Despite what you may have heard, the robots are not coming to take our jobs. Well, maybe some lawyer jobs will go away. But there will be new jobs for people with legal training that are created by the technology and its impact on every facet of our lives.

Now, I am not a fortune teller, and I can’t see into the future, but I can see what is going on around the legal profession with regards to technology. And I think it provides a lot of opportunity for solo and small firm lawyers in how we run our practices.

In this episode we will dispel the myth of a dystopian lawyer-less future and instead talk about the importance of legal skills in the 21st Century.

TAKEAWAY: there is always going to be a need for lawyers, and technology is not going to change that. What will change is the role of lawyers and tasks we do. And it will be important to be able to adapt to those changes and to utilize technology to make yourself more efficient and effective in your law practice.

This is a short but powerful episode. As a lawyer, you may have a vision for the life and the law practice you want. But why don’t you have it? Probably because you are approaching it wrong.

Most people, when they have a goal in mind, go from where they are now, to where they want to be. And in this episode I explain why this way of thinking is broken. To get where you want to go – to move forward with your life and law practice – you have to work backwards.

TAKEAWAY: to get the things in life you want, whether it be wealth, law firm growth, or whatever, you need to start from the goal and work your way backwards. If you try to start from where they you and go forward to where you want to be, you will stay stuck and will never be able to get the things you want.

This episode is inspired by a friend of mine. He has observed that a lot of solos and small firm lawyers don’t know how to spend their money. Some spend on things they think will help their law practices grow, but that never do. Others get caught up in “shiny tech syndrome” and are always getting the latest and greatest gadgets. Both, at the end of the day, have an empty bank account and little to show for their spending – except maybe the most recent iPhone.

In this episode I break down the difference between spending on expenses vs. spending on investments, and help you focus your spending on investments in a couple of key areas that are really going to help your firm grow.

TAKEAWAY: the fastest way to bankrupt your law firm is by spending your money on the wrong things. Pure expenses only drain your bank account. When you invest in your firm, however, the money you spend now pays you back in time, efficiency, and future revenues that far outweigh the initial cost.

So many lawyers can’t find enough time in the workday to get everything done. So they go in early, stay late, work through lunch, or spend time on the weekend. And the consequence is missing out on family time, time with friends, and taking care of themselves.

This may sound familiar to you. If it does, I bet one of the culprits is right in front of your face, and you’ve never realized it. I used to use to-do lists all the time. I still have some around, in fact. But I have come to learn that the seemingly innocent to-do list was actually keeping me from getting important things done. So they have been banished from my desk.

In this episode I talk about the difference between tasks that are urgent and those that are important, and why it is the urgent tasks that keep you from really getting things done. I share a system I teach my coaching clients and that I use myself to ensure I work on the important things each day.

TAKEAWAY: to get done the things that are important, stop prioritizing the priorities of others over your own priorities, and make a priority to do the things that are important for you.

There are hundreds of practice management systems for law firms to choose from today. Back when I started practicing, there were only 2-3 options for solos and small firms. Now there are so many options it can be overwhelming.

Ideally, choosing a practice management system – whether it’s your first one or a replacement for what you are currently using – is not something that happens often. And because it is so vital to your practice, it is important that you take the time to make the right choice.

In this episode I talk about how to make the right choice for your practice. There is no one practice management system that is best for every firm, so it comes down to what features are most important for everyone in your particular firm.

TAKEAWAY: it doesn’t matter which practice management system you use as long as it does what you want and everyone uses it.

Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying “A lawyer’s time and advice is his stock in trade.” There is some debate whether or not he actually said it, but many lawyers take it as gospel and use it as their reasoning for trying to sell their time to their clients.

There are two problems with that (beyond the questions of whether he actually said it, and if so why he is to be considered an authority on the topic). You can’t sell time. And even if you could, clients don’t want to buy it.

In this episode I explain why you can’t sell time and what clients actually care about. And I give you an off-the-cuff example of the right way to market your legal services to clients in need.

TAKEAWAY: clients don’t buy your time or what you do, they buy the solution can provide them.

If you’ve been practicing law for any amount of time, you’ve undoubtedly run into a client that made your life miserable. Someone who required a disproportionate amount of your time and attention. Constantly calling and emailing you. Expecting immediate replies and getting upset when they don’t get them. Never satisfied with the work you do for them and always asking for more. You know them as the Demanding Client.

We’ve all had them. But did you know that you can actually train a client to be MORE demanding? That your most recent demanding client might have been your own fault?

In this episode I talk about the dreaded Demanding Client. You can often tell if a potential client is going to be a demanding one during your intake process by listening for red flags that come up in your conversation with them. Someone who controls the direction of the initial consultation with you? Probably going to be a demanding client. Your goal, then, should be to weed these people out before they ever become clients.

But not all clients are predisposed to be demanding. You can actually train your “normal” clients that it is OK to be demanding. If you don’t maintain your boundaries, a client will keep pushing to see just how far you are willing to go. Just like my kindergarten daughter is constantly testing the boundaries of what we will let her do.

Takeaway: a demanding client only has as much as power as you allow them to have.