect with Unbundled Attorney and our community of like-minded attorneys and legal professionals throughout the country
• Why this is an especially great time of year to use Unbundled Attorney’s lead generation service to help acquire more clients and grow your unbundled practice
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundled Attorney YouTube Channel
• Bay Area Legal Incubator (BALI)
• AFCC Chicago Training: Building a Successful Unbundled Family Law Practice

Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast Episodes for Scaling Up Your Practice:

• Episode 18 with Rhonda and Jayshree Naidu: Scaling Up Your Practice: How to Expand From Solo Practitioner to Small Law Firm in Under 3 Months
• Episode 22 with Dave Gross: Chronicling the Journey From a New Solo Practice to a Small Law Firm: Limited Appearances, Hiring Contract Lawyers, and Scaling Up a Practice
• Episode 39 with Alex Keenan: Expand Your Practice into New Regions Using Contract Lawyers and a Virtual Client Enrollment, Intake, and Management System
• Episode 11 with Matthew Beach: Mastering the Consultation: The Sales Strategy that Generated $250k from Unbundled Leads in a Single Year

Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast Episodes for Sales and Client Conversion:

• Episode 16 with Tera Lee: Proven Sales Strategies to Convert More Leads and Eliminate No-Shows
• Episode 36 with Brian Picarello: Experienced Social Worker Turned Practicing Attorney: Active Listening, Cultivating and Communicating Empathy, and Understanding the Lifetime Value of Each Client
• Episode 38 with Matt Rosen: Fundamentals of Closing the Deal: Sales Strategies That Help Solidify Relationships and Retain More Clients

Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast Episodes for Legal Technology:

• Episode 45 with Rebecca Fuller: 21st Century Mobile Lawyering: How to Utilize Legal Technology to Build a High Volume, Streamlined, and Location Independent Practice
• Episode 42 with Robert Buchanan: Automating Client Follow Up: How You Can Leverage Email Management Systems to Easily Stay in Touch with New Prospects and Clients
• Episode 48 with Mark Brinkworth: Modernizing Your Law Practice: Stepping Up to the Challenge of Adapting to the Complex World of Legal Technology

Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast Episodes for Launching a New Solo Practice:

• Episode 46 with Lauren Kelley: Launching a New Practice Straight Out of Law School: Overcoming Fear, Streamlining Intake, and Improving Access to Justice by Eliminating the Upfront Retainer
• Episode 23 with Andrew Burgess: Launching a New Solo Practice: From Law School Graduate to 65 New Paying Clients in 3 Months
• Episode 14 with Zoe Garvin: Building a Law Practice from Home: Virtual Offices, Legal Tech, and Enrolling Clients Over the Phone

Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast Episodes for Immigration Lawyers:

• Episode 47 with Jamila Little: A New Era of Immigration Lawyering: How Embracing Technology and Affordable Pay-As-You-Go Pricing Can Significantly Increase Profits and Accessibility to Legal Services
• Episode 29: Developing a Virtual Immigration Practice: Electronic Enrollments, Document Automation and Unbundled Immigration Services

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 49: Becoming an Effective Legal Coach: Understanding Your Client’s Decision-Making Process, Guidelines for Structuring Coaching Sessions, and Compassionate Communication with People of Faith

Jamie Manning is an Unbundled Attorney out of Columbus, OH who has a background working with the Legal Aid Society. When working with her legal aid clients she often only had a limited amount of time to help them with their case. As a result, she developed unique and creative teaching tools that would simply the court process for her clients and were very effective at helping them understand how to properly handle their case. When Jamie launched her own practice, she implemented many of these strategies during her client consultations and when providing unbundled legal services. Today she joins us to share the fundamentals of effective legal coaching. She provides guidelines for how to structure and bill for your coaching calls, tips to help clients remember and apply your advice, and the important points to include during each coaching session. Jamie is also a Christian lawyer and discusses how to communicate with Christian clients and people of faith to help them overcome their apprehension about filing for divorce.

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The importance of listening to clients with your heart instead of your legal mind, and how that can impact your interactions and communication
• How to help people work through conflicting goals and get clarity on what they really need to accomplish
• Clear guidelines for your initial consultations, including the exact questions Jamie asks her clients and why she asks them
• The different phases of the decision-making process that clients experience, and how to tailor your approach to helping them depending on where they are at in that process
• How she explains full representation versus unbundled services, including exact wording and the main benefits she highlights for each option
• How she structures and bills for her legal coaching sessions
• The process she uses to book clients in for consultations that completely eliminates “no show” appointments from her practice
• Three primary things she likes to coach clients on during every coaching session
• The three types of clients she coaches and how her strategy differs for each
• Some of her unique tools and methods that help clients better understand and apply what she shares with them
• How she provides coaching and limited assistance for clients who have abuse, neglect, or dependency cases
• How Jamie helps clients with a religious background overcome their apprehensions about filing for divorce
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Unbundled Attorney Podcast Episode 20: Lessons from 50 years of Practicing Law: Empathetic Listening, Limited Scope, and the Disrupted Legal Market
• Unbundled Attorney Podcast Episode 36: Experienced Social Worker Turned Practicing Attorney: Active Listening, Cultivating and Communicating Empathy, and Understanding the Lifetime Value of Each Client

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 48: Modernizing Your Law Practice: Stepping Up to the Challenge of Adapting to the Complex World of Legal Technology

Mark Brinkworth explored a number of other professions before becoming an attorney. By the time he started his own practice in 2015, the internet, smartphones and legal technology were already making a substantial impact on the legal industry. Like many lawyers that didn’t grow up with these tools, adapting to this modern environment has been a real challenge for him. Today Mark joins us to talk about how he has modernized his law practice. He candidly shares how frustrating this transition has been at times, and how he overcame these challenges with support from the team at Unbundled Attorney. Mark provides a step-by-step walk-through of the tools he now uses, and shares how essential each of them has been to the growth of his practice. We also discuss how critical it is for lawyers to continue investing their time and energy into staying up to date on legal technology, even if they are initially reluctant to do so.

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Some of the lessons Mark learned as a police officer that help him in his law practice
• The importance of being both an attorney and “counselor” of law, and how to do so effectively
• How to properly manage clients’ expectations starting with the first consultation and going forward
• The value of being honest and transparent with your clients, even what you need to tell them is not what they were hoping to hear
• Some of the biggest changes Mark has made in his firm since he started working with Unbundled Attorney and how they have helped his practice
• Why Mark transitioned to begin offering his services as a flat rate much more often
• The importance of never underestimating clients’ ability to get financial resources together
• Why Mark was initially opposed to texting clients, how he overcame his concerns, and how it has impacted his results
• The reluctance Mark initially had towards to implementing new technology in his practice, and how the team at Unbundled Attorney played a helpful role in encouraging him to take those first steps
• What happens when lawyers fail to follow up with their clients, and how technology enables lawyers to consistently and automatically make follow-up contacts
• How technology plays a critical role in increasing profitability by making legal services more affordable and accessible to their clients
• The evolution of Mark’s pricing, including a breakdown of his current pricing options for both full representation and unbundled legal services
• Why Mark hired someone to help make initial calls to his leads and some advice on how to make sure this improves your overall contact and conversion rate
• Important guidelines for hiring staff and legal assistants, especially anyone that will be talking to prospective leads or clients
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundled Attorney Podcast Episode 35: How to Compete in the DIY Internet Age: A Practical, Step-by-Step Guide to Delivering Unbundled Legal Services Efficiently and Profitably in Your Practice
• LawPay
• Lexicata
• Clio
• QuickBooks
• Google Voice

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 47: A New Era of Immigration Lawyering: How Embracing Technology and Affordable Pay-As-You-Go Pricing Can Significantly Increase Profits and Accessibility to Legal Services

Originally from Trinidad, Jamila Little has always been passionate about immigration law. However, it took some time to take the plunge from the corporate world and start her own practice. Once she did, she committed herself to not only making great money but also serving as many clients as possible. During this interview Jamila shares how she implements legal technology to reduce the amount of time she personally spends on each case up to 75%. She also shares why eliminating an upfront retainer and allowing her clients to “pay-as-they-go” enables her to serve more clients and consistently bring in over $15,000 per month of additional revenue into her firm.

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The fears that prevented Jamila from starting her own immigration practice for over 4 years, and how she overcame them
• Some of the benefits of running your own practice, including having the flexibility to choose which cases you take
• Advice for lawyers who have a passion for a particular area of law but are reluctant to make the leap and start their own practice
• How to use virtual offices and keep overhead low when you first start your practice
• The importance of investing time to develop systems in your practice that create a seamless experience for your clients
• How immigration document automation software significantly reduces the amount of time needed to spend on each case
• How payment processing software that offers automatic recurring payments reduces administrative time and increases the number of transactions that process successfully
• How eliminating up-front retainers and enabling clients to pay-as-they-go has consistently generated over $15,000 per month in additional revenue for her firm
• The importance of finding creative ways to serve more clients, and how this improves access to legal services and attracts more referral business
• The value of legal financing, and why it is a useful option for those clients who need funds to hire your services
• Why Jamila believes transparency has been instrumental to the growth and success of her practice
• How Jamila is able to get clients to feel comfortable sharing with her the complete details of their case as well as exactly what they can afford to pay for her services
• The power of sharing with your clients what motivated you to start your practice and what you are most passionate about
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast Episode 29 with Vaneskha Wilson: Developing a Virtual

Immigration Practice: Electronic Enrollments, Document Automation and

Unbundled Immigration Services * INS Zoom * LawPay * Capital Good Fund - Immigration Case Loans

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 46: Launching a New Practice Straight Out of Law School: Overcoming Fear, Streamlining Intake, and Improving Access to Justice by Eliminating the Upfront Retainer

Lauren Kelley started her own practice two days after graduating law school. Fueled by Unbundled Attorney leads, Lauren acquired over 20 new paying clients in her first two months. During this period, she also built systems to streamline her intake and enrollment process. Today, she joins the show to walk us through what every new lawyer can expect when launching a new practice. We also discuss how Lauren has almost completely eliminated the need to charge an upfront retainer. She describes how making her services affordable and accessible for clients also makes them more profitable for her.

