This week we welcome back Elizabeth Dambriunas, the Associate Director of Alumni Advising at the Office of Career Planning at New York Law School. Elizabeth talks to Oscar and Scott about the following topics; - the changes in the job market for new law school graduates - the best steps that a law student, who has a specific career path in mind, should take while in law school to help their chances of practicing in that area. - actions that could be taken by an attorney who would like to move pr...
May 03, 2016•22 min
Maybe you are “in-between” jobs right now. Maybe you graduate law school and can’t find work. Maybe you are stuck in a dead-end job and not practicing the kind of law you would like to practice. Well, maybe you can do something about it besides just sending out resumes and cover letters. This episode looks at ways you can make the most of this “down time” you may be experiencing. The hosts suggest a variety of ways that you can enhance the possibility of you getting that job you want or practici...
Apr 26, 2016•23 min
We’ve talked about what happens when your solo practice starts to grow and you need to add your first associate. In this podcast, the hosts talk about managing the delegation of work. The first step is in analyzing the work you need to be done and how to best handle its distribution. Then you need to get organized to make sure the work you distribute is done on time and in the manner you want it done. A good calendaring program and organization system is critical. When it comes to legal matters,...
Apr 19, 2016•27 min
Podcast Host Scott shared his experience from a yoga retreat that he went on with his wife this past weekend. He was struck by the genuineness and authenticity of the instructors and how applicable it was to the practice of law. The hosts reflect on how their earlier episodes focused on work-life balance and the need to find time to contemplate your attitude and your law practice. One’s attitude totally affects how one views their work. Scott said the main theme of the weekend that he took away ...
Apr 12, 2016•19 min
Since the early days of TV, there have been many lawyer-themed shows. From “Perry Mason” to “L.A. Law” to “Boston Legal” to today’s “Grinder.” But rarely has a show focused on a character like Saul Goodman in AMC’s “Better Call Saul” a spinoff of “Breaking Bad.” In it, Bob Odenkirk plays a small time criminal defense solo practitioner who goes into and then out of Big Law while trying to get his own practice going. In this podcast, Scott and Oscar talk about many of the issues the show raises ab...
Apr 05, 2016•26 min
Scott and Oscar discuss the future of legal education as we see the advent of online law schools. The discussion revolves around an article calling for more online law schools to address the imbalance between the debt caused by law schools and the reality of the job market. The hosts also discuss lawsuits brought against law schools by law students who can’t get jobs and blame the inflated job placement numbers posted by law schools that entice them to enroll. The show then focuses on how the im...
Mar 29, 2016•24 min
If you have been practicing law for a few years, chances are you have gotten emails or mailers encouraging you to become a member of a number of sites that will promote your name and give you leads for legal work. The two biggest purveyors of this pre-packaged marketing are FindLaw and Avvo but there are a myriad of others. The hosts discuss their personal experiences with some of these companies and the benefits and downsides of joining them. Scott and Oscar all discuss companies that - for a s...
Mar 22, 2016•27 min
Scott and Oscar continue their discussion with Sage Presence founders Peter Machalek and Dean Hyers by delving into presentations. Presentations are a vital way to meet potential clients and referral partners. The guys at Sage suggest a number of ways to make yourself comfortable to do these: First of all, pick a topic that you are very knowledgable about and in which you can develop valuable information to provide to your audience. Then try to populate the session with people who know you and f...
Mar 15, 2016•21 min
This week Oscar and Scott talk to Dean Hyers and Pete Machalek from Sage Presence. Sage Presence coaches professional service firms on how to market themselves by focusing on their message and their communication skills. They discuss a wide range of topics including; - having to move away from the stereotyped version of a “salesman” - how being in introvert can be an advantage when networking, - the potential benefits of giving the “right” value - building your business on giving presentations Y...
Mar 08, 2016•23 min
Scott and Oscar continue their chat with Tom Bolt of the ABA’s Law Practice Division. The focus turns to specific thing that law students, new lawyers and lawyers in transition can do to help develop a practice in this new economy. The hosts discuss with Tom the role technology plays to both support and place stress upon new, developing practices. Tom’s position offers him unique insight into what is happening in the legal marketplace across the country. He concludes the discussion talking about...
