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Latest from Lawyerist

During my second year in law school, I interviewed for a part-time law clerk position with a small private firm. I think the interviewer wanted to probe whether I understood law firm economics (which I didn’t). At some point, they said, “See, we’ll pay you $7.00 an hour and then we’ll bill your time at $35.00 an hour.” My first lesson in leverage. Before the internet, email, laptops, and smartphones, leverage was a key economic…
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In this episode with Erin Gerstenzang, we talk about how her firm has evolved since the last time she was on the podcast two years ago. Erin fills us in on her vision, what success looks like for scaling, and what is working versus what is not. Erin Gerstenzang Erin Gerstenzang is a criminal defense attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. She primarily handles DUI and other drug- and alcohol-related offenses. Erin is also a regular…
I arrived at LabCon 2018 with nothing but an open mind and an idea for subscription legal services at my firm. By the end of the conference, I left with an entire business model framed out, branded, named, designed, reviewed – all that was left was to build it. People pay upwards of $40,000 for a consultant to transform an idea into a fully formed program. Alternatively, they spend months and months trying to put…
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In this episode with Haben Girma, we talk about her new book The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. We also talk about the state of accessibility and what barriers we still need to remove, the theme of “exclusion” in Haben’s book, and how to change the ableist mindset.  Haben Girma Haben Girma The first deaf-blind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma is a civil rights lawyer and she advocates for equal…
I first talked about the tools I use for law practice management in April 2008. It seems like a good time to do update my list. Since the last update, my firm has gained one attorney employee and three independent contractors, but the software I use to manage my practice has been flexible enough to survive these transitions. The most-significant change is the switch from GnuCash to Quickbooks for bookkeeping. I ran into trouble with…
Like a spent fire or candle, burned-out people have no more fuel. They cannot continue. A burnout is, as one lawyer described it, a “certified charred hulk.” The problem is serious. “Technology makes it much more likely that we’ll experience burnout,” says Alessandra Wall, a clinical psychologist. In fact, Paula Davis-Laack, an attorney and burnout expert, believes we live in a culture of disconnection, distraction, and overload that is a perfect…
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In this episode with Matthew Dicks, we talk about storytelling, and why it’s an important skill to learn in business. Matthew shares tips for better storytelling, how to approach storytelling as a lawyer, and how it can help lawyers teach witnesses how to tell better stories on the stand.  Matthew Dicks Matthew Dicks Matthew Dicks has been an elementary school teacher for the last 21 years in West Hartford, Connecticut. He’s also a columnist, contributor,…
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Customizing your law practice management software for your practice area can be a time-consuming and frustrating task. AbacusLaw helps you speed up and even eliminate the need for that task with pre-configured product packages for specific areas of law. These Practice Area Legal Solutions, or PALS, are out-of-the-box solutions that provide the additional input screens, automation rules, specific reports, documents, forms, and more that you need for your area of expertise. Details Different legal specialties…
Customizing your law practice management software for your practice area can be a time-consuming and frustrating task. AbacusLaw helps you speed up and even eliminate the need for that task with pre-configured product packages for specific areas of law. These Practice Area Legal Solutions, or PALS, are out-of-the-box solutions that provide the additional input screens, automation rules, specific reports, documents, forms, and more that you need for your area of expertise. Details Different legal specialties…
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In this week’s episode with Amy Morin, we talk about what it means to be mentally strong and the steps it takes to get there. Some key points we cover are finding independence and resilience, practicing optimism, and learning how to think, feel, and behave as someone who is mentally strong. Amy Morin Amy Morin Amy Morin is a psychotherapist, professor at Northeastern University, and international bestselling author. She writes for Inc., Forbes, and Psychology…