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Some fears attorneys face when starting a new practice and how to overcome them
• How lead generation services like Unbundled Attorney can be extremely valuable when launching a new practice
• A walk through of steps involved in starting your new practice including marketing, sales, and online branding
• A list of the podcasts and resources Lauren recommends to attorneys who are considering starting their own practice
• The unexpected challenge Lauren faced when launching her practice and how she overcame it
• The value of taking time to build a streamlined and systematized intake process
• How to create leveraged income by outsourcing document preparation to a virtual assistant
• The value of taking time to quantify the different phases involved with each type of case, and breaking them up into “micro-steps” that can be billed separately
• How Lauren has eliminated the need to collect upfront retainers by allowing her clients to “pay-as-they-go”
• Advice and guidelines for offering limited appearances, and billing for appearances as a separate discrete task
• Why judges and courts are supportive of attorneys that are willing to offer limited appearances and unbundled services
• A walk through of the streamlined process Lauren developed from consult, to intake, to enrollment, to document preparation, to filing, court appearances, and beyond
• Why Lauren uses virtual receptionists to calendar her appointments, answer calls, and follow up with clients
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Retreat
• Podcast Episode 23 with Andrew Burgess: Launching a New Solo Practice: From Law School Graduate to 65 New Paying Clients in 3 Months
• Podcast Episode 14 with Zoe Garvin: Building a Law Practice from Home: Virtual Offices, Legal Tech, and Enrolling Clients Over the Phone
• Building a Law Firm Podcast
• New Solo Podcast - Legal Talk Network
• Podcast Interview with Dave Aarons on New Solo Podcast
• Gen Why Lawyer Podcast
• Lexicata
• LawPay
• Podcast Episode 40 with Anthony Saunders: The “Try It Before You Buy It” Enrollment Strategy: A Unique Sales Approach That Could Skyrocket Your Lead Conversion Rate
• Podcast Episode 41 with Thomas King: Delivering Unbundled Services Safely and Ethically: Guidelines for Retainer Agreements, Limited Appearances, and Being Proactive with Traditional Courts
• Microsoft One Drive
• Acuity Scheduling
• Smith.ai Call Answering Service

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 45: 21st Century Mobile Lawyering: How to Utilize Legal Technology to Build a High Volume, Streamlined, and Location Independent Practice

Rebecca Fuller is part of a new era of lawyers who embrace legal technology to build a highly efficient and streamlined practice. The cloud-based tools she uses enable her to operate her practice from any location, at any time, and never skip a beat. Today, Rebecca joins us to share the technologies she uses and explain exactly how she implements them in her practice. She provides a complete walk-through of how each tool comes into play from the moment she receives a lead all the way through to the delivery of her services. We also discuss how she leverages new technology to scale up her practice, enabling her to effectively serve a higher volume of clients.

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Rebecca decided to start her own practice after years of working for someone else
• The typical fears attorneys face when considering opening their own practice, and how she overcame them
• Why she sees herself as a business owner and entrepreneur first, and a lawyer second
• Some of the books she read that helped her tremendously when she first started her practice
• The advantages of delivering estate and family law services as a flat rate
• How working with clients on a “pay-as-you-go” basis can make your services more affordable and your practice more profitable
• The importance of investing time into implementing technology and systems that help build a more efficient practice, and how this plays a critical role in your ability to serve a higher volume of clients
• A breakdown of the main tech tools she uses and how they help streamline her practice
• How technology helps her become location independent, enabling her to continue her practice while traveling and spend more time with her daughter
• A list of the specific tasks Rebecca offloads to her legal assistant in order to free up more of her time
• The importance of building systems to ensure you are following up with your clients, and how this leads to a significant increase in the number of clients retaining your services
• A step-by-step walk-through of Rebecca’s process from the time she first receives a lead, to consultation, intake and retention of each new client, then through to the preparation and delivery of documents, and beyond
• How Rebecca has been able to eliminate no-shows from her practice
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Book: How to Start and Build a Law Practice
• Book: Flying Solo: A Survival Guide for Solos and Small Firm Lawyers
• Book: Attorney and Law Firm Guide to the Business of Law: Planning and Operating for Survival and Growth
• Practice Panther
• Clio
• Box.com
• LawPay
• Microsoft Outlook (Office 365)
• Quickbooks
• Lexis Advance

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 44: The Economics of Unbundling Your Estate Practice: Taking a Close Look at the Profitability of Flexible “Pay-As-You-Go” Fee Structures

Ross Tew is an estate attorney out of Dallas/Ft Worth, TX who believes in being flexible and taking a problem solving approach to the way he works for his clients. Today, Ross joins us to share the creative ways he works with clients. He describes how he breaks cases up into billable segments and allows clients to pay-as-they-go. He will also let clients in certain cases pay his fees out of the settlement of the estate. Let’s take a close look at how this degree of flexibility has improved the profitability of his practice. The results, as you will hear, are astounding.

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Ross became interested in estate and property work
• His philosophy of flexibility and willingness to find creative ways to serve his clients, and how this shows up in his practice
• Why Ross has chosen to stop accepting credit card payments
• His reasons for offering the majority of his services as a flat fee and why his clients appreciate that
• How Ross is able to get his fees paid from the settlement of an estate in certain cases which allows him to limit the upfront cost of his services for his clients
• How he manages cash flow from smaller cases which enables him to be patient about collecting fees that aren’t paid out until the estate is settled
• Ross’s thoughts about the access to justice problem in this country, and why he believes it’s important for attorneys to find creative ways to work with clients within their budget
• How being a solo practitioner enables him to take a client-centered, problem solving approach
• The ways in which Ross can break up his case into specific billable segments so he doesn’t have to require clients to pay a large retainer up front
• Examples of cases where he can offer “pay-as-you-go” options, and the types of separate billable segments he creates for some clients
• Why so many lawyers don’t offer these unbundled and flexible payment options
• The approximate numbers of additional clients he has been able to take on because of the flexible payment options he offers, and how this impacts the overall profitability of his practice
• His feelings about being able to offer services to so many orphans and widows that would otherwise be unable to obtain the legal help they need at very emotional times in their lives
• A broad vision for how just a few lawyers who share actual numbers on their profitability from unbundled legal services will gradually turn the tide on the number of attorneys introducing these options in their practice, and the impact this has on access to justice nationwide
• And much more…

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 43: A Discussion with the Founder of Unbundled Legal Services, Forrest “Woody” Mosten: Exploring the History and Exciting Future of Unbundling

Considered to be the founder of the “Unbundled” concept, Forrest “Woody” Mosten has spent the last 20+ years advocating for the awareness and ethical acceptance of unbundled legal services. Today Woody joins us to share the background and history of unbundled legal services, and how it is positioned to have a tremendous impact on access to justice in the future. He gives us a fundamental understanding of what the core unbundled services offerings are, including examples of what he offers in his own practice. We share a ton of resources, websites, books, and training that help educate attorneys on how to ethically and effectively deliver unbundled services in their practice.

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The story of the genesis of unbundled legal services, including how Woody came up with the name and how the first ethics opinions were released by the ABA
• How Woody uses popsicle sticks to teach unbundled services to his students
• Woody’s 7 core unbundled service options, and how to implement each of them in your own practice
• Why he considers “Advising Client” to be the fundamental unbundled service that often goes overlooked and underutilized in the average lawyer’s practice
• How Woody defines the difference between “Discovery” and “Gathering Facts”, and how you can start to think about offering each as separate discrete tasks
• Why unbundled was once considered to be a standalone service separate from litigation, but has now become a valuable service option for both uncontested and contested legal matters
• How to offer “Negotiation” as an unbundled service, and the different ways you can assist your clients by handling this aspect of their case
• How drafting documents can encompass a lot more than just preparing court forms and documents
• The value of offering to write letters for your clients, either as a ghostwriter or on your law firm letterhead
• How judges influenced Woody to change his mind about the value of attorneys offering to make a limited appearance for their clients
• A breakdown of organizations and committees that provide valuable information for lawyers and have been instrumental in the growth and acceptance of unbundled legal services
• The topics Woody covers in his most recent book “Unbundled Legal Services: A Family Lawyer's Guide”
• How unbundled legal services helps attorneys build a more profitable practice
• Some of the barriers that still need to be overcome in order for unbundled legal services to be offered by a greater number of attorneys
• Details on the first national training for unbundled legal services taught by Woody coming up during March in Chicago
• An invitation for a “Round Two” discussion with Woody on law schools, incubators, and how to educate and inspire our next generation of attorneys to offer unbundled legal services in their practice
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• The Neutral Zone

• unbundlenow (Twitter)

• Dave Gross’s Podcast (Limited appearances)
• Thomas King’s Podcast (Offering unbundled and limited appearances in traditional courts)
• Unbundling Resource Center - ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services
• Forrest Mosten's Article - Unbundled Services to Enhance Peacemaking for Divorcing Families
• IAALS - Materials from Better Access Through Unbundling Conference
• Forrest Mosten’s Website
• Forrest Mosten’s Newest Book: Unbundled Legal Services: A Family Lawyer's Guide
• AFCC (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts)
• Building a Successful Unbundling Practice Training - March 5-6th, 2018 in Chicago, IL
• Blog post with resources mentioned and a complete transcription of this interview

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 42: Automating Client Follow Up: How You Can Leverage Email Management Systems to Easily Stay in Touch with New Prospects and Clients