Mar 01, 2016•19 min
This week Oscar and Scott speak to Tom Bolt, the Chair of the Law Practice Division of the American Bar Association. Tom discusses the the mission of his committee and how they can be helpful to attorneys in the four core areas of marketing, management, technology and finance. We touch upon the “uberization" of law and how to have a client centered practice. We also discuss the issues surrounding the recently passed resolution 105 by the ABA which is meant to guide states in their regulation of ...
Feb 23, 2016•22 min
Scott and Oscar have long advised listeners that law firms and solo lawyers can learn a lot about business development by listening to experts outside the legal field. In this episode they discuss The Achievement Habit by Bernard Roth. The author talks about the need for people to go after what they want and realize that they are in control of their own lives and businesses. The book admonishes its readers to “Stop Wishing, Start Doing and Take Command of Your Life.” The hosts talk about how to ...
Feb 16, 2016•22 min
This week Oscar and Scott talk about two different aspects of “Access to Justice”. First, they discuss Access to Justice in Law Schools. While giving law students much needed real life legal experience, the hosts wonder if serving this population will actually allow a student to make a living after graduation. They also discuss a Law Firm that is marketing to this underserved population by offering free documents and information on their site and a unique pricing plan for clients. The hosts disc...
Feb 09, 2016•26 min
The key to a successful networking opportunity is being able to create a conversation that holds the interest of the others at the event. Scott and Oscar relate stories they were recently involved in around meeting lawyers and law students at events that offered great opportunities to make connections and maybe even develop some business. They offer suggestions and some “do’s and don’ts,” to help guide the listener through these opportunities. Step 1 is to be engaged – listen to what the other p...
Feb 02, 2016•18 min
A Facebook legal marketing ad sparks a conversation about why you cannot abdicate the responsibility for your law firm marketing. Many legal marketers will try to tell you that some lawyers are simply just not meant to be entrepreneurs and therefore they must rely on professional marketers to build their practices. The podcast hosts discuss that it can sound very enticing to not have to worry about this aspect of your business and let someone else worry about driving business to your practice. B...
Jan 26, 2016•21 min
Scott and Oscar discuss how a solo or small firm practitioner has an obligation to protect the practice’s electronically stored information and digital media – including the firm’s website material and of course client data. The hosts discuss examples of how the both have dealt with cyber-attacks; hacks; and “ransomware” that have hit their practices in recent months. It’s important in today’s digital world to make sure that you stay current on the current risks that exist and the software and k...
Jan 19, 2016•24 min
Time management is the biggest issue for solo or small practice lawyers. We have to be lawyers, mangers, paralegals, accountants, marketing experts, all at the same time. The podcast host talk about using the new “gig’ or “share” economy to help take some of the load off of you so that you can spend more time on job #1 – developing and growing your practice. In today’s economy more people are looking for this type of work and there are plenty of sites where lawyers can find the extra help they n...
Jan 12, 2016•21 min
The podcast hosts discuss how using presentations to groups have helped develop their practice. For those lawyers who try cases, speaking in front of groups may be second nature but trying a case and talking to a group about the law are very different things. You need to have a different mindset – come at it from a point of not just delivering information but for development of business. The hosts talk about how to get opportunities to appear before various trade and legal groups as well as publ...
Jan 05, 2016•20 min
This episode focuses attention on a topic the hosts have talked about before – developing a client-centered practice. By recalling things that have happened in their practices, Oscar and Scott discuss steps they have implemented to make sure they are always mindful of their clients’ needs and expectations. As lawyers, it can be easy to fall into the habit of believing that you know best how to handle the attorney-client relationship. But the hosts remind listeners that from the outset, it is the...
Dec 22, 2015•20 min
The use of Social Media can be a great asset to your practice but you need to be aware of the pitfalls. This week join Oscar and Scott as they talk about how negative online client comments can affect your practice. They discuss how to combat negative or untrue comments. It some situations engaging the opposing party may be recommended, in some situations, creating new content will be what is needed. The hosts have previously (and will continue) to discuss having a more client centered practice ...
