Scheduling software programs help you keep your appointments organized, but they can do so much more for your practice. From helping you set up networking meetings, to booking client calls, collecting payments for consultations, and requesting Google reviews, online scheduling software like Acuity can be a powerful tool for lawyers. In this episode, I’m joined by Jess Birken, a non-profit attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jess loves all things tech and all things Acuity. She shares her top tip...
May 15, 2018•27 min•Ep. 14
In this episode, I get a little bit more personal and share my candid thoughts about why the legal profession is ripe for legal ethics reform, and more importantly, why that’s not a scary proposition. There are many forward-thinking legal practitioners and legal tech experts who are in favor of a large scale reform of the ethics rules but naturally, there are many others who are against any such changes. Despite the consensus among the former that change is needed, there is still some contention...
May 08, 2018•24 min•Ep. 13
The better your law practice is managed, the less likely you are to fall short on even basic ethics duties like competence, diligence, and communication. That’s why audits of your law firm technology, marketing, and practice management are so important. In this episode, I’m joined by Jared Correia, Founder and CEO of Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, which offers subscription-based law firm business management consulting and technology services for solo and small law firms. What We Discuss in This E...
May 01, 2018•52 min•Ep. 12
What are some proper billing practices that can help reduce the potential for bar complaints against you? In this episode, I share several best practices when it comes to billing clients for work performed. What I Cover In this Episode: Make sure what’s reflected in your retainer agreement is also reflected in your billing practices Bill early and bill often Why you should describe the work you’re performing even if you’re billing on a flat fee basis instead of hourly Reconcile your trust accoun...
Apr 24, 2018•15 min•Ep. 11
Technology is pulling lawyers and law practices into the modern age but how can you, as a lawyer and business owner, use technology to improve you practice management while remaining compliant with the ethics rules? Along with using technology, how can you apply project management concepts to improve your business? I’m joined by John Grant, Founder of the Agile Attorney network. John works with lawyers and legal teams, acting as an outside COO to help them uncover new ways of practicing law. Wha...
Apr 17, 2018•57 min•Ep. 10
Lawyers are catching on to the importance and value of integrating law bots into their practice, whether as chat bots on their websites or as client engagement and management tools. Founder and CEO of LawDroid, Tom Martin, joins us to discuss how bots can help automate and simplify internal law firm functions like research and external functions like client management. LawDroid is a bot automation company with a mission to promote justice everywhere and dedicated to bringing the legal industry i...
Apr 10, 2018•34 min•Ep. 9
Send any ethics questions that you’d like me to address in a future episode. Reach me at megan@zaviehlaw.com or Tweet me @zaviehlaw Lawyers no longer have to fear ethics constraints when crafting a law practice that truly reflects their lifestyle desires and needs. It’s possible to build a practice that provides flexibility and fulfillment while allowing lawyers to provide legal services in the way that they choose. I’m joined by Melissa Hall of Smol Law, a primary legal care practice in Seattle...
Apr 03, 2018•44 min•Ep. 8
What should your social media profile(s) include? Are you compliant with the ethical rules when you build out your social media profiles? In this episode, I discuss what you should consider including in your profiles in order to remain compliant. What I Cover in This Episode: When is your social media profile considered attorney advertising and when is it not? What must you include in your profile if we are to treat it like attorney advertising? On Facebook specifically, what’s the important and...
Mar 27, 2018•15 min•Ep. 7
Interest in mindfulness and meditation is on the rise in the legal profession and for good reason! There are numerous benefits to incorporating mindfulness into your law practice and legal career, the most relevant to us being that it helps lawyers do their jobs better (which means fewer potential ethics complaints). I’m joined by lawyer, author, and mindfulness instructor Jeena Cho who shares her insight on the connection between mindfulness, wellness, and building more sustainable law practice...
Mar 20, 2018•28 min•Ep. 6
The moral character application might seem like it’s only something law students need to worry about but if you’re a lawyer who’s looking to be admitted in other jurisdictions, then you’ll certainly want to pay attention. This is especially true if you happen to have a few blemishes in your past that you need to disclose in your application. In this episode, I offer my tips on how to approach filling out the moral character application that isn't squeaky clean. What I Cover in This Episode: Shou...
Mar 13, 2018•24 min•Ep. 5
The legal profession is evolving and yet, so many of the ethics rules can’t seem to keep up. They are simply outdated and need a 21st century facelift. I’m joined by Eric Cooperstein, an ethics consultant and practitioner in Minneapolis, and we explore the relevance of several of the ABA Model Rules. We also offer our own insight on how these rules can be updated to reflect the realities of the legal profession today. What We Discuss in This Episode: Why the rules need to be updated in order to ...
Mar 06, 2018•38 min•Ep. 4
What does kindness have to do with ethics complaints? Well, possibly a lot! I believe that if more lawyers practiced kindness towards their clients and even towards opposing counsel, even when it is difficult to do so, there would be fewer ethics complaints filed against them. That's exactly what I discuss in this episode. What I Discuss In This Episode: What does it mean to be kind? Who do we need to be kind to and why? What should lawyers do to insure their clients are happy? What role does ki...
Feb 27, 2018•20 min•Ep. 3
Show Notes Is that contact form on your website compliant with the ethical rules? How should you handle negative online reviews by clients? The ethics rules can be complicated and often times, lawyers just don’t know that they’re violating them. In this episode, I’m joined by Atlanta criminal defense attorney and legal ethics enthusiast, Erin Gerstenzang. We are talking about five specific areas that can be danger zones for solos and small firms when it comes to the ethics rules. What We Discuss...
Feb 27, 2018•54 min•Ep. 2
In my first episode, I start off with a short introduction of who I am. I am an ethics attorney practicing primarily in California, and in short, I save lawyers' careers. I also wanted to make my first episode useful and practical for you so I’m tackling a critical topic that I deal with frequently and that is: what should you do if you receive a bar complaint? What You’ll Learn In This Episode: Why the first thing to do when you receive a bar complaint is to not panic and just read the letter s...
Feb 22, 2018•23 min•Ep. 1