Every day clients are contacting your office to meet with you for consultations. Some of these clients retain your services right away, but what about the rest? Most law firms fail to follow up with prospects who do not call back or are not retained immediately. It is a task that often doesn’t get done because it takes too much time. What if there is a way to automatically stay in touch with these prospects at the click of a button? Today, Chicago, IL family law attorney, Robert Buchanan, joins our show and explains how lawyers can easily leverage email management systems and automate client follow up. By applying these systems, attorneys can stay connected with and ultimately be retained by clients they met days, weeks, or even months earlier. We also discuss valuable lessons Robert has learned when considering acquiring associate-attorneys and partners.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Robert elected to end the partnership he created, and hear his valuable advice for lawyers who are considering partnering with another attorney
• Some of the benefits from being a solo practitioner compared to building a large law firm
• Tools he uses to complete forms and documents faster and more efficiently
• How to identify areas of your practice that can be streamlined or automated
• How text expanders on your mobile phone help you respond much faster to emails and text messages
• A complete walkthrough of how to set up a “Zap” that subscribes each lead to an autoresponder that sends a series of emails to your Unbundled Attorney leads automatically
• The benefits and applications of email marketing, including automatic follow ups with uncontacted leads and clients who do not enroll during the initial consultation
• Examples of emails Robert uses in his email auto-responder series
• The difference between a newsletter vs a broadcast email, and how to effectively implement both in your email marketing strategy
• The topics Robert covers in his broadcast emails, and his tips on how to write unique and relevant emails
• The three service options he offers clients, what they cost, and what is included
• How offering unbundled services reduces some of the stress from being a family law attorney
• A discussion about paying associate attorneys hourly vs salary, and why Robert elects to pay his associates a salary
• Some book recommendations for building a systemized and leveraged practice
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• The Form Tool
• Zapier
• Brian Reidy’s Podcast Episode
• E-Myth Attorney Book

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 41: Delivering Unbundled Services Safely and Ethically: Guidelines for Retainer Agreements, Limited Appearances, and Being Proactive with Traditional Courts

When Thomas King started his own practice, he saw an opportunity in the market to provide assistance for clients trying to handle cases by themselves using the internet. Now with the help of Unbundled Attorney, Thomas built a thriving practice by delivering clients a full range of unbundled legal services. However, being an effective provider of unbundled services comes with its own challenges. Today, Thomas joins our show to help lawyers understand how to deliver unbundled options both ethically and effectively. We discuss how to structure limited-scope retainer agreements, as well as best practices for offering limited appearances. Thomas also provides some very practical advice for dealing with traditional courts and judges who may not be used to working with attorneys offering unbundled services.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How the internet has transformed the business and practice of law, and how you can adapt to serve the expanding DIY market
• The different types of cases Thomas sees in family law, and how they contribute to the profitability of his practice
• The components of a well structured limited-scope retainer agreement
• The importance of reviewing limited-scope retainer agreements with your clients to ensure they are clear on the scope of your services
• Some of the challenges you can face in courts not used to working with attorneys who provide unbundled services, and how to protect yourself
• How to identify which courts and judges may require additional communication and documentation to prevent misunderstandings about the scope of your representation
• The types of letters and documentation Thomas uses to inform courts of unbundled services or limited appearances being offered
• How to turn late night and weekend leads into your highest converting clients
• How to set proper boundaries and expectations when providing clients with your cell phone number, or responding after business hours
• The criteria Thomas uses to decide if he will work with a client
• Suggestions on when to offer flat rates versus hourly billing
• Some important considerations for hiring contract lawyers or expanding into new regions, including why hiring contract lawyers did not work for him
• How to effectively and profitably offer limited appearances for your clients
• When Thomas uses teleconferences and other creative solutions to appear in court for clients on a limited budget
• How he explains to his clients the value of retaining him for a limited appearance
• And much more…

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 40: The “Try It Before You Buy It” Enrollment Strategy: A Unique Sales Approach That Could Skyrocket Your Lead Conversion Rate

After working with Unbundled Attorney as a solo practitioner for over a year, Anthony Saunders decided to take a break to close up his practice and start working with a local Salt Lake City, UT law firm as an associate. When Anthony started working with us again he implemented a new sales strategy that enables him to consistently convert an astounding 80% or more of his leads into paying clients. What is even more impressive is 90% of those clients end up retaining him for full representation. Today Anthony joins us on the show to share exactly how he has been able to accomplish such incredible numbers, including his unique “try it before you buy it” approach to enrolling his clients. He also offers over 20 different unbundled service options, and outlines what each of these options are and what he typically charges.

To read the complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Anthony decided to open a solo practice immediately after graduating from law school
• How Unbundled Attorney’s lead generation service helped launch the growth of his practice
• Why Anthony started offering unbundled services to his clients, and how this has allowed him to fulfill on his desire to help people in a cost-effective manner
• His “try it before you buy it” sales approach, and why it has been so incredibly effective at converting his leads into paying clients
• The value of breaking each case into segments so you can focus on delivering services one segment at a time
• Why Anthony will not discuss providing full representation with any of his clients until after he has delivered an unbundled service for them
• A complete breakdown of 15+ unbundled services that he offers, including exact pricing for each option
• The benefits and importance of delivering unbundled services at a flat rate
• Why Anthony’s “try it before you buy it” approach makes it so much easier for clients to refer his services to their friends and family
• The payment options he offers to his clients when they are unable to pay the entire flat rate up front
• How to train new associates or contract lawyers to deliver unbundled services by narrowing their focus to the task at hand
• The value of drafting a timeline for each client’s case so they know exactly what needs to be done
• Why 90% of the clients that enroll for unbundled services transition to retaining him for full representation
• The different types of payment options he offers to his full representation clients
• And much more…

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 39: Expand Your Practice into New Regions Using Contract Lawyers and a Virtual Client Enrollment, Intake, and Management System

After launching his practice early in 2017 in the Hudson Valley, NY, Alexander Keenan quickly expanded to serve the nearby metropolitan Albany, NY community despite the fact that he lives 2-3 hours away. After trying to manage the travel time involved, Alex decided to hire contract lawyers to serve his clients in those courts farthest from his office. The relationships he forged with his contract lawyers are so successful that Alex is now working on expanding his practice into the metro areas of Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo, NY. Today he joins us on the show to explain the process he uses to hire and train new contract lawyers, who are helping him to significantly expand the reach of his practice. He also discusses his “streamlined” virtual enrollment process utilizing technology that enables him to enroll and manage clients from literally anywhere in the world.

To read the complete transcript of this interview, click here.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How a virtual office can help you expand into a new region with minimal overhead
• The importance of acquiring a local area code phone line, and how to do it
• How to “batch” your appointments when they are long distances from your office
• How to source potential contract lawyers from Craigslist and Indeed
• The pay structure Alex uses with his three contract lawyers
• The philosophy behind representing “working families”, and how to ensure that your contract lawyers embody this philosophy during the hiring process
• Tips and advice for hiring great contract lawyers, including how to screen for attorneys that will communicate empathy to your clients
• How to handle the “hand-off” to a contract lawyer during the initial phone consultation
• The systems Alex has developed using Lexicata, Clio and LawPay to create a streamlined online enrollment and intake process
• Why taking additional time during your initial phone consultation makes it more likely to enroll the lead right over the phone
• The importance of scheduling a client conference with a contract lawyer that same week
• How to use Clio to “assign” clients to a specific contract lawyer, so the contractor only sees those clients who have been assigned to them and no one else
• The benefits of offering “Layaway” payment options, how to determine the best times to offer them, and when not to, and learn how Alex explains Layaway to his clients
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

Clio

LawPay

Lexicata

Vonage

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 38: Fundamentals of Closing the Deal: Sales Strategies That Help Solidify Relationships and Retain More Clients

New Jersey attorney Matt Rosen has the “sales gene.” Not just because his father was a successful corporate salesman, but because of his extensive background in sales and many years studying the art of building rapport with clients and closing the deal. Today Matt joins us on the show to discuss some of these core strategies, and how they have helped him consistently convert his leads into paying clients. We also discuss the many challenges of starting a new practice, investing in advertising with a limited budget, and how working the leads from Unbundled Attorney has helped him develop the knowledge and experience to overcome these barriers.

To read the complete transcript of this interview, click here.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Matt Rosen’s past work with the Peace Corp influenced his practice
• Why utilizing a lead generation service lends itself well to developing optimized systems for your practice
• Matt’s exact process for contacting each lead, which enables him to consistently convert 30-40% of his leads into paying clients
• Questions you can ask to qualify your clients during the initial call
• How understanding the law of averages removes the pressure from feeling like you have to convert every lead, especially when you first get started
• Strategies for relating to clients with confidence
• Why fielding leads is an opportunity for new lawyers to develop core competencies by getting a great deal of hands-on client and court experience
• Strategies that improve your sales ability, regardless of whether sales come naturally to you or not
• What it takes to start a practice from scratch, and what Matt has gone through to overcome some of those startup barriers
• The importance of respecting your clients, particularly by giving them enough space to make their own decision on whether to retain you or not
• How to make your clients feel more comfortable and become a calming and stabilizing force
• How working for Greenpeace in the streets of NYC taught Matt about learning to overcome “No’s,” and fear of rejection
• The value of making your website, appearance, and overall brand consistent
• And much more…

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 37: Running a Leveraged Solo Practice from Home: Hiring Staff and Delegating Tasks, Adaptive Payment Options, and Enrolling Clients Over the Phone

Lisa Brown began working with Unbundled Attorney less than two years ago. During this time, she transitioned from handling 100% of her practice alone to hiring a team of trained and competent staff to support her. Today Lisa walks us through her procedure for successfully hiring and training new staff members, including what tasks you should delegate and which ones you should not. Lisa often works from home and she has developed systems that enable her to enroll the majority of her new leads over the phone, without the need for office appointments. She explains what these systems are, as well her unique approach to the first phone consultation with each lead.