Dec 15, 2015•22 min
The podcast hosts were both influenced in their businesses by Seth Godin’s book Tribes: We Need You to Lead. In his book and in Ted talks on the subject Seth Godin discusses that a tribe is “any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea.” This podcast talks about how Seth’s ideas can be applied to building your law practice by thinking of yourself as the leader of a tribe that will follow you by writing and talking about certain topics from a consis...
Dec 08, 2015•23 min
Development of a niche practice has been a key focus of Reboot your Law Practice since its inception. Podcast host Scott Limmer talks about his attempts to develop a practice in Cannabis Law. At a recent trip to a Cannabis Convention in Las Vegas, Scott realized it was time to pull the plug on trying to start that niche area and move on to something else and devote more time to his current practice areas. The hosts talk about what Scott learned in the process and why it’s important to know when ...
Dec 01, 2015•22 min
This week Oscar and Scott discuss how to decide how much to put into your marketing budget. While industry surveys report that law firms average between 1.5-3% of gross revenue for marketing, Oscar and Scott discus how the numbers can be deceptive. Firstly, the surveys usually involve big law firms so the numbers will not be applicable to solo or small firm practitioners. Before deciding how much to spend, you have to decide who your target audience is and where can you reach them. Spending mone...
Nov 24, 2015•22 min
Oscar & Scott talk about the importance of remaining authentic to yourself and your practice in all of your social media outlets. Starting with your website, don’t pretend to be something you’re not or make promises you can’t keep. Your site is usually the first thing that will pop up when prospective clients search your name on the Internet. The hosts talk about some issues they discovered in lawyers’ websites and online communications that must be avoided at all costs. Examples include using a...
Nov 17, 2015•24 min
This week we talk about tried and true big business ideas that you can use for your solo or small practice. Scott read a few business books and he and Oscar talk about how to apply the methods he learned about to your practice. They discuss the following books The E Myth by Michael Gerber http://www.amazon.com/The-E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses/dp/0887307280 The E-Myth discusses the differing, oftentimes conflicting, roles of a business owner as he must take on the duties of the entrepreneur,...
Nov 10, 2015•24 min
In this episode the podcast hosts talk about developing and transitioning into a new practice area. Scott has Oscar take listeners through how he made a transition into a new practice area when his main practice field –criminal defense - began to decrease. Oscar explains why the need arose and how he adapted and developed as he transitioned. The podcast hosts apply lessons learned from this experience into tools listeners can use and apply to their own practices....
Nov 03, 2015•25 min
Podcast Host Scott Limmer recently attended Above the Law’s Academy of Private Practice Conference and reports on some valuable insight and information he obtained at the conference. First and foremost, Scott mentions that lawyers have to get comfortable with the current and coming tech boom affecting lawyers and their practice. This has been a running theme on the show and the ATL APP conference just further solidified the need for practitioners to get up to speed – not just with tech for the o...
Oct 27, 2015•22 min
The hosts continue talking about Getting Lean by discussing how Lean Law relates to your client management and development. Ken Grady, Lean Law Evangelist at SeyfarthShaw, discusses different pricing models for legal services and the price sensitivity that is creeping into the legal profession. Part of the way that we can provide quality of service at a lower fee is by getting Lean in our practice so that what used to take you 2 hours now takes you 30 minutes. That allows you to: • Use the extra...
Oct 20, 2015•19 min
This week Reboot Your Law Practice hosts Ken Grady – “The Lean Law Evangelist” in the first of two part episode discussing how you make your practice “lean” so that it can withstand economic downturns and be less of a monetary roller coaster. Ken is in charge of the Lean Law Practice at Seyfarth Shaw which helps the national, multi-faceted practice assist its clients in making their businesses leaner. Ken’s prior experience helped form his Lean Law Practice in that after being a partner in a Big...
Oct 13, 2015•20 min
This week Oscar and Scott discuss how solo and small practices can decide on when its time to bring on a new associate. Hiring another lawyer is a big commitment and not just because of the additional salary. It means you have to evaluate your space, your malpractice coverage and your time. There are some steps you can take before hiring a lawyer to make sure you are ready: - Will a non-lawyer addition help? Can you start by just adding a part-time paralegal or secretary to help with some of the...
Oct 06, 2015•21 min
