Lawyers Who Launch

The end of the year is a natural closing point for many things and it usually calls people to evaluate goals and look to the future.  Neither one of us is big into making New Year’s resolutions.  Rather we like making concrete plans and setting goals for ourselves for the coming year. That starts with taking stock of the last year and running through a few mental exercises.  Look at the goals you set for yourself last year and get a status check.  Keep in mind that not everything needs to have a December 31 deadline.  Not fully reaching a goal is not a failure, you just may need more time. As a professional this is particularly important.  If you are anything like us, you have big goals and dreams.  Not achieving those goals in a year is not a failure and it does not call on you to give up.  But the end of the year is an opportunity to evaluate whether that goal is still a priority to you.  Give yourself a chance to adjust your goals depending on the circumstances of the last year you just finished.  Extend yourself the kindness to be honest about what went well. The next part of this is to consider what you can learn from the challenges you faced in the past year.  Maybe you wanted to hit a certain revenue goal in your law firm, and you didn’t. Did you learn what type of files are the best revenue sources for you? Did you find that you are getting more clients from one type of referral source vs another? Sit down with your goal, even if you didn’t fully achieve it, and see what information you can glean. It’s still a win. Now that you have done this, you are ready to move to the future and start planning for the next year.  What do you want to accomplish in 2022?  Do you have personal goals? Professional goals? We definitely recommend that you have a variety of goals and they can be in your professional and personal life - sometimes they may intersect. Sit down with a pen and paper or open the notes app on your phone and make a list of what you hope to accomplish this year. The best goals have two qualities - they are “measurable” and they are “meaningful.”  For example, a common goal is to “make more money.”  However, this is neither measurable nor meaningful.  However, if you evaluate the why behind the goal and how you can measure success you may change the goal to be - increase income by $50,000 in order to hire an associate to whom I can delegate work in order to alleviate some stress.  This goal is now both measurable and meaningful. Bigger goals often take more time - but it can be difficult to keep the motivation to work toward a goal that is going to take a year or more to achieve measurable results.  This is why you should celebrate the milestones along the way.  Also make sure to give yourself the credit that you deserve.  You may have to make adjustments along the way.  Celebrating those small milestones is so important because it will help make those adjustments feel like just that - adjustments and not failures.

P.S. - Give the gift of success this holiday season with the ebook “The Law Student’s Guide to Networking.”  Click here to purchase today!
Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship.  Please keep in mind that your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow.  This discussion does not fo

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Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

This week we are sharing something that we have been thinking about recently - the end of the year and all of that obligations that come up at this time of year.  As we approach the end of the year, the calendar seems to be getting shorter but our to do lists are getting longer and longer - professionally and personally.  For some practice areas, the end of the year can be the busiest season, there are items that must be filed or completed before December 31st.  

But even if your practice area doesn’t have end of the year deadlines, the month of December is busy.  Between work, holidays, kids school schedules, holiday parties, and all of the work that is needed to make it all happen, it’s a hectic time. This week we are going to share the ways we try to keep the end of the year overwhelm under control with four strategies we use to keep the overwhelm at bay.

1. Do something (even if it is small).

The first step to combating that overwhelm that can hurt your productivity and keep you from getting through that to do list is to simply do one thing.  A small task is the perfect way to get started.  It is just like those snowballs that our kids cannot wait to craft this winter - start small.  That one small step will more easily lead you to the next step and the next.  Before you know it you have a huge snowball of tasks completed and it all started with one little task.

2. Schedule your tasks.

Take your to do list and your calendar together and look at them both.  Find a task that is time sensitive or time consuming and intentionally set a time to do it on your calendar.  You can allow yourself a buffer for those time sensitive tasks, while also carving out a specific time that is most convenient for you.  Setting an alarm on your phone is also a great way to remind yourself that it is time to work on that scheduled task.