To read the complete transcript from this interview, click here.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to find a balance between family and business if you work from home
• The steps for hiring support staff, including which task you should delegate first
• When to hire a full-time secretary, and an effective training program to avoid losing clients in the process
• The most important considerations while training staff members to call leads when you are unavailable
• The monthly payment plan options she offers her clients, and how she communicates fee structures to the rest of her team
• The core strategies that enable Lisa to enroll at least ½ of her leads right over the phone
• How to detach from the results of each call, so you can apply your complete focus towards serving each client
• The creative unbundled options Lisa offers, and how she adapts these options to the needs of each client
• The typical retainer fees she quotes, as well as pricing for each unbundled option and different payment plans she makes available to her clients
• The pluses and minuses of quoting flat fees
• The technology and processes behind enrolling clients over the phone, including online practice management and billing tools
• How to ensure each client feels cared about and their case is important, especially when you are handling a high volume of cases
• Lome tips and tricks for tracking each case, and keeping your entire team updated every step of the way
• And much more…

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Clio
• LawPay

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 36: Experienced Social Worker Turned Practicing Attorney: Active Listening, Cultivating and Communicating Empathy, and Understanding the Lifetime Value of Each Client

Brian Picarello spent the first years of his professional life working as a social worker. After graduating law school in 2010 at the age of 38, Brian brings the years of experience working with clients in crisis situations to the practice of law. He explains how to become an effective active listener, including how to cultivate and communicate empathy with your clients. Brian has also been working with Unbundled Attorney since the day we launched in January of 2015, and has tracked his metrics and revenue from every lead he has received. He shares what his numbers are, and how understanding the long term, “lifetime” value of each client can inform your practice decisions and impact how you price your services.

To read the complete transcript of this interview, click here.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The fundamentals of active listening, and the difference between connecting with people versus trying the sell a product
• How to cultivate and communicate empathy for the emotional challenges your clients are facing
• Valuable lessons Brian has learned from other guests on the Unbundled Attorney Mastermind Podcast
• The importance of attorneys making the initial calls to their leads, and the only way to have staff make the call for you if you are unavailable to do so
• The two categories of leads (instant gratification vs. legitimate issues), how to identify each category and how Brian’s process differs for each type of lead
• Brian’s revenue, contact and conversion rate numbers from 2.5 years of fielding leads from Unbundled Attorney
• Why analyzing his numbers and the long term value of each lead was an influential factor in Brian's decision to shift away from an “hourly retainer” mentality and start to offering more affordable pricing options
• The real meaning behind “lifetime value” of each client, and how this understanding can impact the way you run your practice
• How Brian offers limited appearances, including how he sets appropriate expectations with his clients
• The percentage of Brian’s business that comes from referral income, and why so many lawyers fail to take this revenue into account when evaluating a lead generation service
• How Unbundled Attorney compares to other lead generation companies he has worked with
• The biggest complaint client’s have about lawyers, and how you can prevent this from happening in your practice
• The value of understanding your local courts, both in your ability to be an effective lawyer, and as a selling point to your clients
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 35: How to Compete in the DIY Internet Age: A Practical, Step-by-Step Guide to Delivering Unbundled Legal Services Efficiently and Profitably in Your Practice

There is no question that YouTube and the availability of “Do It Yourself” information online continues to have a significant impact on the legal profession. There are a lot more people nowadays who are handling their cases pro se, and this trend is likely to continue for years to come. Today, Brian Reidy joins us to talk about how attorneys can adapt to this shift in the marketplace by providing unbundled legal services. He provides examples of the types of unbundled options he offers, typical price points, as well as great advice on how to convey the value of these services to your clients. We also discuss ways to leverage technology and develop a “systems mindset” that builds a more efficient and cost-effective practice.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What Brian learned while working for DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services), and different ways lawyers can offer unbundled services to clients who are dealing with child abuse and neglect issues
• The importance of telling clients what they need to hear, and conveying to clients how important it is that they do the same with you
• Brian’s perspective on the changing legal marketplace, the impact of YouTube, and the increase in the number of pro se litigants nationwide
• Why the courts and legal community benefit from lawyers who provide unbundled legal services
• Why Brian switched from offering a free one-hour in-person consultation, to offering a free phone consultation and charging for the initial in-office case assessment
• The value of being flexible with the length of time you invest in the initial phone consultation to ensure you develop good rapport and trust with each client
• How to explain what unbundled legal services are and how they work to your clients’ advantage
• The typical unbundled services Brian provides, how much he charges, and how he determines when to offer them
• The importance of identifying the steps involved with each type of case you handle, and then developing systems that allow you to make each step easier and simpler
• How to build an efficient and cost-effective practice using technology such as electronic intake and document automation
• How quoting flat rates and the proper use of technology increases your effective hourly rate
• The value of being open to making investments in systems of efficiency that carry long term benefits for your practice
• The importance of calling leads in real time, and how Brian trains his staff to make the calls when he is unavailable
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 34: Automate and Streamline Your Practice: A Discussion of How Legal Technology is Transforming the Practice of Law with Michael Chasin, CEO of Lexicata

Michael Chasin joins us to give an overview of Lexicata, an all-in-one CRM and client intake solution for lawyers, and how legal technology is impacting the practice of law. He outlines the primary features of Lexicata, and how lawyers are using them to streamline their intake and client conversion process. We announce Unbundled Attorney’s brand new integration with Lexicata, which enables lawyers to have our leads delivered directly into their Lexicata account in real-time. We also discuss how merging lead generation with powerful intake and practice management tools will help lawyers grow their practice tremendously, while enabling them to deliver services in a more efficient and cost effective manner.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The main features of Lexicata, how lawyers are using it, and the story behind why it was originally developed
• The primary benefits of utilizing a CRM (Client Relationship Management) to streamline your intake and client conversion process
• How the integration between Unbundled Attorney and Lexicata works, and how it will help you manage your leads more efficiently and significantly improve your contact rate.
• The value of electronic enrollments and online client intake, and how these features enable clients to enroll for your services faster and easier than ever before
• How to automate the follow up with your clients, enabling you to keep in touch with clients for months or even years with the single click of a button
• The power and impact of having lead generation (Unbundled Attorney), electronic intake and client conversion (Lexicata), online practice management (Clio) and automated billing (Clio Payments/LawPay) all seamlessly integrated together for the first time ever
• The benefits of offering flat fees instead of an hourly rate, and how technology enables attorneys to deliver flat rate services more profitably
• A vision for the future of legal technology, and how it will empower lawyers to be able to compete with emerging online form and document preparation software companies
• How data will help lawyers more intelligently price their services and make better decisions
• How legal technology transforms what used to be “high volume, low value” tasks into lucrative “high volume, high value” business
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 33: Moving to a New City: How to Close Your Existing Practice and Start up a New One from Scratch, Tips for Hiring Staff, and the Benefits of Layaway Payments

Have you ever considered moving to another city, but haven’t because you are reluctant to start a new practice from scratch? Maybe you want to be closer to family, or live in your dream community, but the pull of existing clients and income makes it difficult to pull the trigger? Last year, Aaron Walsch, took a leap of faith and moved from Columbia, SC to Nashville, TN after building a successful practice for over a decade. Today, Aaron shows us how to wind down your existing practice and launch a new one in a different community. We also discuss the importance of hiring great staff, how lead generation helps you grow a new practice, and the value of offering a layaway payment option for your clients.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The steps involved in winding down an existing practice and then starting a new one in another community
• Why so many lawyers gravitate towards family law, and how it compares to the other areas of law Aaron has practiced
• How Unbundled Attorney lead generation helped Aaron launch his new practice in Nashville, TN
• How he was able to avoid taking the Tennessee bar by being admitted by motion
• The value of becoming familiar with local rules, and continuing to review them each year
• How to adapt your practice quickly after taking on a high volume of leads
• The best times of day to call leads, and how to identify those leads which need an office appointment to retain them
• The true value of an online presence and positive reviews
• The importance of hiring great staff, and some examples of the day-to-day tasks you can assign to them
• Why Aaron encourages lawyers to hire staff or contract out bookkeeping responsibilities
• Systems you can use for keeping track of all your clients
• What “layaway” payments are all about, and why Aaron feels offering this option is the single greatest improvement he has made to his practice this past year
• How to explain “layaway” to your clients, and examples of how he has offered it in his practice
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 32: How Cultivating a Deep Understanding of Your Clients’ Emotional, Cultural and Political Context Can Help You Deliver Exceptional Service and Build a More Profitable Practice

Originally from Cuba, Moises Kaba has been providing immigration, family law, and estate representation in southern Florida for over 30 years. Today, Moises joins us on the show to talk about the importance of cultivating an understanding of the cultural history and emotional fears of your clients. He explains how this empathy helps you become an exceptional communicator. This is one element of Moises’s three-part service philosophy which not only dictates how he relates to clients, but also determines the types of flexible payment options he offers. He breaks down the profitability of intelligently structured payment plans, and explains why so many attorneys not currently offering these options could be missing out on a tremendous amount of additional revenue.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Major differences between the Cuban and United States legal system
• How having a basic understanding of the laws in your clients’ countries of origin can help you better serve them
• How Trump has impacted the immigration system, and how to adapt to these changes to better communicate and relate to your clients
• Why Moises chose to use lead generation, and how Unbundled Attorney compares to the other companies he has worked with
• The importance of understanding your local market to better position and price your services
• Moises’s 3-part service philosophy, and how incorporating his tenets helps you instill trust and credibility with your clients
• The value of letting clients vent and express their feelings and concerns on the initial call
• Useful analogies and suggestions for how to explain unbundled legal services to your clients
• How Moises uses Clio Payments (LawPay) to automate the billing of his clients’ payment plans
• Why Moises believes customizing payment plans for your clients is an art and requires a great deal of practice and attention
• Some important questions Moises asks clients to better determine how much they can afford to invest in their case
• Why Moises believes in having faith in his clients when it comes to making good on their payment plans
• The benefits of quoting flat fees whenever possible, especially for Unbundled service options
• How to leverage virtual offices to expand into new regions without taking on a lot of new overhead
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 31: Starting a Brand New Law Firm After 18 Years of Practice: A Step-by-Step Blueprint for a Successful Launch and Expansion, Hiring Virtual Contract Lawyers, and Empathetic Pricing

