The 80/20 Principle

If you're willing to go beyond the superficial and get more personal, you'll attract much better clients. It feels awkward at first, but it's vital.

In this episode, I'll share some really personal things that I don't normally share. Not as a "marketing ploy," but to demonstrate that deeper connections come from going beyond the supposedly "safe zone" of superficiality.

I'll share the true reason why I became a lawyer. It's not anything that anyone would ever guess. But once you know that true reason you'll know a lot more about me than even some of my long time friends probably know.

Show Notes

• Win Your Case, by Gerry Spence
• Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, by Brené Brown

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.

The modern world places even greater strain on our mental well-being. How can we become more resilient, strong, and balanced? Sometimes it's not easy to understand.

But we can gain useful perspective that helps us stay calm, and make better decisions under pressure. Or just in the everyday stress moments that routinely present themselves to us.

Show Notes

• The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz (concise guide to putting everything important into helpful perspective)
• The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle (for learning to become more present and less distracted)
• Insight, by Tasha Eurich (for improving self-awareness)
• The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron
• The Importance of Labeling Your Feelings, a good web article
• My blog posts about meditation
• The Reluctant Man's Guide to Starting Therapy, (helpful article for men wondering about therapy)

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.

Jury consultants assemble focus groups and then use psychology-based interview strategies to help lawyers get in the minds of jurors. Now they can do it virtually.

Elizabeth Larrick is an attorney who also does focus group consulting, and in this episode she shares insights into how this is now done virtually, using Zoom.

Show Notes

• Elizabeth Larrick's website
• Elizabeth Larrick's PDF Guide checklist for doing your own focus groups
• Judge Emily Miskel's Twitter

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.

California attorney Denise Howell reflects on the many changes that technology has brought to the practice of law over the past two decades.

Denise Howell was working in a large L.A. firm when started the fourth lawyer weblog. Five years later she went out on her own, and also was the host of probably the first legal podcast. In this episode, she and Ernie examine some of the tech-driven changes that have taken place in the practice of law and society in general.

Show Notes

• Denise Howell's Twitter
• Denise Howell's Instagram
• Denise Howell's website
• Denise Howell's Sustainable Fashion website
• Bob Ambrogi's blog post about early legal bloggers

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.

A virtual executive assistant can be a boon to your productivity. But how can you get a good EA and what is it like to work with one?

One person who knows is Valerie Trapunsky, the founder of a virtual assistance company called ChatterBoss. Her company pairs virtual executive assistants with entrepreneurs, even some lawyers.

ChatterBoss is not like most virtual assistance services, because they go beyond just VA match-making. They are also outsourcing coaches, which means they're fully invested in helping you succeed in working with virtual assistance. This conversation will give you some uncommon insights into how to find and work effectively with a high-quality virtual assistant.

Show Notes

ChatterBoss website (where you can schedule a free meeting to discuss how their executive assistant service might be right for you)

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.

How can we make better, more effective decisions? It's important to find out because the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our decisions.

Many of our decisions are impaired even before we start to make them because of cognitive blind spots. So what are some examples of these cognitive glitches, and how can we overcome them? That's what you'll discover in this episode.

Show Notes

• Read Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo (will help you develop your "figure it out" muscle)
• Read Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (and examine your thinking with more examples like the "baseball and ball" test)
• Read The Great Mental Models, Vol. 1 by Rhiannon Beaubien and Shane Parrish (An overview of key "thinking principles")
• Visit Farnham St. Blog (An ongoing examination of key "thinking principles")
• Listen to The Knowledge Project podcast (An ongoing discussion of key "thinking principles")
• Listen to Tim Ferriss Show podcast (will help you find successful people to model and learn how they made good decisions)
• Listen to Mixergy podcast with Andrew Warner (will help you find successful people to model and learn how they made good decisions)
• Read Post-Corona by Scott Galloway (Discover the powerful trends that are driving radical change now, and what you should do to capitalize opportunities and meet challenges)
• Read Thinking In Bets by Annie Duke (Develop better decision-making skills in general)
• Read The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel (Develop better decision-making skills regarding finance)
• Read Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Business, and Life by Rory Sutherland (to understand how some things work even though they don't make sense, and vice-versa)

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.

