Interested in innovative approaches to legal practice? Want to know what a ‘hybrid’ lawyer is? Keen to hear a new spin on delivering value? Today’s guest on the Beyond Billables Podcast, James Ford, has cleverly utilized information technology to create a cross-disciplinary team, to help lawyers with their business strategy and ultimately, help them to chart new markets. All of these points are touched on (plus much more) as we meander through James’s career.

James is a lawyer, and the founder and CEO of Blue Ocean Law Group. Coming from a background as a developer with experience in property law James cross – germinated some fresh ideas with his business skills and prior experiences to create the Blue Ocean Law Group. In our conversation, we went into depth on the hows and whys of Blue Ocean. But we also saved a bit of time to talk about how James manages work-life balance as the founder of a startup.

Listen to the full podcast to gain insight into more of the above, as well as:

• What is the Blue Ocean Strategy and why was it important to James
• The benefits of approaching the law with other experiences/skill sets
• How Blue Ocean Law Group works, how it provides value, etc
• How Blue Ocean Law Group help their clients and lawyers with their business strategy and ultimately, help them to chart new markets
• Why it’s important for lawyers to work together, even if oftentimes they don’t
• James’ best advice for a law school graduate (or someone early in their career)
• Why positive client feedback is so critical to growing your practice (or any business)
• Why you should not peacock yourself
• Dealing with the skepticism that some people have of new law models
• How to develop client management skills and approach sticky conversations
• The value in knowing and addressing client pain points
• Trying to break the archaic mold of law firms and how they present themselves
• The Blue Ocean’s take on other law firms
• The importance of flexibility and fitness in maintaining a good life

Links:

Blue Ocean HomePage
Blue Ocean LinkedIn
Shift Book Launch
Blue Ocean Strategy Book
Blue Ocean Academy
LawTap
LinkedIn