After 18 years of practice, Maria Aguila decided to go back out on her own and start a new law firm. Today, Maria joins us on the show and walks us through the phases of growth and expansion she experienced during the successful launch of her new practice six months ago. She tells us why she hired a virtual assistant and virtual contract attorney to help build the new practice, and how she pays for their services. Maria also gives us a complete pricing breakdown and comparison between her full representation and Unbundled legal service options for immigration and family law. She explains the importance of cultivating empathy for the unique legal needs and special financial circumstances of your clients, and how that sensitivity will naturally give rise to implementation of flexible service options that meets clients’ needs affordably.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The benefit of utilizing a co-working space to meet with clients during the early stages of your new practice
• A step-by-step walkthrough of how she launched and then expanded her new law practice
• How to hire a virtual contract lawyer to help with document drafting and other legal work
• How Maria utilizes a virtual assistant in Singapore to help organize her work more efficiently
• What Maria pays each of her contractors, and see a comparison of flat rate task work versus paying by the hour
• Maria’s complete intake procedure, including how she enrolls clients and accepts payments online with a couple clicks
• The importance of responding to new leads right away, and why this simple courtesy sets you apart from other law firms
• The distinctions between Unbundled and full representation pricing options that she offers to both family law and immigration clients
• Why enrolling clients initially with lower-priced options can lead to more repeat business and referrals
• What international adoptions are all about, and why Maria handles these types of cases despite some occasionally complex issues
• How cultivating trust and empathy with clients has allowed Maria to offer affordable payment plans without any serious concern about clients not paying
• How document automation software enables you to prepare legal documents faster and more efficiently
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 30: 15 Years of Solo Practice in the Big Apple: Relating to an Ethnically Diverse Clientele, Tracking Key Metrics, and Effectively Leveraging Paralegals

David Zaslavsky has had his own solo family law practice in New York City for over 15 years. Today, he joins our show to share his insights about how he has learned to develop rapport and relate to people from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds and personality types whom he encounters in NYC. David also shares his experiences from working with many lead generation companies through the years. He discusses how they compare to Unbundled Attorney, and he outlines some of the strategies he has found most successful. David talks about the high costs involved in running a practice in NYC, one of the most expensive business environments anywhere in the world. He also explains how he structures fees to ensure he provides affordable services for his clients, while still covering his high overhead.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The importance of closely tracking the important metrics and expenses in your practice
• The main benefits David has found with Unbundled Attorney compared to other lead companies he has worked with
• Tips and tactics to establish credibility and build client confidence in your expertise on the initial phone call
• How to relate to people with different personality types and ethnic backgrounds
• The value of “qualifying” each lead by asking questions about their case and their financial budget
• How to respond to clients that aren’t transparent about their ability to pay
• What it costs David to operate his practice in New York City
• How David structures his payment options to compete with typical rates of other attorneys while meeting the high cost of running a practice in NYC
• How he leverages the use of his paralegals to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete his documents and other legal work
• How to have your paralegal call leads when you are not available, and avoid losing clients in the process
• The typical learning curve involved with fielding leads, and why so many attorneys quit before they have a chance to start seeing results
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 29: Developing a Virtual Immigration Practice: Electronic Enrollments, Document Automation and Unbundled Immigration Services

After working as a public defender in Manhattan, NY and commuting for two hours each day, Vaneskha Wilson decided to move to Orlando with her family and start her own virtual immigration practice. Today she joins on the show to breakdown how she has been able to enroll and deliver immigration services to the majority of her clients without having to meet them in person. This includes a walk-through of each step in the process from the initial call and enrollment, to how she leverages an online client portal and document automation technology to efficiently prepare and deliver immigration forms electronically. Vaneskha also shares the unbundled and “pay-as-you-go” options she offers, and the typical fees she charges for each service.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How the election of Donald Trump and the subsequent changes in the political climate have impacted her practice
• How Vaneskha was able to successfully launch a brand new immigration practice without acquiring a brick and mortar office
• The value of being able to run a law practice virtually when necessary, especially for attorneys that are parents and have young children
• The complete electronic sales and enrollment process of her virtual practice
• Valuable sales strategies, including the importance of continuing the enrollment process with clients, even when they don’t have all their necessary documents together yet
• What a client portal is, and how she uses it to empower her clients to be able to provide her the necessary information for their immigration paperwork themselves
• The document automation software she uses to dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to prepare immigration forms
• The types of unbundled options Vaneskha offers, and the typical price points
• Some unique unbundled options that have not yet been shared on the podcast, such as "case investigation" and "attending the interview"
• The main benefits of offering unbundled services in an immigration practice, and how it has helped her compete against notaries and other “non-lawyer” immigration services
• A breakdown of the “pay-as-you-go” payment plans she offers to clients that retain her for full representation
• Why Vaneska eventually made the transition to opening a local office in Orlando and hiring an assistant
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 28: Strategies Developed from Fielding More Than 50 Leads a Week: Text Messaging, Layaway Payments, and Relating Well with Clients

Sean Lynch currently receives about 200 leads each month from Unbundled Attorney. Not only has he been receiving a high volume of leads since first starting back in September 2016, he converts over 40% of our leads into new paying clients. Today, Sean joins us on the show to share some of the strategies he has developed, as well as some creative payment options he offers that enable him to provide affordable services for so many of his leads. Sean explains when and how he offers “layaway” payments for clients who cannot afford his flexible up front retainer. He also shares some valuable lessons learned from his father that he uses to communicate effectively and relate well with clients.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Sean uses text-messaging to set up initial phone and in-office consultations, without disclosing his cell phone number
• The process Sean uses on initial calls to leads that produces a high number of office appointments
• The flexible retainer and payment plans Sean offers to clients who cannot afford to pay a high up front retainer
• How he manages payment plans, and the importance he attaches to staying in close communication with clients
• How he and the other attorney in his firm manage their heavy case-load, and how they employ a “tag-team” approach in their work with each client
• How to find a balance during the day between working on active cases and responding to new leads
• What “layaway” payments are, when Sean offers this option, and how this helps his clients that otherwise could not afford his flexible starting retainer
• The lessons Sean took from his father on how to adapt to changes in the market and relate well with clients
• The long-term value from taking extra time to listen to and assist each client thoroughly, even if it doesn’t appear likely they will hire your services
• The importance of staying diligent in making calls to each lead in real time, especially when you are receiving a high volume of leads
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 27: How Shifting Away from a “Big Retainer Mentality” Can Transform Your Firm

Brian Winters’ experience while working for a big law firm included what he calls a “big retainer mentality.” Success there was measured by how large the initial retainer would be. After some convincing, Brian started offering more affordable services including unbundled “isolated task” work to his clients, and this change in his mentality and approach helped transform his practice. Today, Brian shares how he went about making this important change, the kinds of options he offers now, and how he talks about them with his clients. He also talks about his expansion into other parts of his state, and how he manages his mobile practice from the road.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Brian overcame his self-described “snobbery” of wanting to charge a big retainer as a requirement to feel successful, and how this shift in mentality transformed his practice
• How he explains unbundled options for clients by describing how he can help with “isolated tasks”
• The value of quoting a flat fee in combination with a reasonable payment plan that is tailored to the client’s budget
• The importance of using words like “lower cost” and “less expensive” versus “cheap” and “low cost,” plus the value of explaining these distinctions to your clients
• How servicing a high volume of Unbundled leads helps Brian and his staff become more efficient and streamline workflows
• Why Brian personally calls every lead himself, and why his conversion rate plummets every time his staff makes those calls
• The WOW factor from calling leads in real time, and why you should position your firm to be ready to respond to leads immediately
• What Contact -> Relationship -> Sale means, and how this shift in approach will result in more clients retaining your firm
• How Brian uses the offices of attorneys in other counties as meeting places for his own clients, and how this has allowed him to expand his coverage area
• How he avoids case overload or having work slip through the cracks by completing and filing each case immediately after he is retained
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 26: Deep Dive with Dave Aarons, CEO of Unbundled Attorney: How to Thrive in a Disrupted Legal Market and the Future of Unbundled Legal Services

In our previous episodes, Dave Aarons, CEO of Unbundled Attorney, interviews the guests on our show. Today, the tables are turned, and one of the previous guests from the podcast, Sou Bounlutay, interviews Dave, and gets to the bottom of what Unbundled Attorney is really all about. Dave talks about the major changes that have occurred in the legal industry over the past 30 years, and how attorneys can adapt their practice in order to grow and thrive in the new legal landscape. Dave also describes some of the underlying values of the attorneys he works with, and the unique way they relate to their clients, as well as Dave’s vision for the future of unbundled legal services.

