Technology and running the business of your law practice is important, but a New Modern Lawyer is always focused on the clients. For many clients, especially consumers and first-time buyers of legal services, engaging a lawyer can be stressful and scary. Part of your role as the lawyer is to manage both the potential as well as current client’s stress and anxiety levels from the initial meeting until the representation is over.

Athena Inembolidis is a consumer bankruptcy attorney in Columbus, Ohio. Due to her practice area, she has to manage client fears and concerns every day. Athena discusses how she handles fearful clients through the bankruptcy process.

In this episode you will learn:

* Clients are often just as afraid of lawyers as the legal issue

* Calming clients and easing their fears isn’t rocket science, it’s human decency

* Why it is important to always explain to a potential client what to expect in the initial meeting

* The importance of humor during a client meeting

* Clients love when you explain a document they will receive before they receive it

* Always try to put yourself in your client’s shoes

Mentioned in this episode:

* Athena Legal, LLC

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Topic Recommendations?

*Note: links to Amazon and other sites may be affiliate links

As lawyers, especially solos or small firm practitioners, it is easy to find ourselves completely immersed in our practices. Sometimes, though, we need to take a break from the law and running our firms.

In this solo episode, Brad talks about the importance of taking time off and gives some tips for making it happen.

 

In this episode you will learn:

* Why it is important for solo and small firm attorneys to take some time away from their practices

* What the busy lawyer can do to to prepare for taking some time off

 

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Topic Recommendations?

Like the podcast?

Leave us a rating and review at www.newmodernlawyer.com/itunes – we will love you forever

 

*Note: links to outside sites may be affiliate links

Many solos leave their solo practice at some point to test the partnership waters. There are numerous benefits to starting up a firm, but there are also some pitfalls you need to be aware of before you take the plunge.

John recently left his solo practice to join with another attorney, and he will talk about his decision to do so as well as the process he and his new partner undertook prior to opening their doors.

 

In this episode you will learn:

* Why you might want to leave the solo life to start up a practice with a partner

* The biggest benefit of being a solo attorney

* The process of starting up a law partnership

* How a business partnership is a lot like a marriage, and why you should treat your potential business partner like a potential spouse

* Some surprises and challenges John faced when opening his new firm

* How to get John to send you a perfumed, hand-written note

 

Mentioned in this episode:

* Major League Soccer

* Columbus Crew SC John’s favorite soccer team

* WordPress website creation platform

* Squarespace website creation platform

* Mailchimp email list software

* John announces his new firm

* Stansbury Weaver Ltd.

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Topic Recommendations?

Like the podcast?

Leave us a rating and review at www.newmodernlawyer.com/itunes – we will love you forever

*Note: links to outside sites may be affiliate links

Traditionally, a law practice was located in a dedicated office with a lease, furniture, equipment, and possibly staff. It was what was expected of a lawyer and law firm, and there weren’t really many other options.

Now, however, your law practice isn’t restricted to a traditional office. Alternatives range from working from home to co-working spaces to virtual offices. With the options available today, is alternative office space right for you? And how to do you choose which option will work best for you and your practice?

 

In this episode you will learn:

* You are no longer limited to running your practice from a traditional rented office

* Some non-traditional options for office space

* How Brad makes working from home work for him

* How to determine what kind of office space will work best for you

* The importance of flexibility

 

Mentioned in this episode:

* NML 004: Using Multiple Monitors with Mark Stansbury

* Regus

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Topic Recommendations?

Like the podcast?

Leave us a rating and review at www.newmodernlawyer.com/itunes – we will love you forever

*Note: links to outside sites may be affiliate links

*This is a special episode of the New Modern Lawyer Podcast. It was a test episode recorded before the official episodes were recorded and released. However, it turned out pretty well, if we do say so ourselves, so we wanted to share it with you.*

More and more lawyers are turning from Microsoft Windows and heading to the Mac. This is especially the case for solo practitioners, but many small firms are also go all-Mac as well. It used to be very difficult to practice law using a Mac, as most of the programs commonly used by lawyers were only available for Windows PCs. However, due to the rise of the cloud and more programs being developed for the Mac, there is no longer a bar to lawyers having a Mac-based practice.

Both Brad and John have Mac-based practices. John has been using Macs and Apple products for years, while Brad is new to the waters. We talk about Brad’s transition to the Mac, as well as some programs that lawyers may find useful in their own Mac-based practices.

In this episode you will learn:

* Brad is in the honeymoon stage of his relationship with Apple, while John is the old married couple

* Why Brad transitioned from a Windows PC to a Mac for his practice

* Some of the difficulties Brad has experienced in the transition

* Software and other programs that lawyers can use as part of a Mac-based law practice

Mentioned in this episode:

* What color is the dress?

* iPad

* iPhone

* Dropbox

* Macbook Pro

* iPod

* Pomodoro technique

* Windows XP

* Microsoft Office & Office 365

* iWork (Pages, Numbers, & Keynote)

* OCR

* Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success

* iMac

* Continuity & Handoff

* PDFpenPro

* MacPowerUsers

* TextExpander

* Applescript

* OmniFocus

* MindNode

* 1Password

Thanks for listening!

