PDFs are essentially a form of “digital paper”—that is, a way to display text and graphics on a computer or mobile device. PDFs have been fully adopted by federal courts for e-filing and are increasingly being adopted by state courts as well. Although PDFs were not created specifically for the legal profession, with the adoption of PDFs as a way of producing case documents, as well as their use in e-filing, lawyers now routinely encounter PDFs as part of their daily practice. So it makes sense f...
Sep 06, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 220
The best way to learn is to watch other people who are doing what you want to do. When it comes to using technology, that's very hard to do. It would be great if you could peer into the practices of many different lawyers who have practices like yours. You can't peer into other lawyers' computers, obviously. But the next best thing is something called the Inner Circle, which I just created and am excited to tell you about. So that's what we'll be talking about today. Show Notes Working Smarter w...
Aug 30, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 219
Almost all lawyers now use social media of some variety and to some extent. LinkedIn is the one most used. LinkedIn and other social media services let you create a profile. A photo of you is the minimum, as is a short bio that's well-crafted. Every lawyer needs this. And it’s not that hard to do. If you sign up for my new Inner Circle forum, you’ll get to practice in a space where I can give you direct feedback. Show Notes My LinkedIn Profile Get my Working Smarter with Digital Technology ( my ...
Aug 23, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 218
Have you ever thought about selling your law practice? In this episode, you'll hear from a lawyer named Patrick Slaughter, who successfully sold his family law practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, for double what he thought he could get for it. Show Notes info@patrickslaughter (email to use to get in touch with Patrick if you want his help) CallRail (software to track conversions based on phone calls made to your law firm) Working Smarter with Digital Technology ( my short guide to improving your p...
Aug 16, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 217
A huge pain point for many attorneys is gathering documents from clients & others. Now, there's a better and easier way of doing this. In this episode, we discuss a new service called Pipefile , and you'll hear from Steve Recile, the developer who created it. Show Notes Click here to try Pipefile for 14 days ( no credit card required ). If you decide to continue using it, enter the promo code ' ernie30 ' when you sign up for the paid plan to get 30% off your first year's subscription. New Wa...
Aug 09, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 216
Small law firms face constant, dangerous cyber threats. Usually, it's too expensive for them to get expert guidance, but Tom Lambotte is a good friend who has been offering affordable cyber security help for solo and small firm attorneys. In this episode he shares his top 3 recommendations for protecting yourself against cyber threats, including some valuable resources he is making available for free. Show Notes Global Mac IT Bobaguard (click this link to get access to the free resources Tom men...
Aug 02, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 215
A lawyer recently asked what places are best to get the attention of prospective clients. But the question is not where to get attention. Rather it's how to get attention most effectively —i.e., in a way that makes people respect you and then trust you enough to engage you and appreciate your hard work. Show Notes How to Build Trust with Complete Strangers (my recent blog post) General Resources The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter) The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice The Inner Circ...
Jul 26, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 214
Radlyn Mendoza started an immigration law firm in 2000, focusing on the underserved Latino community in Hampton Roads, VA. She began with a clever approach to newspaper advertising that yielded fabulous results. More recently, she began experimenting with TikTok videos, and that approach also proved successful. The secret to her success in marketing her practice goes deeper than the places she sought attention. In this episode, she reveals the powerful secrets to her success. Show Notes Gardner ...
Jul 19, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 213
All of us are highly prone to getting caught in debilitating mental traps, just like South Indian Monkeys in a famous story. In this episode, we examine this insidious mental trap and learn how to avoid getting ensnared in it. Show Notes The South Indian Monkey Trap: How Our Values Compromise Our Freedom, by Kaelin Govinden (South African corporate attorney) Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values , by Robert Pirsig General Resources The 80/20 Principle (my email news...
Jul 12, 2022•13 min•Season 1Ep. 212
Performing autopsies isn't something you see lawyers doing. But if you understand the original meaning of the word "autopsy" as used by the early Greeks then you'll understand why lawyers should do this. In this episode, we delve into how you can improve your thinking and decision-making by understanding the original meaning behind this important word. Show Notes Definition of " autopsy " (Note: 'Greek' autopsia - act of seeing with one's own eyes, from aut- + opsis sight, appearance) Snopes.com...