To read the complete transcript of this interview, click here.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The breakdown of what unbundled legal services are, and examples of the types of unbundled services attorneys can offer
• The genesis story of Unbundled Attorney, and it’s founding purpose
• Some of the major changes in the legal marketplace over the past 30 years, and how attorneys can adapt their practice accordingly
• The importance for attorneys to shift their focus toward serving their clients’ needs first, and how this change in perspective impacts how they relate to their clients
• How critical mass can transform our industry, and the major shifts that could occur in the legal marketplace when current trends reach market penetration
• Some initial fears and external influences many attorneys must overcome in order to transition their firm into serving low income clients
• A new perspective on the old story that success in law relates to the size of the cases attorneys acquire, with an invitation to hear a new story that is more aligned with the current legal market
• The value of having a consistent stream of new leads, and how this financial security empowers attorneys to relate to their clients in a fully authentic way
• The big-picture vision and mission of Unbundled Attorney and how we are seeking to impact the affordability and accessibility of legal services in North America
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 25: Estate Planning Strategies Learned from 36 Years of Practice: Pay-As-You-Go and Fixed Fees, Probate Advice, and the Importance of Cultivating Empathy for Grieving Clients

After over 36 years of legal practice, Robert Muehlenweg has developed a well-defined strategy that provides affordable and compassionate estate planning services for his clients. Today he joins us on the show to share some of the unique service options he has developed, including pay-as-you-go, fixed fees, full representation services, and how he prices these options. We talk about how he fields the estate leads we send him, including his approach to the initial consultation, and how it allows him to enroll many of his “new school” clients right over the phone. He also shares some of the emotional skills of estate planning and probate, and how important it is to relate to clients in an empathic and sensitive manner.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The differences between formal and informal probate issues, and how Robert handles each of them
• The value of offering advice and coaching on an hour-by-hour basis, and some tips on how to do so effectively
• How to determine whether to quote an exact fee or a fee range, and some typical price points for both
• Questions to ask clients in order to determine the extent of their gifting, so you can determine the rate you wish to quote as a fixed fee
• How the client’s indecision can impact the cost of services, and how to set proper expectations with a client in advance to avoid misunderstandings
• The circumstances by which a simple transfer of death deed can accomplish your client’s goals more affordably
• The difference between “old school” versus “new school” clients, and how this determines whether you should meet them in the office to enroll, or if you can sign them up right over the phone
• The importance of appreciating the emotional components of estate planning and probate, and how to relate to your clients empathetically
• How Bob has cultivated his sensitivity for grieving clients, and some recommendations for how other attorneys can develop this skill as well
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 24: How to Relocate a Law Practice to a New Region: Creating Relationships with Local Courts, Bartering with Clients, and Building an Efficient Firm

Before Charles Skinner became an attorney, he worked as a machinist for over 10 years. That experience taught him a lot about how to streamline processes and build an efficient business model. Today, Charles shares how he transferred this approach to his law practice by building systems that streamline workflows. We also explore how he was able to successfully relocate his law practice from El Paso to Dallas, TX. He examines some of the mistakes he made and shares valuable lessons learned along the way. He also talks about the alternative fee arrangements he has implemented with his clients, such as bartering his services for assets or property, as well as some strategies he has developed in his mediation practice.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to evaluate the essentials of every process and task in your practice and build systems to automate and streamline them
• How to offer services to clients with limited cash by bartering for assets and property, including some examples of arrangements he has created with his clients
• The value of being able to provide services in multiple areas of the law, and how this “holistic” approach can allow you to offer more billable services to each client
• The importance of creating relationships with other lawyers and professionals as a great source of referrals
• How Charles was able to transition his law practice from El Paso to Dallas, TX on short notice
• How to ethically wind up your existing practice, including how to communicate with and wrap up relationships with those clients
• How to start a practice in a new county, including strategies for creating relationships with local judges and clerks
• How to maximize your air miles if you need to fly when you are moving your practice
• The mediation services Charles offers, and how he effectively communicates the value and requirements of mediation to his clients
• The vital importance of responding to leads immediately and then consult with them about their case right then and there
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 23: Launching a New Solo Practice: From Law School Graduate to 65 New Paying Clients in 3 Months

Andrew Burgess is 9 months out of law school and has already built a thriving and successful solo practice. This growth is largely fueled by a high volume of Unbundled Attorney leads, his effectiveness in fielding those leads, and the affordable unbundled options he offers his clients. Today, Andrew shares the strategies he has implemented to make contact with almost every lead he talks to, and he provides a specific, detailed analysis of the economics of unbundling. He makes a very strong case to attorneys that by offering unbundled options they can provide valuable services to lower income families and still make a ton of money in the process.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The strategies Andrew has implemented that allow him to make contact with almost every lead he receives
• How he handles the initial phone consultation that enables him to meet with 6 to 7 out of every 10 leads in his office
• How to respond to clients when they say they don’t have a lot of money
• How to represent clients on a “pay-as-you-go” basis, one step at a time
• The importance of never pre-judging a lead, even if it states they have little or no money
• How Andrew earns an effective hourly rate of $400 to $500 per hour with his unbundled options
• An analysis of the three types of engagement letters he uses based on the types of unbundled or full representation options he is providing
• How he helps keep clients that are on payment plans organized and paying on time
• The best practices for offering payment plans, including how to evaluate the client’s ability to pay and scheduling payments, meetings and services accordingly
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 22: Chronicling the Journey From a New Solo Practice to a Small Law Firm: Limited Appearances, Hiring Contract Lawyers, and Scaling Up a Practice

After many years working as a prosecuting attorney and then as a contract lawyer for a firm on the east coast, David Gross decided to start his own practice out of Vancouver, WA, in March of 2015. In this episode David chronicles his firm’s growth from solo practitioner and “wearing all the hats,” to the small firm he has now, along with the many challenges he has overcome along the way. He shares valuable insights on the best practices for offering limited appearances, including what pitfalls to avoid. He also gives some very practical advice on how to hire contract lawyers and scale from solo practitioner to a small law firm.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The unbundled document services David offers and how he explains these services to his clients
• The benefits and pricing considerations involved in offering limited appearances, as well as common pitfalls to avoid
• How to provide a limited appearance in court on paperwork that you didn’t prepare
• The value of preparing a fresh written declaration when clients have already prepared and filed their own
• How to coach pro se litigants on how to represent themselves in court
• How to leverage legal technology and software to streamline many tasks in your practice
• The value of hiring an assistant to help with administrative tasks and document preparation
• How to source and hire excellent contract lawyers, and the valuable lessons David learned from mistakes he made along the way
• The most important metrics to measure and keep track of in your practice, and how they can inform your decisions
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 21: Building Blocks for Great Relationships with Clients, Mobile-Lawyering, and Strategies to Convert Estate Leads

Bill Fix didn’t become a lawyer straight out of college. Instead, he worked in sales and as an investment advisor before enrolling in law school. These experiences taught him valuable lessons that later influenced how he manages his practice. Today, Bill shares many of these valuable lessons, including how to relate well and communicate effectively with clients. We discuss mobile lawyering, how to build a law practice from home, and strategies he has developed to call and convert estate leads effectively.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The valuable lessons Bill learned from knocking on 100 doors a day, selling books door to door for two summers
• Strategies for cultivating a strong mindset that can empower you to overcome challenges
• The core principles of relating well to your clients, including the “community minded” approach to building relationships
• How Bill was able to build a brand new law practice working from home with a newborn child
• The strategies and technology of mobile lawyering including e-fax, virtual and mobile offices, and house calls
• Lessons Bill learned from working as an investment advisor at Edward Jones, and how he applies those lessons when working with estate and probate clients.
• The process Bill follows to call and convert estate leads into paying clients
• The importance of cultivating relationships with other professionals including financial planners and insurance agents, especially for estate lawyers
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 20: Lessons from 50 years of Practicing Law: Empathetic Listening, Limited Scope, and the Disrupted Legal Market

Richard A. Shannon is an exceptional attorney with over 50 years of experience. After studying liberal arts and graduating from UT School of Law, he served as an Assistant Attorney General of Texas and Special Counsel to the Commissioner of Insurance, before starting his private practice in family law over 20 years ago. Today Richard joins us on the show to share his broad perspective on the changes that have occurred in the legal marketplace during the past 10-20 years. He explains ways that attorneys may need to adapt in order to continue to succeed. He also discusses practical strategies to improve how you serve your clients, including empathetic listening, limited scope representation, and the true meaning behind being a “counselor” at law.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between empathy and sympathy, and how expressing empathy and compassion can alleviate suffering
• Richard’s interpretation of the meaning of Warren Burger’s quote, “Our profession is about healing human conflict”
• Why good lawyering not only involves knowing the law, but also understanding how human relationships work and how to stay in touch with your own motivational drivers
• Why Richard typically spends 20-30 minutes on each phone consultation, and how he uses this process to “qualify” each client before he meets with them
• How the shrinking middle class has become a major disruptor in the legal industry, and why Richard feels offering limited scope options plays a critical role in adapting to these changes
• The costs of the adversarial court system, and how the non-profit that Richard has founded is beginning to explore some fundamental changes that could mitigate some of these costs.
• The cost and return on investment from internet leads and how this compares to traditional forms of advertising
• The different types of limited scope options he offers his clients, and how he evaluates his clients’ competency and determines what they can afford
• And much more...

Resources Mentioned:

• Limited Scope Legal Services: Unbundling and the Self-Help Client by Stephanie Kimbro
• Enlightened Family Justice Institute

Be sure to visit our website and register for our newly created free webinar class - How to Build a Thriving Practice Using Internet Leads and Unbundled Legal Services. This webinar condenses many of the strategies our provider attorneys have shared on the show into a concise list of fundamentals that we cover in less than an hour.