The less you need to rely on other people the greater your flexibility and resilience. The same goes for relying on resources. Keep your needs to a minimum to survive and thrive.

In this episode, Ernie focuses on several key principles to help you be as self-sufficient as possible.

Show Notes

• Episode 167 - Crisis Management
• OODA Loop, cited in Episode 167
• John Boyd, cited in Episode 167
• Uncluttered.com
• Tim Ferriss, Author of Four Hour Workweek
• Heat, movie with Robert DeNiro & Al Pacino
• Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke
• Deep Work by Cal Newport

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.

A new law business model is vital now. Ali Katz's book explains exactly how lawyers should revamp their practices to make them more enjoyable and more profitable.

Ali's NLBM is most beneficial to lawyers with estate planning or business law practices that use flat-fee pricing, but the principles and tactics she teaches can help any lawyer in any kind of practice area.

In this episode, you'll learn about the 5 critical shifts solo and small firm lawyers need to make to revitalize their law businesses. We also discuss which practice types lend themselves most readily to transformation.

Show Notes

• The New Law Business Model, the book by Ali Katz that we discuss in depth.
• New Law Business Model, Ali's website
• Private Facebook Group created and run by Ali
• MoneyMap for Lawyers (resource provided by Ali to help figure out what income you need your practice to provide

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.

Learning how to manage a catastrophic crisis like the hurricane that just hit New Orleans (or fires, earthquakes, and pandemics) will help you in everyday life for reasons that are surprising.

Even "smart people" wind up making bad decisions in a crisis. But a prepared person who isn't that "smart" can do surprisingly well. In this episode, we examine exactly why that's true.

And Ernie's examination takes place in the aftermath of an actual crisis: i.e. Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm that ravaged Louisiana on August 29th (the 16th anniversary of when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans).

Show Notes

• Hurricane Ida (Ernie's blog post)
• OODA Loop (Wikipedia article)
• John Boyd (Wikipedia article)
• VUCA (Wikipedia article)
• Curated Twitter feed (Ernie created for Ida)

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.

When starting a new firm, what types of things are important to get right in the beginning to scale later? That's the question I was asked recently by a new lawyer.

The answer is applicable or at least helpful to any lawyer thinking about how to improve their practice.

Show Notes

• Advice to a New Lawyer - blog post that inspired this episode
• Vision & Traction - blog post about the importance of creating a solid vision for your law practice
• Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, book by Gino Wickman (a powerful, actionable guide for lawyers who want to get a grip on how to better run their practices)
• My Email Marketing Course
• ConvertKit Email Service

General Resources

• The 80/20 Principle (my email newsletter)
• The 5 Pillars of a Tech-Powered Law Practice
• The Inner Circle (an online community for law firm owners)

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SweetProcess is a great way to document your important workflows. Doing so will help make your practice run more smoothly, and require less involvement on your part to keep things running smoothly.

The best way to understand how SweetProcess will help streamline your firm is to start using it. The company offers a 14-day free trial, but as a loyal listener of this podcast, you can try it for 28-days free of charge. And you don't even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Just navigate to SweetProcess.com/ernie to start your 28-day free trial today.

And thanks to the other sponsor of this podcast…

Smith.ai is an amazing virtual receptionist service that specializes in working with solo and small law firms. When you hire Smith.ai you're actually hiring well-trained, friendly receptionists who can respond to callers in English or Spanish.

If there's one great outsourcing opportunity for your practice, this is it. Let Smith.ai have your back while you stay focused on your work, knowing that your clients and prospects are being taken care of.

Plans start at just $140 a month for calls or chats. And they have a special offer for podcast listeners where you can get an extra $100 discount with promo code ERNIE100. Sign up for a free trial now (and learn more) at www.smith.ai.

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at EmeraldCity Pro.