Jul 05, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 211
Too many lawyers are too eager to self-promote. So they market in the worst possible ways (i.e. both undignified and ineffective in getting high quality clients) Let's talk about why this happens and how to market yourself the best way. Show Notes Contrived Enthusiasm (my recent blog post) Humblebrag: The Art of False Modesty (book mentioned in episode) General Resources The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter) The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice The Inner Circle (an online community f...
Jun 28, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 210
If you want people to trust you more (and, as a lawyer, you should ), then it's vital to learn the keys to creating and building trust — even with complete strangers. Show Notes Write To Build Trust with Complete Strangers (my recent blog post) Working Smarter with Digital Technology ( my short guide to improving your practice by using technology better ) General Resources The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter) The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice The Inner Circle (an online community...
Jun 21, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 109
The ABA ranks it as the 3rd best legal movie and Justice Antonin Scalia said it was his favorite lawyer movie. It's commonly used to help teach procedure and evidence in law schools. And many lawyers said it's the only Hollywood movie that gets all the procedure details perfectly correct. After 30 years of popularity and acclaim, it's.worth reflecting on how this movie came about and why it's so beloved by so many lawyers and judges. Show Notes My Cousin Vinny ( Wikipedia article ) ‘What Is a Yu...
Jun 14, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 208
The best way to set up systems for your law practice is not obvious to most attorneys. And many choose the less effective way, as opposed to the easier, more effective way. Show Notes Kaizen (Wikipedia article) It’s Time to Embrace Slow Productivity , by Cal Newport (New Yorker article) John McPhee’s Slow Productivity , by Cal Newport Podcast: Cal Newport on how ‘slow productivity’ could reduce burnout in our working lives . Check out my 2-page outline : Digital Automation ( how to use technolog...
Jun 07, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 207
If you want a high-level practice, you need high-level clients. The first step is making sure you can deliver exceptional service. John Strohmeyer joins me to talk about how to do that, which he first learned before law school when working as a manager at a Four Seasons hotel. How did that experience help him in his law practice? Listen and find out. Show Notes Strohmeyer Law website 5 Star Counsel (John's podcast about customer service lessons for lawyers) Commanding the Table (documentary abou...
May 31, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 206
Can you ethically practice New York law if you're licensed there but actually living in Louisiana? Listen and find out. Modern legal ethics is now driven by technology, so how can regulatory bodies keep up with the pace of change? Short answer: in many key areas, they can't and aren't. Show Notes Dane Ciolino's website (LA Legal Ethics) Casemap (software Dane & Ernie used and loved) Airtable (the popular cloud- based database program Dane uses instead of Casemap) Check out my 2-page outline ...
May 24, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 205
After eliminating inefficient paper, the next question is how can you optimize your digital workflows in your practice to make it more streamlined and automated. That's what's covered this episode. Show Notes Check out the 2-page outline : Digital Lawyering ( how to work smarter by using technology effectively ) Chatterboss virtual assistants (schedule a free call to find out how they work for lawyers like you) Otter.ai (automated transcript-generation from notes or personal dictation) NetDocume...
May 17, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 204
Creating a paperless practice is vital if you want to reduce friction in workflows, and improve efficiency. Lawyers have some common questions about how to make this happen, and this episode will provide answers. Show Notes 2017 ABA Article ("How a Paperless Practice May Be Right For You") Check out my 2-page outline : Digital Lawyering ( how to work smarter by using technology effectively ) General Resources The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter) The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice ...
May 10, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 203
Lawyers keep asking the same fundamental questions about key aspects of running a small law firm. Newbies and experienced lawyers have a lot of the same questions and concerns, in this episode we talk about them. Show Notes Email me at ernie@lawfirmautopilot.com with your questions, if you want me to address them. Check out my 2-page outline : Digital Lawyering ( how to work smarter by using technology effectively ) General Resources The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter) The 5 Pillars of a T...
May 03, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 202
In this episode we'll delve deeper into how to avoid toxic clients, or at least minimize their toxicity as much as possible. Check out the prior episode for a full discussion of the key indicators of toxicity in people. Show Notes Google "how to spot toxic people" A sample firm policy for accepting clients (i.e. avoiding toxic people) A sample procedure for getting rid of toxic clients A sample engagement agreement that lists reasons you will not continue working with a client. General Resources...