3. Keep a running list.

The next strategy is to keep a running list for things that you realize you need or want to do while you are in the middle of doing something else.  We both find this strategy particularly effective.  As multitaskers, we constantly have random things popping into our minds.  Have a place for those thoughts.  It will allow you to keep focus on the task you are currently engaged with.  It will also ensure that you do not forget about the new idea and will allow you to easily transition later once you have finished what you are presently working on.

4. Master a master list.

The final strategy is to create master lists. These are simply lists to make things you have done before easier next time.  These are particularly useful for things that you will do again, but there may be a time interval so you do not necessarily have everything memorized.  These types of list are so valuable because you are getting the benefit of your hard work over and over again because you have already done it and memorialized it.

P.S. - As bar exam results are rolling in you may be looking at next steps for yourself or for something special to gift to the law student in your life.  Give the gift of success with the ebook “The Law Student’s Guide to Networking.”  This ebook gives you the strategic plan you need to build your professional network efficiently and effectively.  Click here to purchase today!

Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be

LWL Design Shop on Etsy use code LWLPOD for 15% off your purchase


Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

As we head into the holiday season, we have gratitude on our minds.  “Keeping an attitude of gratitude” sounds like it should be on a decorative plaque in a home furnishing store.  We all are thankful for many things in our lives.  However, what do you do when you aren’t feeling quite so gracious?  

After college, studying for the LSAT, and completing your law school applications, finally getting that admissions letter is a huge win. It’s easy to be grateful for the opportunity to be a law student when your application process was successful.

FACT - law school is hard.  When you are struggling with a particular class, trying to preparing for finals, or thinking about the looming bar exam it is hard to keep gratitude in the forefront of your mind.

Similarly, once you are a practicing attorney, keeping an attitude of gratitude is not easy.  There are many pressures placed upon you as a lawyer, both professional and personal.  Very often the stakes involved in the practice of law adds to the pressure on the attorneys.  

We have a three step process we go through when we are feeling less than grateful.

1. Remember your “why.”
2. Acknowledge your feelings.
3. Identify one thing you appreciate.

We have called upon this three step process many times in our careers.  This is also something we know we will need again in the future.  Using this guide can help relieve some of the stress and tension of the current season you are experiencing and refocus you to your priorities and the values you hold dear.  This is not a magic wand that will fix it all, but hopefully it will bring you some perspective and help you to move forward with a positive outlook.

Let us know how you are keeping an attitude of gratitude on Instagram @lawyerswholaunch.

Have a great day!

P.S. - As bar exam results are rolling in you may be looking at next steps for yourself or for something special to gift to the law student in your life.  Give the gift of success with the ebook “The Law Student’s Guide to Networking.”  This ebook gives you the strategic plan you need to build your professional network efficiently and effectively.  Click here to purchase today!

Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship.  Please keep in mind that your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow.  This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

LWL Design Shop on Etsy use code LWLPOD for 15% off your purchase


Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

As we approach the end of the year, we have been thinking about our goals and plans for the upcoming year.  But as we look forward, it reminds us of how far we have come in the last year and where we started.  We started by saying it out loud!

We were talking one day about all of the struggles of the previous year, how we move forward, and the challenges we face.  This is where the idea for the business blossomed between the two of us.  We wanted to create a platform about making real connections in the legal world and how those connections can grow and serve lawyers and law students throughout their legal career.  We wanted to encourage people, especially after the past year, to get out there and grow their network.  Once we got the idea it was like a fire was lit.  And then we had to do something with it.

To begin building that platform and reaching our audience, we decided to start a podcast.  Now, keep in mind, neither of us had ever been on a podcast or hosted a podcast.  The closest we have ever been to a podcast at that point was as a listener.  But we didn’t let that stop us. If you have an idea for something you want to build or create or develop, there is a wealth of information available. It’s hard to start as a beginner, but you have to start somewhere.

There are definite perks to working together on Lawyers Who Launch.  We have been able to divide and conquer various tasks such as podcast production and editing as well as online marketing and search engine optimization.  

