Beyond Billables

On the show this week Mike spoke with the brilliant Rob Dos Santos from Cape Town, South Africa! Once upon a time many moons ago, Rob was a lawyer, practicing Commercial and Corporate law. However, he had a higher calling in life to make films. So one day he decided to ditch the courtroom for the camera and live his dream of being a filmmaker. This was a great show exploring what it means to have passion for your work and the tough journey many people need to go on to find something they love to do. Rob shares candidly and with great humour about his journey and everything it has taken to make it work.

On the show this week Mike sat down with the one and only Clarissa Rayward, law firm owner, podcaster, author and known as the Happy Family lawyer! As well as being the host for the last 6 years of the Happy Lawyer, Happy Life podcast Clarissa is also the Owner of Brisbane Family Law Center, an accredited Family Law Specialist, Mediator, Collaborative Lawyer & all-around superhuman. Over the past 15 years, Clarissa has worked with thousands of families during separation and divorce. She specializes in assisting her clients in experiencing a dignified divorce - staying away from the Court process and finding sustainable agreements for the future.

• Clarissa published her first book, Splitsville: How to Separate, Stay Out of Court and Stay Friends in 2015 (4.6-star review on Amazon)
• Launched her podcast in 2016 the Happy Lawyer, Happy Life
• Happy Lawyer Happy Life: How to Be Happy in Law and in Life published in 2017
• Provides webinars and teaches courses to lawyers

On the show this week Mike sat down with Ryan Loerh, a partner at Emanuel Whyboune. Ryan has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, having worked for large retail banks, specialist investment firms, Macquarie Group and Morgan Stanley before moving to Emanuel Whybourne with its founders. Having previously studied law Ryan ended up embarking on a career in finance so it was a fascinating discussion on how he achieved this and what skills he learned in law school that helped along the way. Given the economic climate at the moment it was also a great chance to discuss inflation, interest rates and global markets and how someone like Ryan helps problem solve for his clients.

*** None of our discussion on this podcast should be taken as direct or implied financial advice of any kind and does not constitute personal advice to any person. The discussion may contain statements of opinion by the speakers which are a point in time evaluation current only at the date of publication and are not statements of fact or recommendations of any kind. To the extent permitted by law, neither the presenters or BB, employees or agents accept any liability whether arising in contract, in tort or negligence or otherwise, for any error or ommission in this podcast or for any loss or damage suffered by a recipient of this podcast or any other person acting in reliance upon the information or opinion in this podcast.***

On today's insight show Mike reflects on what they don't teach you in law school! Having worked in the industry for over two decades now in practice, in recruitment and in marketing what stands out for us is that young lawyers aren't coming out of law school with some key skills that can help them over their career. Mike focuses in on three key issues around Client Experience, Communication and Business skills that all great lawyers need but that law schools (and many law firms own training and development) just aren't providing.

On the show this week Mike had a great discussion with Rizwana McDonald, Founder of Foundd Legal. Riz started Foundd as a way to make all of that boring, scary, overwhelming legal stuff both accessible and affordable to entrepreneurs, creatives and designers, so they can have the best shot possible of creating a legal, lucrative, kick-arse brand and business. Marketing pitch aside, Riz has an excellent and unique story of resilience and perseverance. Having been pulled out of school by her family at a young age, Riz was able to ultimately find her own path into the law which has culminated in her very own thriving practice. A truly inspiring entrepreneur and business owner Riz story is for anyone who thinks they can't make it.

Legal marketing in a recession! Ok, no one wants to hear the big R word, but we wanted to get out in front of it because with rising rates and inflation there is a good chance growth will turn negative this year. The key question is what does that mean for law firms, and for us what does that mean for law firm branding and marketing! In this show Mike dives into three key factors that firm owners need to remember, how to best prepare and the key to pivoting messaging during any time of uncertainty. Historically, recessions and downturns have been great for brands who stay committed to their medium and long-term goals and act strategically, not just reflexively.

On this weeks insight show, Mike discusses social media and what's happening right now on our favourite platforms. From LinkedIn to Tik Tok we dive into what is working now and what we see coming in the future. One thing is certain, you need to be smart about taking advantage of reaching your audience and making content that is both authoritative and relatable.

On this week's episode of the Beyond Billables Podcast, Mike had the pleasure to interview Francesca Chang. She is certainly an attorney on a journey! Francesca is a blogger, vlogger and life coach who has transformed her life, moved to Taiwan and now helps other lawyers. Francesca has a fascinating story of embracing a better life for herself and her family heritage while working to empower others to do the same. As a travel blogger and vlogger, she also works to promote Taiwan and the slow travel scene. On the show we discussed Francesca's career, her motivations and the opportunities lawyers have to embrace multi-faceted careers.

On this week's episode of the Beyond Billables Podcast, Mike had the pleasure to interview the fabulous Dr Joanne Redburn, Director of NFP Lawyers. This was a great in-depth discussion about the not-for-profit sector and the challenges and opportunities that exist. Joanne is a true leader in the NFP space in Australia and has worked across some of the most complex NFP projects so it was great to be able to go into detail. Joanne also has a great story having started as a research scientist before transitioning into law because of her love for IP. We discussed this move, managing the juggle of growing practice with a busy family life and how Joanne has built NFP Lawyers from the ground up.

Jahan may refer to himself as a "little guy lawyer", but we think he is an absolute legend of a lawyer and human. Head of Litigation at Executive Legal, a human rights activist, Tik Tok trailblazer and all around brilliant content creator, Jahan is a leading light in the legal industry. On the show we chatted about all of this, his journey in law and the struggle we all go through finding balance and managing our own expectations. What did I get out of it? A realisation that the authentic and real Jahan that shows up in my Tik Tok is the same passionate person IRL and that a focus on service and value with your content and not sales is the best way to build real connection.