Apr 26, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 201
How much you enjoy your law practice depends on who you allow to become your clients. The key to avoiding bad clients is learning how to spot toxic people. It's also important to have procedures in place to get rid of toxic clients you already have. That's what we'll cover in this episode. Show Notes Google "how to spot toxic people" A sample firm policy for accepting clients (i.e. avoiding toxic people) A sample procedure for getting rid of toxic clients General Resources The 80/20 Principle (m...
Apr 19, 2022•26 min•Ep. 200
If you're serious about managing a successful law practice, you should measure and track your Net Promoter Score. In this episode, you'll learn what the NPS is, how it's calculated, and how it can lead to you getting more great clients, and fewer bad ones. Show Notes The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results , by Gary Keller The Ultimate Question 2.0: How Net Promoter Companies Thrive in a Customer-Driven World , by Fred Reichheld & Rob Markey Take my NPS surve...
Apr 12, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 199
Business attorney Andrew Legrand is planning to go rafting in the Grand Canyon for 21 days during September, and will be completely out of touch with his law firm for a full month. How can he be sure that everything will continue to run smoothly while he's gone? Listen and find out. (spoiler alert: he relies on well-documented systems) Show Notes Andrew Legrand's Law Firm Website Mindset: The New Psychology of Success , by Carol Dweck Solo By Choice , by Carolyn Elefant How to Start and Build a ...
Apr 05, 2022•51 min•Ep. 198
If you want to create more freedom, wealth, and happiness in your life, you need to focus the vital few things that matter most, not the trivial many. This is hard to do, but worth it. Let me share some thoughts about the insights I had as I learned to do this in my business and in my life. Show Notes The ONE Thing: The Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results , by Gary Keller Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less , Michael Hyatt Digital Minimalism: Choosing a...
Mar 29, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 197
What are the challenges and opportunities that come with adopting new technology? What are the best practices? In this episode, you'll learn the ideal process for adopting new technology so you don't waste valuable time or money. And we'll examine how I recently used this process to evaluate a new tool for processing email better (a tool specifically for folks who use a Google email account as I do). Show Notes What Henry Ford Learned from a Slaughter House Superhuman email service ($30/month, b...
Mar 22, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 196
There are dangers in getting caught up in the minutiae of technology, and not thinking deeply enough. We need to not let technology confuse us. The most important things lie beyond the realm of "chauffeur knowledge." We need to go beyond superficial knowledge ourselves, and we need to be able to detect it in others. Show Notes The Two Types of Knowledge: The Max Planck/Chauffeur Test , by Shane Parrish General Resources The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter) The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered La...
Mar 15, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 195
Lawyers need to learn the new rules for effective, efficient information processing. These rules have arisen because the information we deal with has become increasingly digital. That part is obvious, but learning how to deal better with digital information is definitely not obvious. Show Notes A Lawyer's Guide to Processing Digital Information (YouTube video) Episode 13 - Paperless Practice - Document Management Episode 98 - Essential Search Skills Episode 107 - Managing Information in Age of D...
Mar 08, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 194
If you want to delegate more effectively (even to VAs) here are three vital keys. They may seem obvious at first, but they aren't common practice. So you need to make a strong commitment to using them in your delegation processes. Show Notes My 2-minute YouTube video on the 3 keys to effective delegation An example of well-documented procedure (which can, of course, be improved over time with feedback) Check out my Working Smarter with Technology course (with a limited time special discount ) Ge...
Mar 01, 2022•22 min•Ep. 193
You need to protect your valuable time from people who want to steal it. Develop strategies for saying no more often, and for filtering out useless information masquerading as news - do this for your sake and the sake of your clients. Show Notes Free To Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less , by Michael Hyatt (see pages 91 - 113) LFA Episode 190 : Text Automation for Lawyers ( with TextExpander ) TextExpander (the best tool to automate saying no to common requests) Axi...
Feb 22, 2022•31 min•Ep. 192
Mental blocks are like invisible fences that keep us from progressing and from achieving what we most want in our practices. Or has the old saying goes, "whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." In this episode, we'll get clear about what invisible fences are holding you back, and how to get past those mental barriers. Show Notes Blog post about Professor Regales (my high school Physics teacher) Special discount on my Co-Pilot coaching program General Resources The 80/20...
Feb 15, 2022•25 min•Ep. 191