Another perk of having a partner and doing this together is that we are able to get each other unstuck.  If an idea isn’t working or a podcast episode isn’t coming together the way we envisioned, the other can step in and give a different perspective.  As we have both said time and time again, if either of us were doing this on our own it would have gone nowhere.  The different perspective that we offer each other can also mean that we say out loud “this isn’t working” and take an idea in a totally new, and often much better, direction.  

The biggest challenge is to get started. It can be scary to put yourself out there. You may wonder what people will say. You may be worried that you don’t have something worth contributing.  Or you may start to play the comparison game and think you’ll never be as good as the person you follow on social media.  Have courage and take the first step to say it loud.  Your voice, your perspective, and your ideas are valuable.  

We want to issue you a challenge today.  Reach out to a friend today and say it loud.  Say out loud the idea that you have.  Tell us what you have decided to say out loud this week on Instagram!

Have a great day!

P.S. - As bar exam results are rolling in you may be looking at next steps for yourself or for something special to gift to the law student in your life.  Give the gift of success with the ebook “The Law Student’s Guide to Networking.”  This ebook gives you the strategic plan you need to build your professional network efficiently and effectively.  Click here to purchase today!

The Law Student's Guide to Networking Course is now open and available.  As soon as you purchase, you have immediate access to the entire course - all of the video modules, the guides, the ebook, and some additional

LWL Design Shop on Etsy use code LWLPOD for 15% off your purchase


Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

This week we dive into a critical (but not often discussed) skill for all attorneys - listening.  Being a good listener is not something that initially pops into the heads of most people when they think of lawyers.  When you conjure the image of a lawyer in your mind you might think of litigators battling it out in a courtroom or lawyers trying to our maneuver each other in a large glass conference room overlooking a city scape.

As you imagine these lawyers you think about the words they choose and they way they present themselves.  This presentation is critical in my areas of law.  You likely are not thinking about how those lawyers are listening.  But if they are truly great you can be sure that they know how to listen.

We both shared stories of how solid listening is valuable in our specific practices.  Haley uses listening in her initial meetings with clients not only to gain information but also as a means to gain trust and to build a relationship with her new client.  Being on the receiving end of a lawsuit can be scary and overwhelming.    Yes, the information about the case that the client has is important, but what is also important is beginning to build a relationship with that new client where they feel as though their attorney is listening to them - the value of this cannot be overlooked.

Amy also talked about how she handles initial meetings with clients.  She not only listens to what is being said, but also what is not being said.  This allows her to ask those deep questions that get to the heart of issues that will need to be addressed in the estate plan that will eventually be drafted.  She also utilizes her initial questionaaire before the meeting to get a lot of information so that the meeting can be used for discovering the issues and items that will make this plan unique to her clients.

Here are five strategies for improving listening skills.

1. Repeat back what has been said.
2. Listen to what is not being said.
3. Ask good clarifying questions.
4. Take notes.
5. Eliminate distractions.    

This is an important skill to develop not just in your professional practice, but in your personal life as well.  Be fully present when someone else is speaking.  Give them your full attention and really listen to what they are saying.  

Be sure to let us know how you like these strategies and if you have any that you would like to share with us!  You can find us on Instagram @lawyerswholaunch and via email [email protected].

Have a great day!

The Law Student's Guide to Networking Course is now open and available.  As soon as you purchase, you have immediate access to the entire course - all of the video modules, the guides, the ebook, and some additional bonuses.  You can start right now developing your networking plan and building your professional network.  Click here to access this course TODAY!

Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship.  Please keep in mind that your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow.  This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, includ

LWL Design Shop on Etsy use code LWLPOD for 15% off your purchase


Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

Through our podcast, website, and social media we have been thinking a lot about the law and being lawyers.  It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day grind of being a lawyer that often you cannot see the forest for the trees.  This week we decided to zoom out a bit and look for a deeper meaning in litigation.

So much about the way we think about the law centers around the drama of the courtroom and that is where litigators practice.  Civil law and civil litigation is deeply rooted in our society.  To quote a classic movie “litigators are the scariest kinds of lawyers.”  (Hopefully you know this, but if you do not this is from Clueless.") 

Litigators are often portrayed as sharks or villains in the media.  And sometimes on the other side they are portrayed as fighting for the underdog.  But no matter the portrayal - it is usually fighting. Although a relatively small percentage of Haley’s time is spent actually fighting or advocating for her client’s position, the other time is so often spent preparing for the fight that it feels like the fight is the only thing sometimes.  But this week, we are going to look deeper into three common aspects of litigation from a different perspective.  We are going to explore the purpose behind them as well as their practical function.  

Court rules offer so many things, they offer the ground rules and boundaries for all parties involved.  They provide the framework by which we as attorneys make decisions.  They also provide a framework for discussions with your client.  You can lean on the court rules and give you client scenarios - if this, then that.  

Briefs represent a format to simply be heard.  Whether you are pro se, or if you have an attorney representing you, a legal brief is an opportunity to be heard.  This actually can be found in many places other than briefs, depositions and of course trial.  People want their day in court.  But, why is that?  It is fairly basic - they want to be heard. 

Having the opportunity to be heard is powerful.  Even if the ultimate outcome is not exactly what the client (or their attorney) hopes it will be.  

Mediation is a non-binding process where the parties negotiate through the help of a neutral third party.  Mediation gives the parties and their counsel the opportunity to maintain control over their future by negotiating a settlement that all parties agree on.  To come to an agreement, both parties have to give up something.  If you are engaged in mediation, you may not get everything you want, but you get to decide what you will and will not give up.  You get to remain in control.    

We would love to hear what you think!  Reach out on Instagram, LinkedIn, or via email.

Have a great day!

The Law Student's Guide to Networking Course is now open and available.  As soon as you purchase, you have immediate access to the entire course - all of the video modules, the guides, the ebook, and some additional bonuses.  You can start right now developing your networking plan and building your professional network.  Click here to access this course TODAY!

Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship.  P

LWL Design Shop on Etsy use code LWLPOD for 15% off your purchase


Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

This week we wanted to share our thoughts with you on decision fatigue - and specifically some strategies to combat it.  Decision fatigue is the idea that as the number of decisions you have to make increases, the quality of your decision making diminishes.

We share five strategies to utilize alone, or together, to help you combat decisions fatigue.

1. Prioritize
2. Schedule
3. Research
4. Automate
5. Acknowledge low stakes

Prioritize and schedule work in tandem.  Making a big decision at 8:00 p.m. after a long day of decision making is not the best idea. Instead give yourself permission to sleep on it and make it your priority the next morning when you are rested and refreshed.  You don’t need to make every decision right now.  Prioritize the decisions that demand a more immediate answer, and give yourself the permission to schedule the others to a later date. 

When you are prioritizing and scheduling your decision making, you also want to take a minute to ask yourself whether you have enough information to make this decision. Sometimes we struggle and lose focus because we need more information to make an educated decision.  If you don’t have enough information then, it’s not a decision you should be trying to make right now.  Instead, focus on what additional information you need.  Deciding to find out more information is a decision.

Our next strategy is to evaluate whether there is anything you can automate - this works especially well for smaller decisions.  This doesn’t mean you will stop thinking about your decisions, it just means you already have a default answer. 

Our final strategy is to acknowledge when the stakes are low, which means that sometimes good enough is good enough and not worth thinking about anymore.  Whether you choose to wear a black suit or a gray suit - either choice is good enough.  Are not sure what to make for dinner?  Pull something our of your freezer - it will be just fine.  Allow good enough to be good enough and save your energy for those other decisions.