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 19: Starting a Solo Practice in Your Forties: Embracing Tech, Leveraging an Assistant, and Flexible Payment Plans

Kathy Orr has been practicing family law for over 15 years, and what makes her stand out from our other guests is that she took up the practice of law in her forties. After graduating magna cum laude, besting her younger classmates, she decided to start a solo practice right out of law school. Today, Kathy joins us and gives some practical tips for new lawyers. She also highlights the importance of having an assistant, and explains how her payment plans have helped increase monthly cash flow and serve more clients.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The importance of keeping your overhead low when first starting a new practice
• How hiring an assistant can help increase your caseload, streamline your work flows, and keep you focused on high priority tasks
• How to find the balance between calling new leads and working on active cases
• How delivering flat rate unbundled document services helps you to earn an effective hourly rate of $400 per hour or more
• How leveraging document automation software can significantly lower the amount of time and cost to complete documents, and increase your profit margin
• The questions Kathy asks her clients to discreetly evaluate their financial resources
• The types of payment plans Kathy offers her clients, and how these options have helped her increase monthly cash flow and acquire more paying clients
• Why offering unbundled services and affordable payment plans to pro se clients supports your local court system
• And much more...

Be sure to visit our website and register for our newly created free webinar class - How to Build a Thriving Practice Using Internet Leads and Unbundled Legal Services. This webinar condenses many of the strategies our provider attorneys have shared on the show into a concise list of fundamentals that we cover in less than an hour.

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 18: Scaling Up Your Practice: How to Expand From Solo Practitioner to Small Law Firm in Under 3 Months

Rhonda Telford Naidu has been an Unbundled provider attorney out of Oklahoma City, OK for about 3 months. During this time her client base has grown from 9 active clients to 51 which has required her to hire two new attorneys. She is also working on opening new offices that will allow her firm to expand to serve the entire state of Oklahoma. Today, she and her partner/office manager, Jayshree, walk us through how they have scaled their practice so quickly. They also give us a very convincing argument for why it makes both moral and financial sense for attorneys to offer payment plans for their clients.

To read the complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The main phases for scaling a law firm, and the how to execute them in the proper order
• How Rhonda and Jayshree were able to leverage internet leads and acquire 41 new clients in only three months
• How to source, hire, and pay contract attorneys to work in your office or open satellite offices in other cities
• Some of the emotional challenges and personal barriers that come with transitioning from solo practitioner to a small firm, and how to overcome them
• The value of hiring a financial manager to communicate your fees, work out payment arrangements, and handle billing issues, so you can focus solely on serving your clients
• Why attorneys should make the “leap of faith” and start offering payment plans to their clients, and how the monthly cash flow can significantly impact the health of the business
• Why they charge a fee for clients who meet with them in their office, and the strategies used to sell their consultation and services on the initial phone call
• How to transition someone else in the firm to field the lead calls for when you are unavailable
• And much more...

To read the full transcription from this interview, or to ask a question or make a comment, click here

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com

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Episode 17: How Offering “Pay-As-You-Go” Options Can Dramatically Increase the Number of Clients You Can Profitably Serve

Barbara Rogachevsky has been an Unbundled provider attorney out of Akron, Ohio, for over two-and-a-half years now. Today Barbara shares the types of unbundled and “pay-as-you-go” options she offers that can fit into the budget of almost any client she works with. She explains how she uses the script to determine her client’s legal needs, financial budget, and how to formulate a “plan” to help them accomplish their goals. She also shares a unique “risk-free” offer for her clients to meet with her for the initial consultation that allows them to feel comfortable taking the next step; while at the same time she screens out clients that don’t value her time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Barbara uses the script to identify the client’s legal needs and financial circumstances so she can create a tailored plan to help them
• The impact of responding to leads via text messages, and some best practices on how to do so effectively
• The types of “pay-as-you-go” options she offers, and how these options have helped her serve more clients and increase her income
• The importance of having a clear fee agreement when offering unbundled and “pay-as-you-go” options, and some of the items to include
• The importance of “playing the long game” and focusing on building relationships, instead of just trying to convert the client
• Barbara’s “risk-free” initial in-office consultation, and how it has helped her increase her conversion rate, while screening out clients that could become time-wasters

And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 16: Proven Sales Strategies to Convert More Leads and Eliminate No-Shows

Tera Lee is a long-time unbundled provider attorney based in San Bernardino, CA who has applied best practices and strategies he learned from his background in sales to calling leads. Today Tera joins our show to discuss the importance of embracing sales as a critical component of building a successful law practice, and how to develop systems to consistently improve your sales process over time. He also shares many of the effective sales tactics he has developed, including how to completely eliminate “no-shows” from your practice without having to charge a fee to secure an appointment.

To read the complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to employ a secretary who will respond to leads in real time when you are not available, and not lose prospective clients in the process
• How Tera’s strategy allows him to completely eliminate “no-shows” from his appointment schedule, without requiring clients to pay upfront fees to secure an appointment
• His four step approach for the initial phone consultation with your leads
• How to overcome some of the top objections you can get from a phone consultation; such as “I need to think about it,” or “I need to talk to my wife/husband/3rd party”
• How to adapt your consultation when clients are reluctant or unable to travel to your office, such as using facetime, skype, or video conferencing alternatives
• The benefits of offering a flat rate retainer for certain types of cases or tasks
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 15: Streamlining Your Enrollment Process: Electronic Payments, Online Client Intake, and Creative Unbundling

Obreziah Bullard is an unbundled provider attorney out of Atlanta, GA that converts about 75% of the leads she receives into paying clients. That’s an impressive conversion rate, but even more impressive is the fact that 98% of these converted leads retained her services over the phone, without ever meeting her in person. Today, she shares how she has used technology to develop a streamlined electronic enrollment process, and walks us through some very unique and creative unbundled options that have never been divulged on the show before.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The step-by-step process Obreziah uses to enroll leads over the phone, without ever meeting her in person
• The importance of taking time to build rapport with your leads on their initial call
• Why the majority of her clients elect to retain her for unbundled legal services instead of full representation
• The ROI from following up with your clients once you have delivered them your unbundled services
• The suite of unbundled service options she offers, including a couple new options you may not have considered before, with price points for each
• How to increase your “effective hourly rate” to as high as $500 per hour by streamlining your unbundled services and charging a flat rate
• How being a “mobile attorney” has impacted her firm’s success and benefited her clients
• And much more...

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show and leave us a review. We love hearing from our listeners and look forward to reading your feedback!

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 14: Building a Law Practice from Home: Virtual Offices, Legal Tech, and Enrolling Clients Over the Phone

Zoe Garvin joins our show today and shares her journey from college graduate to opening her own solo practice, including resources that helped her make the transition. She has also been able to generate over $10,000 in revenue from Unbundled leads in her first two weeks. Her success is even more remarkable because one-third of her Unbundled clients enrolled over the phone, without ever meeting her in person, and she shares the exact process she follows to accomplish this.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Zoe decided to go directly into solo practice shortly after graduating law school
• The resources she used to help the transition into a new solo practice
• How Zoe uses virtual offices to help expand her practice’s footprint into a wider geographic area while avoiding higher overhead costs
• The exact process Zoe used to generate over $10k in revenue from her leads in the first two weeks
• How she converted more than ⅓ of her leads over the phone without first meeting the clients in person
• Details of the payment processing platform she uses as well as other technology tools that are important for managing her practice

Resources Mentioned:

Legal Talk Network

San Francisco Bar Association

Law Pay

Zola Suite

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive new episodes as they are published.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 13: The Modern Solo Practice: How to Leverage Internet Leads to Ramp Up a New Law Firm

Immigration and Family Law Attorney, Austin Andenmatten, sole practitioner at the Law Offices of Austin Andenmatten, joins our show today and shares his success story after opening his practice just a couple years ago. Austin became certified as a Bar Advocate in 2014, graduating with honors from Suffolk University School of Law. After graduating law school, Austin served as a public defender prior to expanding his practice area and today he serves clients throughout the commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has achieved significant success and impressive conversion rates since he began using Unbundled leads to grow his practice. Today, Austin shares the methods he uses for converting those leads into paying clients and the marketing strategy he employs to great effect by using Unbundled Attorney leads.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The changes Austin made to generate a positive impact on his lead conversion ratio
• Why he decided to stop charging clients for consultations
• The strategy behind his decision to not to talk about service rates and fees over the phone with clients
• How he structures fee schedules
• How he decides whether to offer an unbundled service or a full representation service
• Why offering unbundled services for contested matters can lead to a significantly higher conversion rate
• How working with immigration law leads differs from family law leads in his practice
• How he handles language barriers that are often present in immigration law cases
• The technology products and software programs he uses and recommends

Resources Mentioned:

Clio

Law Pay

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive new episodes as they are published.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 12: Expanding Your Reach on Social Media: Facebook, Live Streaming, and the Future of Legal Tech

In this episode we interview provider attorney, Jacob Sapochnick, who shares how he built a huge following on social media, including over 130,000 fans on his Facebook page. He describes how leveraging legal tech platforms and cloud computing helped automate and streamline his practice. Jacob shares valuable insights on why it is critically important for firms to leverage legal technology in order to stay competitive.

You’ll Learn:

• The strategies Jacob successfully used to build a massive following on Facebook, and how he employed social media to grow his business
• How cloud computing and practice management software helped automate and streamline important aspects of his practice
• Jacob’s insight into the future of legal technology, and why he believes firms must embrace technology in order to stay ahead of the competition over the next 3-5 years
• How he leveraged YouTube and live streaming to 10X the reach of his online content
• How a podcast can help generate leads and build brand awareness
• And much more

If you are enjoying this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive each new episode as it is published.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 11: Mastering the Consultation: The Sales Strategy that Generated $250k from Unbundled Leads in a Single Year

In this episode we interview provider attorney, Matthew Beach, who built a thriving practice and generated over $250k in revenue last year from the Unbundled Attorney leads he received alone. Matt shares details of the process he uses to convert 50% of his leads into paying clients. Matt has an impressive strategy that completely eliminates no show appointments, and he explains how to leverage valuable time through the use of contracted attorneys.