What programs do you use in your Mac-based law practice? Do you have a tip to share with other Mac-loving lawyers? Send an email and let us know, and we may feature your program or tip on a future episode!

Like the podcast?

Leave us a rating and review at www.newmodernlawyer.

I’m sure you’ve heard and been told that one of the best ways to get clients as a lawyer is to network. However, you’re probably doing it wrong (according to John).

Most of us join a chamber of commerce or another “networking” group for the explicit purpose of getting new clients. We go to their “networking” events and happy hours, but for most of us it turns into nothing more than business cards being tossed around, and when it doesn’t work we wonder why. The key to being successful at networking is doing the things you enjoy doing with people you’d like to hang out with.

 

In this episode you will learn:

* John’s big announcement!

* How most people network, and why that is wrong

* The key to networking is finding something you enjoy doing, and doing it with someone you like

* John’s best referral base

* John has not been dunked on since 2005 and doesn’t intend to ever let that change

 

Be a human being

 

Mentioned in this episode:

* NML 004: Using Multiple Monitors with Mark Stansbury

* John’s new firm, Stansbury Weaver Ltd.

* Network (1976)

* Better Call Saul

* Cheers

* LinkedIn

* Avvo

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Topic Recommendations?

Like the podcast?

Leave us a rating and review at www.newmodernlawyer.com/itunes – we will love you forever

*Note: links to outside sites may be affiliate links

One of the most important things you can do to protect your law practice is to have insurance coverage in place. While setting up an entity is important, insurance is your first line of defense against claims against you. It also can help give some relief after a fire or other incident, or provide some cash to help with member transition.

In this episode we talk about some of the insurance coverage you may want to think about for your law practice, as well as things to talk to your insurance agent about.

 

In this episode you will learn:

* Most solos and small firm partners (and small business owners in general) think that just having an entity in place is good enough – it’s not

* Professional liability insurance often covers both malpractice as well as ethics claims

* John gives a shout-out to insurance agents

* Commercial leases usually require a commercial insurance policy be in place

* An auto accident involving you or your employee may not be covered under your personal automobile policy if the trip was for a business purpose

* Life insurance is not just for personal income – it can also be used for firm succession planning

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Topic Recommendations?

Like the podcast?

Leave us a rating and review at www.newmodernlawyer.com/itunes – we will love you forever

Cash is king for small law firms. Most don’t have large cash reserves, so monthly legal fee income needs to cover expenses and firm overhead. Unfortunately, many firms experience hills and valleys when it comes to income – some months are good, while others are more lean.

Cash flow crunch is real. In this episode, we talk about ways that small firms and solos can work to minimize the droughts and maintain a more steady flow of income through a combination of using practice management software, getting better clients/improving the ones you have, and utilizing credit cards and lines of credit.

 

In this episode you will learn:

* A recent report states that it takes most small law firms an average of 83 days to get paid

* Using a practice management system has saved John more than 6 hours a month (he likes to watch Netflix)

* Some clients just don’t understand they have to pay for legal services

* Requiring retainers, especially evergreen retainers, that can help you smooth out the ebs and flows of income

* When you accept credit cards, it becomes the credit card company’s problem

* Lines of credit are under-utilized by law firms as ways to get cash during lean times

Mentioned in this episode:

* Microsoft Word

* Rocket Matter

* Clio

* PayPal

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Topic Recommendations?

*Note: links to Amazon and other sites may be affiliate links

Having two, three, or more monitors is not just a status symbol for lawyers. Research has shown that using multiple monitors with your computer can significantly increase your productivity.

Special guest Mark Stansbury joins us to talk about his multiple-monitor set up and how using multiple monitors makes him a more productive and efficient lawyer.

In this episode you will learn:

* That having a second monitor can increase your productivity by almost 50%

* How Mark uses multiple monitors in his law practice

* The benefits of having a monitor oriented vertically, and why it is important you make sure before you click “buy” that the monitor you are looking at can be oriented this way

* That Brad is taking donations so he can purchase the monitor of his dreams

Mentioned in this episode:

* iMac

* Mac Mini

* Macbook Pro

* iPad

* Google Chrome browser

* Pandora

* Songza

* Spotify

* Lenovo

* Asus VN279QL

* Apple Thunderbolt monitors

* Flux

* Microsoft Office for Mac beta

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Topic Recommendations?

*Note: links to Amazon and other sites may be affiliate links

Many lawyers when they open a law practice start out with as a general practice of 5, 6, or more areas or law. Usually it is because they need the phone to ring and so don’t want to exclude anyone who might be a potential client.

However, holding yourself out as a general practice can actually make it harder to be successful. A very narrow niche practice can make it easier to get clients, charge higher rates, and be seen by others as an “expert” in your area.

 

In this episode you will learn:

* Nitch vs. neesh vs. nish

* What is a niche practice, and whether you have one

* The many benefits of a niche practice (why you’d take your child to an orthopedic surgeon)

* John’s ethics moment

* Why you want to the “go-to guy (or gal)”

* How having a niche practice helps your online marketing

* Brad goes on another rant

You cannot be an expert, or a good lawyer, in seven, eight different areas… When I see someone who’s got all these areas of law, to me that means that they are dabbling in a bit of everything and they are not good in any of it.

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Topic Recommendations?