We loved working on this episode because it served as a great reminder to us to utilize these strategies in our own lives.  Please share your thoughts with us on Instagram @lawyerswholaunch - we would love to hear from you!

Have a great day!

Haley & Amy

The Law Student's Guide to Networking Course is now open and available.  As soon as you purchase, you have immediate access to the entire course - all of the video modules, the guides, the ebook, and some additional bonuses.  You can start right now developing your networking plan and building your professional network.  Click here to access this course TODAY!

Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship.  Please keep in mind that your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow.  This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

LWL Design Shop on Etsy use code LWLPOD for 15% off your purchase


Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

This week on the podcast Amy shared with us her transition back to work following her third maternity leave.  While it was not easy, and far from perfect, Amy generously shared some of her insights on how she made the transition back.  

There are five steps she took in order to set herself up for success:

1.  Ask about a hybrid schedule.
2. Acknowledge your mixed feelings.
3. Plan the night before.
4. Prioritize tasks.
5. Use your commute wisely.

The great thing about these tips is that they can apply to so many different situations - not just returning from maternity leave.  We can also use the reminder that there are many aspects of life that bring up mixed feelings.  Planning the night before can be a real time saver, even if you are not leaving your home.  Prioritization of tasks can make you work day run more smoothly.  For those of you that are commuting, there is an opportunity to decompress and listen to something to boost your mood.

The Law Student's Guide to Networking Course is now open and available.  As soon as you purchase, you have immediate access to the entire course - all of the video modules, the guides, the ebook, and some additional bonuses.  You can start right now developing your networking plan and building your professional network.  Click here to access this course TODAY!

Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship.  Please keep in mind that your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow.  This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

LWL Design Shop on Etsy use code LWLPOD for 15% off your purchase


Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

This week on the podcast we are talking about following up and following through with your networking contacts.  Networking is more than just a business card exchange. It’s about building relationships. Just like any other relationship networking relationships are based on trust and a big part of that trust is follow up and follow through.

The idea is to grow the professional relationship naturally and not transactionally.  After you follow up, follow through. If you see an article of value, pass it along to a colleague.  When you have an opportunity to make a referral, make one and let the person know.  

If you get so caught up in trying to calculate the value of what you referred versus the value of a referral that you received in return, you are missing the whole point of trying to develop mutually beneficial relationships.

As we have previously talked about many times, networking does not come naturally to most people.  There are three common networking mistakes that we see all the time.  That is why we want to share these with you, along with practice tips on how to correct those mistakes.

Click here to download this free guide right now!


The Law Student's Guide to Networking Course is now open and available.  As soon as you purchase, you have immediate access to the entire course - all of the video modules, the guides, the ebook, and some additional bonuses.  You can start right now developing your networking plan and building your professional network.  Click here to access this course TODAY!

Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship.  Please keep in mind that your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow.  This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

LWL Design Shop on Etsy use code LWLPOD for 15% off your purchase


Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

This week we revisit Greg McKeown’s book “Effortless” and talk about the clearness committees utilized by the Quaker community.  This hit home for both of us because this is similar to the way we organically grew our relationship and, specifically, the way in which we have helped each other over the years.  When we discussed Amy’s LLM, she was not looking for a solution, but rather a place and a forum to help her navigate the decision making process.

We are bringing this to you!  We have included 12 of our most valuable questions in an exclusive free resource available to you.  These are the questions that we ask each other when faced with a tough decision.  We know you will find them valuable.

CLICK HERE to access our free Questions for Decision Clarity Guide, which includes all 12 questions right now!   

The Law Student's Guide to Networking Course is now open and available.  As soon as you purchase, you have immediate access to the entire course - all of the video modules, the guides, the ebook, and some additional bonuses.  You can start right now developing your networking plan and building your professional network.  Click here to access this course TODAY!

Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship.  Please keep in mind that your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow.  This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.

LWL Design Shop on Etsy use code LWLPOD for 15% off your purchase


Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.