You know the legal writing classes you took in law school? There’s a lot more to learn, and with a few steps, you can get better – and get better results. Guest Chris Schandevel is the “Brief-Writing Ninja” and passionate writing clear, simple, concise legal briefs that win over courts. 

Courthouses are busy places. Judges and clerks deal with a lot of distractions and competing demands. Make your briefs stand out boy making them easier to read and follow. Any jargon, excessive footnotes, parentheticals, and asides just add to the chaos and detract from your argument. Good writing, formatting, and attention to detail matter. 

Schandevel has created an easy-to-use, three-page style guide for legal writing and clear formatting. You don’t need to use fancy words to sell your case. Clear, simple language and a clean story help the court understand your argument and see your point.

Take a deep dive into the art and artistry of writing and presenting a legal brief at the highest levels, and get some tips you can start using today. (Plus, do you know the official preferred font of the U.S. Supreme Court?) 

Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]  

Topics:

What is the “cleaned up parenthetical?” (And how is it being adopted at the highest levels of the law?) Find out. 

Mentioned in this Episode:

BriefCatch software

“Think Commas Don't Matter? Omitting One Cost A Maine Dairy Company $5 Million”

“Cleaning Up Quotations” by Jack Metzler in The Journal of Appellate Law Practice and Process

“Legal Writing: Font Matters,” Thomson Reuters

Legal Office Guru

Legal Office Guru’s Deborah Savadra on New Solo, “Word Up 2: Creating Tables of Authority with Ease”

The episode you’ve been waiting for. An all-Mac special with real Mac experts. More and more lawyers are using Apple Mac tech, including iPones, iPads, and laptops.

In the past, there were challenges shifting between Mac and Microsoft, but today’s practice management programs can work on both systems. You like Macs? Then go for it, there is less and less to hold you back.

Why Mac over PC? Cost, battery life, integrations between iPhones, the Apple watch, and iPads, as well as security are considerations. Only 15% to 20% of lawyers use Macs, so you do need to think things through and ensure you can share information with your Microsoft colleagues and opposing counsel. There are advantages and disadvantages. Make sure you understand every aspect.

There are some basics to getting started. Maybe most important is to not “cheap out” when you’re getting your computer system set up. Our guests explain what you need, including processor speed and memory. It all matters. Law is your business, your computer is your tool. If you’re investing anywhere, it’s here. RAM? ROM? Gigs? Ports? What do you need?

Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]  

Topics:

Mentioned in this Episode:

Macs In Law Offices

Jeff Richardson’s prior appearances on Legal Talk Network

Brett Burney’s prior appearances on Legal Talk Network

Mac

Codeweavers

Parallels

USB hubs on Amazon

Adobe subscriptions

Textexpander

Textexpanders for Lawyers

Setapp for Mac

Ulysses app for Mac

Quick Look for Apple

Guest Andrew Schierberg retired from his first career after 20 years as a police officer, investigator, and chief in Northern Kentucky. Then he asked, “What next?” With a law degree and a lifetime of working in tense situations with people during their most stressful moments, Schierberg started a law practice with a focus on helping families by specializing in elder law and estate planning.

He wrote his own business plan, shadowed established attorneys, sought educational and business development support, found shared office space with other lawyers, and developed a holistic approach that lets him to build relationships with his clients and work not only as an attorney but also as a trusted advisor.

Learn how he set up his practice, selected case management software, established a flat-fee subscription plan for his clients rather than hourly rates, and developed an understanding of the needs of both elder clients and their families as they navigate a new stage of life.

If you’re well into a first career, you might be surprised at how much your “real world experience” can translate to a solo law practice.

Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]  

Topics:

Mentioned in this Episode:

Fearless Paranoia podcast

Life Care Planning Law Firms Association

Actionstep

MyCase

ElderCounsel

DecisionVault

Calendly

Textexpander

Maximum Lawyer podcast

The 80/20 Principle podcast

The Law Entrepreneur podcast

Lunch Hour Legal Marketing podcast

Peggy Gruenke on Legal Talk Network podcasts

Take a deep dive into eDiscovery for small and midsized firms with an old friend and frequent New Solo contributor, guest Brett Burney, a lawyer and longtime consultant who’s passionate about legal tech. Facing a mountain of electronic documents from PDFs to spreadsheets to emails to texts in discovery? You don’t need to be an expert, but you do need to understand the basics, the traps, and the available tools.

Start by accepting that electronic files aren’t paper files. They are inherently different and aren’t meant to be printed out. Embrace the format and treat electronic documents as what they are. If you print electronic documentation out, or you accept a printed version, you’re not getting the full picture, and you’re letting potentially valuable information slip through your fingers.

It's a digital world, and litigation is more likely than ever to include emails, smartphones, voice mails, social media posts and comments, and texts.

If you’ve been wondering if you’re doing the best job possible with eDiscovery, this is the episode for you.

Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected] 

Topics:

Mentioned in This Episode:

Previously on New Solo, with guest Brett Burney

LegalWeek New York

iMazing

“Forensic Image,” Science Direct

Synctech

Synctech SMS Backup and Restore

X1 Search

Page Vault

Pagefreezer

WebPreserver vs. Pagefreezer

Relativity

Relativity One

Everlaw

NextPoint

Logicull

Disco

Lexbe

GoldFynch

Acrobat

Digital WarRoom

NextPoint blog, “eDiscovery with Outlook: 3 Reasons Why Outlook is NOT a Document Review Tool,”

Quite a few bar associations have practice management advisors (or perhaps someone in a similar role), but a whole lot of lawyers aren’t aware of how this free member service could help them change their practice for the better. Adriana Linares chats with fellow practice management professional Catherine Sanders Reach about the services they provide to attorneys — from consulting on technology and ethics to starting a new business and so much more.