You’ll Learn:

• How Matt generated $250k in his first year from unbundled leads alone; this year he is doing the same amount of income and not having to litigate any cases himself
• Matt’s method via a walk-through and then live role-playing with the exact words Matt uses on initial calls to Unbundled leads and how he is able to convert 50% of those leads into paying clients
• How his simple strategy completely eliminates "no show" appointments from your practice
• The benefits from clearly explaining the distinction between a free consultation and a "client intake and strategy session,” and how to share that difference in value with your leads
• How to leverage your time through the use of contracted attorneys
• Best practices for creating limited scope retainer agreements
• And much more

If you are enjoying this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive each new episode as it is published.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 10: From Brand New Practice to Tens of Thousands in Monthly Revenue in Six Months

In this episode we interview provider attorney, Ardy Pirnia. Fueled by a high volume of Unbundled leads, Ardy has grown his solo practitioner law firm into a successful practice with 3 paralegals, 3 employees and tens of thousands in monthly revenue in six months. Ardy shares how he achieved his success through the use of internet leads, and explains the core strategies that have laid the foundation for the extraordinarily rapid growth of his firm.

You’ll Learn:

• How Ardy converts 1 out of every 4 of his leads into paying clients
• Why he uses a strategy that involves speaking to every lead himself
• How low barrier starting fees of $500-$1000 has contributed to his success
• Ardy’s insights into the long term value of quality internet leads that many attorneys overlook
• How to capture and master the art of selling yourself and your firm’s unique value to prospective clients
• Why Ardy chose flat rate billing instead of traditional retainers with billable hours
• Important strategic distinctions in managing family law or immigration leads
• How to leverage the support of your paralegals to increase margins and bolster sales from immigration leads
• And much more

If you are enjoying this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive each new episode as it is published.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 9: Exploring the Practical Benefits of Flat Rate Billing

In this episode we interview provider attorney, Deborah Roffman, who provides her clients flat rate quotes for selected legal services in her practice. We discuss the reasons why she introduced flat rate price options and how it has changed her practice. Deborah explains why it works for the benefit of her clients, and shares tips and strategies for when and how to offer flat rates.

You’ll Learn:

• Tips on how to transition into a new area of the law and provide legal services in a new jurisdiction
• How transitioning to a flat rate fee structure can significantly improve your lead conversion rate
• How a flat rate fee structure increases your effective hourly rate when you can properly leverage the contributions of support staff
• New technology and software that improves the efficiency of your overall practice
• The pros and cons of offering payment plans, and uncover important lessons learned
• Best practices for increasing the amount of leads you are able to contact
• And much more

If you are enjoying this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive each new episode as it is published.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 8: Bringing a Holistic Approach to the Practice of Law

In this episode we interview Michele Bernard, who is an Unbundled Attorney in Orlando, FL. She shows you how to bring a holistic philosophy into our practice as attorneys. Michele explains how this unique approach impacts the way she serves her client relationships. We also discuss the impact empowering attorneys nationwide to offer alternative resolution strategies and unbundled legal services can have on our communities and children.

You’ll Learn:

• What being a holistic attorney means and how it benefits your practice
• How to strike the right balance between cooperation and litigation in alternative dispute resolution cases
• How proactively communicating empathy and compassion has a tremendously positive impact on how you interact with clients
• How to plan for and respond to clients that request help after business hours
• How a shift in the legal services marketplace has created new business opportunities to serve the “working poor” client base
• How discounting your rates can increase revenues, and reduce the amount of collections work needed at the end of a case
• A unique discussion of the mission and purpose of Unbundled Attorney, and the collective impact thousands of lawyers offering unbundled legal services and alternative dispute resolution strategies can have on our communities and children
• And much more

If you are enjoying this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive each new episode as it is published.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 7: Expert Tips: Lessons and Strategies Learned By Fielding Over 1000 Leads

In this episode we interview Robert Manson, who is an Unbundled Attorney in Minneapolis, MN. Robert has received over a thousand leads and expanded his practice throughout the state of Minnesota. He shares the strategies and best practices which have enabled him to serve a high volume of clients, many of whom are 2 hours or further from his office.

You’ll Learn:

• How to provide cost-saving unbundled options for your clients when courts favor mediation and early dispute resolution
• How to leverage the “wow factor” that comes from calling leads in real-time, exceed their expectations, and land more cases
• How going the extra mile to serve clients on their first call, (even if they have zero financial resources) is not only the right thing to do, but also pays big dividends long term
• The importance of viewing each lead as it comes in and doing an instant evaluation of the urgency for each case, even during after-hours
• How to serve clients that are not close-by to your office, work with them virtually, and how to efficiently manage your travel time
• How to expand your practice by establishing relationships with attorneys in other cities
• The value of having billing and case management systems in place early, even before you need them
• And much more

If you are enjoying this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive each new episode as it is published.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 6: How to Expand Your Practice Statewide, Serve More Clients, and Cultivate Referrals

In this episode we interview provider attorney, Marsha Stiles.

She has built a thriving practice that serves the three corners of Missouri. Marsha takes us through the process she has used to expand her practice throughout the state. We discuss creative ways she has developed to expand referrals and serve more clients, including offering unbundled legal services, in-home appointments, and other “outside the box” strategies.

You’ll Learn:

• How to leverage lead generation to open thriving “satellite” offices in other regions
• Strategies for training staff to call your leads when you are unavailable, without losing clients in the process
• The value of creating multiple service options including unbundled legal services, and sharing them starting from the lowest cost option to the highest
• How to cultivate referrals and serve more clients with “in-home” appointments
• Benefits of building your legal “brand” rather than just a law practice under your own name
• How genuinely caring about clients is your greatest “sales” strategy
• And much more

If you are enjoying this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive each new episode as it becomes available.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 4: How to Build a Thriving Practice Using Internet Leads and Unbundled Legal Services

In this episode we interview provider attorney Michael Greenstein.

Michael walks us through the process he has developed using internet leads to help build his practice. He also reveals the secrets to the success he has had with unbundled legal services over many years including specifics on how to deliver these options to clients.

You’ll Learn:

• The step by step process for calling leads and converting them into paying clients
• The importance of getting positive reviews from your clients, and how to leverage them
• How offering unbundled legal services helps convert more clients, and attract more referrals
• How having more clients paying for less hours helps to reduce risk and increase your cash flow
• An easy way to explain the value of unbundled legal services to your clients
• Examples of unbundled legal service options, and typical price points for each
• How to ethically limit the scope of your involvement in a case, and set proper expectations for your clients
• Building reliable systems that support a growing practice with new staff members and associates
• And much more

If you are enjoying this podcast be sure to subscribe to receive each new episode as it becomes available.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 4: The Turnaround Episode: How One Shift in Approach Can Dramatically Transform Your Results

In this episode we interview provider attorney, Sou Bounlutay.

Sou achieved a remarkable turnaround in results after making an important shift in understanding her role as an attorney and service provider for her clients.

You’ll Learn:

• How adopting a service-minded, client-centered approach significantly improves the quality of your client interactions
• How to respond to clients that ask you to answer legal questions on their first call
• The three things every client must understand in their initial call in order to be comfortable booking an appointment with you
• How to charge a fee for an in-person consultation without losing clients in the process
• Unbundled and pay-as-you-go payment options that tailor your services to your client’s budget
• Tips and strategies for working with immigration clients, and how that process differs from family law
• And much more

If you are enjoying this podcast, be sure to subscribe and receive each new episode as it becomes available.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 3: Immigration vs. Family Law Leads: Key Strategies for Converting Both

In this episode we interview Marcus Torigian. who is an Unbundled Attorney in Fresno, CA.

Marcus identifies the most important differences between immigration and family law, and he explains differences in strategy and process he uses to effectively service each type of lead.

You'll Learn:

• The specifics of “3 Tiers” of service Marcus offers to family law clients, including price points and service options for each tier
• How to train your staff to make the initial call to leads if you are not available, and not lose any clients in the process
• Why unbundled legal services is such an important solution to offer in our current market, especially for servicing internet generated leads
• How to change your communication style depending on whether the client is the petitioner or the respondent
• The primary differences between fielding a family law lead versus an immigration law lead, and the specific process for both
• How to work with immigration clients that speak different languages
• And much more

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe to receive each new episode as it becomes available.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney and how our Lead Generation services can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode 2: How Attorney Les Sandoval Converts 50% of His Leads

In this episode we interview Les Sandoval who was an Unbundled Attorney in Albuquerque, NM.

Les explains how he consistently converts 50% of his leads as a sole practitioner by offering service options tailored to the needs of his clients.

You'll Learn:

• How to educate the clients on the value of being able to work with a sole practitioner or small firm
• Why you as the attorney should make the initial contact with each lead
• The types of unbundled legal services and flexible retainer options you can use to tailor services to the financial needs of your clients
• Tips and best practices Les has learned from fielding literally hundreds of leads over the past couple years, and consistently converting half of them into paying clients

If you enjoy this podcast be sure to subscribe and receive new episodes as they become available.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney, and how our Lead Generation services can help grow your practice, visit: https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast

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Episode #1: Fundamentals of Fielding Leads and Offering Flexible Payment Options

In this episode we interview Brad Latta, who is an Unbundled Attorney in Birmingham, AL.

Learn from one of our long term veteran attorneys, as we explore the best practices for contacting leads, setting appointments, and types of flexible payment options you can offer to make it easier for clients to purchase your services.

You'll Learn:

• How quickly you should contact new leads
• The importance of meeting with your leads in person
• Brad's exact process for calling leads, setting appointments, and the strategies he uses that make him one of the strongest converting attorneys in our network
• The types of unbundled legal services, and flexible payment options he offers his clients
• And much more...

If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to subscribe to receive each new episode as soon as it becomes available.

For more information about Unbundled Attorney, and how our Lead Generation services can help you grow your practice, visit:

https://www.unbundledattorney.com?t=podcast