Later, the term “legal operations” might seem like it only applies to the “Big Law” end of the spectrum, but a solo or small firm should be just as keen on having well-planned operating procedures for their business from the get-go. Adriana and Catherine talk through easy-to-use tools that help law firms big and small operate with efficiency.

And, last, Microsoft 365 is rolling out Copilot, and Adriana and Catherine are watching its progress with great anticipation. Tune in for their thoughts on how this and similar tech could impact your legal practice.

Catherine Sanders Reach is director at the Center for Practice Management at the North Carolina Bar Association.

Topics:

Mentioned in this episode:

Catherine’s From the Center Blog

NCBA Center for Practice Management 

ABA Legal Technology Resource Center  

Lisa Crosbie - YouTube 

Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot

For solos sharing office space with other attorneys, there are advantages, but also potential headaches. How do you navigate this arrangement?

Guest Jared Correia is a podcaster, lawyer, and full-time business management consultant, sort of the lawyer you know who knows how to run a business. For clients, he digs into law firm management from the very high-level strategy to the nuts and bolts of tech and daily operations.

Shared offices create issues with malpractice insurance, shared practice management software, and clearly communicating your solo status while working in what to a client may appear to be a firm.

Plus, the important distinctions between website chat capability, automated chatbots, and the emergence of true artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT. Learn where each product can fill gaps in your practice and turn leads into clients. Tech that may make your solo practice work like a larger firm.

Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]

Topics:

Resources from This Episode:

Nebraska Bar

Florida Bar

San Diego Bar

Book, “The Of Counsel Agreement” by Harold Wren

ABA, Of Counsel defined

ABA Techshow

ABA Legal Technology Resource Center

Formilla

Apex remote assistants

Smith remote assistants

Ruby

Abby Connect

Back Office Betties

ChatGPT

OpenAI

Google A.I., “Bard”

Hanging up a shingle takes more than a law degree. Today’s legal tech and software helps solo and small practices be more productive and organized than ever. “Good enough” isn’t good enough. Know what you need, and get it!

Adriana runs through the tech foundation of a successful firm: from the computers to the office software to the case management software and add-ons that can streamline your practice and better serve your clients.

Adriana names names, provides recommendations, and answers the questions she hears from clients regularly. This is the personal consultation you have wanted … for free!

Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]

Topics:

Mentioned in This Episode:

What’s this about Google My Business? Well, for starters it connects your business to the Bible: The real Google Maps page. If you’re in business, you need to understand this. It’s not hard, but it takes a bit of work, and it’s a must.

Create a system, understand the process, and don’t be shy about asking for Google reviews, they matter.

(BTW, you can’t cheat or lie about a physical location. Google sends a postcard to verify. Who knew? So, you need to figure it out. Here’s how, even if you work out of a co-working facility. Do you need a sign? Yes, you do. Google has a lot of weird rules.)

And for Heaven’s sake, if you tell Google you’ll accept messaging through Google, you need to answer your messages or risk bad reviews and cranky customers. Do or do not. There is no try.

NAP? It’s got to be consistent across the web. If you don’t know it, you need to listen to this episode. This is everything you need to know about Google mapping and why it’s so important.

Plus, ranking factors, keywords, call answer rate, and profile info. Google 101.

Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]

Topics:

Is the secret to your law firm’s success a triangle?

Guest Christopher T. Anderson is a law practice management consultant (and host of the Legal Talk Network’s Un-Billable Hour). Anderson shares the “triangle” of a successful law firm: Acquiring clients; Producing the results you promised; and Achieving and Measuring the impact and success of your firm.

Anderson’s unique take on law firm management is built on thinking of law as a real business first. Why are you doing what you do?

Acquiring new clients means building on referrals, creating relationships, and paid marketing. Know and tell your story.

Producing results translates to setting client expectations (and meeting them), and doing your best work. Establish a “North Star” for every case.

And then there’s achieving and measuring the results for your business stakeholders. Where do you want to be? What separates good law firms from great ones? A law firm is a business, it’s OK to admit that.

Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]

Topics:

The ABA Techshow isn’t just for tech wizards; rather, it should be a vital part of every solo lawyer’s networking plan! Guests Jeannine Abukhater Lambert and Gyi Tsakalakis are co-chairs of the upcoming ABA Techshow, the home of all things tech and your opportunity to see what’s new, and what you’re missing.

Both guests serve unique corners of the legal world and found their paths through different methods. Lambert covers large policy areas through academia, and Tsakalakis is a leader in employing tech into legal marketing, making the most out of any firm. No matter what area of the legal world your career leads you to, knowing how to network and market effectively is vital to your success.

What’s frightening is how many lawyers, across the field, say “tech competence” isn’t relevant. Not only is it relevant, it’s table stakes. If you aren’t confident of your firm’s – or your own – tech know-how, the ABA Techshow can open your eyes, open new pathways, and help you better serve your clients.

Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]

Topics: